Open this blog post to connect with your purpose

Sorry, the subject of this email is a shameless hook. 

But there is a purpose if you care to stay with me…..

It’s a compelling proposition to think we can uncover, discover or recover our purpose in an email newsletter. 

The word ‘purpose’ or phrases like ‘living ON purpose’ or ‘finding your purpose’ are buzzwords right now. 

Do you sometimes feel confused by what ‘purpose’ means? 

Do you ever feel ‘less than’ because you don’t know what your purpose is?

Do you get frustrated by the mention of the word purpose?

If so, you’re in the right place! 

Here’s the top 3 mistakes high achievers make when trying to understand, seek or live their purpose.

1. Your purpose does not HAVE to be your job 

Don’t fall into the well used trap of believing your purpose will be your job/ career/ profession. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Maybe it will be one day, maybe it won’t. Maybe you can fulfil your purpose through your career, or maybe your career enables you to live your purpose but they are completely unrelated. Practice decoupling your purpose from your career

1. Your purpose is NOT a person

It’s completely normal to have a period in life when your family, partner, children or parents are your priority. They may be your priority for   weeks, months, or even years. Your priorities are not your purpose. We all have priorities that run alongside our purpose, but don’t conflate the two. 

1. Your purpose can NEVER be taken away from you 

If you have defined your purpose, or are getting close, the best test to apply is to phrase it in a way that makes certain it can never be taken away from you. For example, instead of saying,  

1. ‘My purpose is to promote gender equality in the workplace’ 

You might say,

1. ‘My purpose is to be the voice of equality in everything I do.’ 

It’s a subtle but significant difference. You might notice that option B creates the possibility of living that purpose regardless of your job, age or place in the world. There is value in being very specific about who you are serving right now as part of your purpose, but it’s also important to be clear on your wider purpose

Bottom line, your purpose will always relate to empowering and serving a group of interested people to improve themselves, their community and the world.  

So figure who YOU want to serve right now, and HOW. Then create a plan to connect with that purpose EVERY DAY, somehow, even if that means reading a book or listening to a podcast in your chosen field. 

Remember, your purpose WILL change over time. 

It’s not something to commit to for life by tattooing it on your lower back. 

So take the pressure off and get playful when researching or defining your purpose.