Defining Purpose: Finding It and Staying On It

For centuries, we have been asking the question, “What is my purpose in life?” There are many books, articles and much discussion today about living and working “on purpose.” What’s the purpose of being on purpose anyway? More importantly, what is it, how do we find it and how do we know if we’re on purpose?

Purpose is a unique source of energy and power that exists when we are doing what we love (and loving what we do), maximizing use of our talents and abilities, living authentically according to our values and using all of these to serve a cause outside of our immediate self-interest. I will be the first to admit that finding a higher purpose is not always easy and takes quite a bit of self-refection and courage.

Let’s take a look at these four attributes of purpose:

1. Doing what we love and loving what we do. When we love our work our passion flows through us and we affect everyone around us positively. When we are connected to our passion, our work feels like a calling, or a natural choice. When we disconnect from our passion, our work feels like a chore or something we must endure to pay the bills.
   
   
2. Maximizing use of our talents and abilities. We all have unique talents and abilities, or gifts, which I believe are clues to finding our true purpose. If these gifts are utilized as much as possible, our purpose becomes clear and we move toward it. If we don’t harness our unique gifts, we can become stagnant, doubtful and unsure of our purpose. We then find work for the sake of work and get caught up in earning a living and surviving. We become disconnected with our true purpose in life.
   
   
3. Living authentically according to our values. Values have intrinsic worth in that they provide a source of inspiration and meaning that cannot be taken away from us. Without even realizing it, we make dozens of decisions every day based upon our values. When we live by our values, it just feels right, even when we have to stand firm in the face of adversity or opposition. Sometimes we go against our values for many different reasons and we just don’t feel right. The better you know your core values, your code of conduct becomes clear.
   
   
4. Serving a cause outside of our immediate self-interest. I have found few things more gratifying in my career than to be so completely focused on serving others. I often depleted my energy reserves (I didn’t know about energy management then!), but the power of being on purpose is a far greater energy. If our focus is always directed inward (what’s in it for me?), our purpose eludes us and we get lost in the shuffle. We eventually come to a point, where we say, “Is this all there is?” This is a good thing because it forces us to take a look at our lives and ask ourselves what we really want.

The good news about finding our purpose is that we can find it in now our current work and personal life. All that is required is that we know our values and then ask ourselves how we are currently applying them in our work and life. If you value helping others succeed, what is your attitude toward this value?

Are you “always solving other people’s problems” or are you helping them grow and improving the quality of their lives? The former is an energy drainer while the latter is an energy booster. See the difference? Sometimes a little perspective is all it takes!

Why is all this purpose stuff important? When you are on purpose, you can help your entire team be on purpose. You should only hire candidates that know what their purpose is and then do an alignment check against the company’s purpose. When your team is on purpose, they are more fully engaged with each other and your guests, customers and clients. Full engagement translates into increased productivity, goal attainment, better relationships and PROFITS!