The Unintentional Life Coach

By all accounts, Nora and Felix were ordinary humans—except for one important detail: they had the combined problem-solving ability of a mildly confused hamster.

They weren’t stupid.

They just… tried too hard in the wrong direction.

So when Nora decided that the universe was sending her “a sign to be better,” Felix didn’t question it. Mostly because the last time he questioned her, she tried to sage-smudge his car to “cleanse the doubt.”

This week, Nora’s inspiration came from a fortune cookie that read:

“Your purpose will reveal itself soon.”Most people would smile, crack a joke, and forget about it.

Nora ducked behind Felix’s couch, popped up dramatically, and said, “Fate has spoken.”

Felix blinked. “Can fate speak more quietly? I’m eating noodles.”

Nora slammed the fortune down like a search warrant. “We’re changing our lives. Starting now.”

This was the beginning of a week that future historians would describe as: “avoidable.”

Monday: The Great Productivity Plan

Nora insisted they wake up at 5AM.

Felix, who normally woke up at “whenever his bladder demanded it,” was not built for this.

They bought planners.

Color-coded them.

Scheduled workouts.

Scheduled “intention setting.”

Scheduled “unscheduled time.”

They were unstoppable for exactly 14 minutes.

At 5:14AM, Felix fell asleep mid-jumping jack.

At 5:16AM, Nora spilled her green smoothie on her planner.

At 5:20AM, they agreed that rising with the sun was “toxic culture propaganda.”

But Nora refused to quit.

“This is all part of destiny,” she said, wiping chia seeds off her forehead.

Felix yawned. “Destiny needs coffee.”

Tuesday: The Healthy Living Experiment

Nora dragged Felix to a yoga class.

They were positioned between two serene older women who stretched like graceful swans.

Felix, meanwhile, became a human pretzel with one leg stuck somewhere behind his ear.

Nora toppled sideways during tree pose and took down an entire row like inspirational bowling.

By the end of class, the instructor gave them both a hug—not the “great job” kind, but the “you tried, sweetie” kind.

Felix whispered as they limped outside, “Are we done finding our purpose yet?”

“Absolutely not,” Nora said. “Purpose is hiding. We must lure it out.”

Wednesday: The Accident

This was the day everything changed.

Nora and Felix were walking home from a cafe, passionately debating whether purpose would arrive in the mail or via dramatic epiphany, when they heard a soft whimper.

A teenager sat on the curb, head buried in his hands.

Nora immediately froze.

Felix nearly dropped his muffin.

They didn’t know what to do. They were barely functional adults themselves.

But Nora felt that tug inside—the same strange pull she’d been chasing all week.

She walked over.

Felix followed, carrying his muffin like it was evidence.

“Hey,” Nora said gently. “Are you okay?”

The boy looked up with tear-streaked cheeks. “I failed my driving test. Twice.”

Felix gasped dramatically. “Twice???”

“Felix,” Nora hissed.

The boy groaned. “My mom’s gonna kill me. I’m such a loser.”

Something clicked.

Nora knelt beside him and said, “Look, we have failed at literally everything this week. Everything. Yoga? Disaster. Waking up early? Absolute nonsense. Eating healthy? I spilled a chia seed smoothie on my soul.”

Felix nodded. “I’m shaped like a pretzel on the inside now.”

The boy snorted.

Nora continued, “But here’s the thing: failure is just proof you’re trying. Do you think anyone succeeds at everything? No. Some of us barely succeed at breathing on Mondays.”

Felix raised his muffin. “We are living proof.”

The teenager laughed—the weak, exhausted kind that still manages to break the heaviness.

Nora placed a hand on his shoulder. “Failing twice doesn’t mean you’re done. It means you’re on attempt number three. Progress isn’t pretty. But it’s still progress.”

Felix added, “You’ll get it. And if not, we’ll teach you. Actually no—don’t let us teach you. But you’ll get it.”

The boy wiped his eyes. “Thanks. I really needed that.”

He stood, gave an awkward but genuine smile, and walked home lighter than he arrived.

Thursday: The Realization

Back at Nora’s apartment, they sat on the floor surrounded by failed planner pages, yoga mats still tangled, and a smoothie-stained towel.

Felix stared at the chaos. “I think… I think we accidentally helped someone.”

Nora blinked. “We did.”

“Without a plan.”

“Correct.”

“Without waking up at 5AM?”

“Exactly.”

Felix gasped. “Does this mean… this is our purpose?”

Nora smiled slowly. “I think purpose isn’t something you hunt. It’s something that sneaks up on you while you’re busy being a mess.”

So… we don’t need to be perfect?”

“No. We just need to be present.”

Felix raised his muffin again. “To accidental wisdom.”

Nora clinked hers against his. “To showing up—even if you show up crooked.”

The Lesson

Purpose doesn’t arrive by schedule.

It doesn’t need clean planners, perfect routines, or magical fortune cookies.

Sometimes, purpose is simply being human enough to help someone else feel less alone.

Even if you’re a disaster while doing it.