Identifying, acknowledging, and living according to a life purpose is perhaps the most important step that successful people take.
In fact, having a purpose is an important component of a fulfilling life in general. To be “on purpose” means you’re doing what you love to do, doing what you’re good at, and accomplishing what’s important to you.
Without a purpose to guide you, your goals and actions can seem empty and unsatisfying.
It’s easy to get sidetracked, to wander and drift without something keeping you on target. Because, when you’re driven by a “life purpose,” in time everything seems to fall into place or naturally fall out of your life.
There are many benefits to defining and living your life purpose.
- Things seem to fall into place. The people, resources, and opportunities you need naturally gravitate toward you.
- Consequently, you make better decisions for your life, setting and prioritizing goals and pursuing one activity or goal over another.
- You get where you want to be easier and with less stress, and the journey is more enjoyable!
When I’m on-purpose, I inject passion and determination into everything I do. Hence, I know I’m on purpose because virtually everything I do is fun and fulfilling. Our greatest challenge is to discover our purpose and use our natural talents, resources, and abilities to that end—for ourselves… family…community…and the world.
What Is A Purpose Statement? The Life Purpose of Some of History’s Greatest Names
Surprisingly, some of the greatest names in history have had some of the simplest personal mission statements. Titans of industry, leaders of major world governments, entertainment giants have all had a definitive life purpose that drives their daily actions, helping them create great successes and positively impact generations of people.
- Thomas Edison: His stated purpose was to “create inventions that people needed, that people would pay for, and that would be profitable.”
Imagine having Edison’s purpose statement as a roadmap to guide your daily actions! If an activity didn’t fit that formula, you wouldn’t work on it. Period. If something was getting you off-track in life, you’d be able to recognize its short-comings before spending too much time, energy or resources on it. If something didn’t fit all the criteria, you’d move on to the next thing that did. See the kind of focus a stated purpose or mission statement can give you?
Let’s look at other historical figures who had a purpose guiding their actions and energy.
- John F. Kennedy: His purpose was to “put a man on the moon.”
- Andrew Carnegie: This American steel industrialist, founder of the public library system, and at one time the richest man in the world had a stated purpose to “spend the first half of my life making as much money as I can — and the second half giving it ”
Finding Your Life Purpose: The “Why” Behind Everything You Do
Have you ever actually articulated or written down your life purpose? If you haven’t, it might be helpful to ask yourself this question:
If I were provided with everything I wanted and needed to unleash my full potential and achieve my highest vision, what would my purpose be?
Finding your purpose means discovering what you believe you were put on this Earth to do. For example, you may feel your purpose is to help others or be a painter, or a scientist.
Whatever it turns out to be, your purpose will suggest to you:
- What to work toward and accomplish
- For whom
- How to accomplish it
Let Your Purpose Be Your Compass
Discover your purpose and use your natural talents, resources, and abilities to that end—for yourself, your family, and the world. As a result, your purpose will keep you moving in the right direction, regardless of where your journey takes you.
Your challenge as a leader is to find ways to work collaboratively with your team to find its “shared” purpose, one that serves the needs of the collective group and keeps the team pointed in the direction it’s intended to go. You’re then ready to work as a team to develop mechanisms to maintain perspective and stay grounded, no matter what work you’re tasked to accomplish.
Finding Purpose in Your Career: Are You Where You Need to Be?
Most of us would like our life purpose infused in the work we do every day, at least to some degree.
For a worksheet to unlock your unique life purpose and find a career where you flourish, please provide your email.
For an activity to Establish a Clear Team Purpose with your team, see our new e-learning course “Leading Your Pop-Up Team To New Heights”