"Living a life driven by purpose is more meaningful and rewarding than meandering through life without direction." I first heard Bob McDonald, now the retired Chairman and CEO of Procter and Gamble, speak these words at a United Way luncheon in Cincinnati in 2010, and I really took his message to heart. So much so, that I have that phrase posted in my office and I look at it every day.

At that time in 2009, I was a young banker trying to establish "purpose" in my professional, personal, and civic life. Thanks to strong mentors, influencers, and my girlfriend (now wife) in my life, I felt good about my professional and personal life; however, my civic life was a mess. Unfortunately, my civic engagements had become too numerous and cluttered, and my ability to add value to these great organizations was limited. There wasn't any intentionality in what I was doing to serve my community.

After some self reflection, I realized that I got involved with many of my civic engagements for the wrong reasons: it would look good on my resume, or a close friend or mentor asked so I had to do it, or this may get me connected to someone that might be good for business. No matter what excuse I told myself, the reality was that I wasn't living a civic life driven by purpose. I needed to have my heart be my compass, and get engaged with organizations that aligned with my passions around economic development, youth education, and the arts. Thereafter, I could use my head to decide how deeply I could get involved as a board member, volunteer, donor, and/or advocate based on my time, talent, and treasure.

Now that I am almost six years removed from this "epiphany" and in a different community, I have been very intentional on the organizations that I give my time, talent, and treasure. All of these organizations go back to my core passions around economic development, youth education, and the arts. To be as fully engaged as possible, I have limited my civic commitments to four organizations and that has worked well for me.

Specifically, I am deeply involved with Metro United Way, Louisville Ballet, [give]502, and the Fund for the Arts. Although it is a cliché, my experience has taught me that the quality of the experience and engagement with the organization is more important than the quantity that can be listed on a resume or biographical overview.

There are so many organizations within the Greater Louisville community that are seeking young, bright, and energetic professionals to assist their mission, and I believe that we have a deep talent supply to meet this demand. However, their mission can only move forward if they have individuals that have the capacity and passion to provide quality civic service. As you move forward, please consider using your heart as your compass to lead a purpose driven life.

If you need a kick-start in finding that passion, there's a great opportunity for 22-30 year olds coming up soon that I'm a part of through Metro United Way. It's called Louisville LINC (Lead. Impact. Network. Change.). The first event is on Thursday, November 12 at Copper & Kings and I invite you to join me! I think it just might be something that gets my generation really involved in community change and helps us all find our own passion!

As the Director of Private Banking for Fifth Third Bank's Kentucky affiliate, Joel leads a team of highly trained private banking professionals in Louisville and Lexington that provides traditional and specialized banking solutions for high-net-worth executives, families, and business owners. He is currently a Board of Directors and Executive Committee member for Metro United Way, and is the Immediate Past President of the Louisville Ballet. Joel is an ex-officio member of the Louisville Fund for the Arts' Board of Directors and is a member of the Funds' Farnsley by Forty society. In 2013, he was honored by Business First as a Forty Under Forty recipient. Joel and his wife, Lisa, live in the Highlands, and he enjoys golf, basketball, fishing, and passionately supporting his beloved alma mater University of Michigan Wolverines.