Think about your purpose practically

Making purpose practical

Do you know your purpose? When was the last time you asked yourself “what am I doing here?”

Finding your purpose, calling or why in life can be like chasing Bigfoot or an elusive unicorn – some days it just seems vague, mystical, and out of reach. There are days when you feel in the zone, when you hit the sweet spot and feel like what you are doing really matters. Then, there are those days when most things seem like a waste of time. Those days just drain you.

It might be a good idea to start thinking about purpose slightly differently, in a more practical sense, to give yourself a clearer indication of what your intrinsic motivation is inspired by.

There are many ways you could approach this topic, but thinking about your purpose from the following angles is a good place to start:

#1 The quality of your connections.

Think about the relationships that are of greatest value in your life. Investing in these to maintain, build and deepen the level of connection provides a powerful sense of significance. Spending time and sharing your life with people that care about your well-being in a mutually beneficial way will give meaning to your life. This could include your spouse, children, parents, friends, or family members. As a rule of thumb, think quality over quantity. You only have a limited amount of time and energy to invest, so choose wisely.

#2 The impact you want to have.

What needs to change? What could be better? What is not working? What needs some adjustment or a total overhaul?

Your answers to these questions can be big or small, far-reaching, or very specific – that does not matter. What is more important is that you can identify somewhere to start having an impact. Make it personal. Find something that really matters to you. Take responsibility, instead of complaining. And then start (even if the start seems incredibly small) doing something about it.

Think about the butterfly effect, you never know how big your impact might end up being.

#3 See how good you can get at (at least) one thing.

What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? What seems to come naturally? Or is there something have you always wanted to try?

Mastery takes time. In some cases, a lifetime. Do not let that discourage you from honing your skill. Pay attention, ask for advice, be open to feedback, always be willing to learn. Be a constant improver. Genuinely be open to the possibility that you might be good at something. Then use what you have to the benefit of others. That’s a noble way to live a meaningful life.

The takeaway

Purpose does not have to be overly complex. Simplify it for yourself.

What can I get good at? What impact could I have? Who would be the best companions on my journey?

Finally…

If you find the purpose question particularly hard to answer, we would love to help you find some clarity and a greater level of significance in life. We offer packages for individual and team coaching to help you unpack the purpose of your life or organisation.

Please contact us at hello@purposeworks.co.za for more information on how we can get involved in your environment.

At PurposeWorks we are all about Making You and Your Work Rock. Our focus is on Organisational Health and Design, Employee Centered Culture, Leadership Development and Performance Coaching. For more information on how we can help you create a work environment that rocks, develop a great team, become an inspiring leader or unlock your personal excellence talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.