Purpose provides motivation. You and I hear it all the time applied to business. We apply it to mission statements and sometimes to athletes — “be the greatest boxer in the world!”
Yet, I don’t see it applied personally enough. In fact, the only people I see with a clear purpose are those who are over indexing in the happiness and success category! That is telling enough that it is worth our time.
But how does action align to purpose? Here are several examples both personal and the high performers to strike at the heart of what is a ‘motivating purpose’: (Action-> Purpose)
- Workout/train ==> for the purpose of sex appeal / not be obese and unhealthy
- Goggin’s training ==> Fortify body and mind in strength and pride
- Write books ==> to share insights to those 1 step behind on the path
- Create a coffee Brand ==> create the soul I seek
- 4:30am to train > His fitness is his brand and getting the work in early allows him to do all he seeks
- Be a social media legend -> To give more than he takes from the world
- Build a gym ==> deliver high end proper coaching, safely
- Complete Ironman 5x -> Complete commitment to grandfather; continued to validate training methods
- I run 50k volcano runs > To have an epic journey
In reflection though …all but a few of these are all mission motivations. Designed for specific lifestyles and specific events. Not a macro thesis for their life.
That leads us to — what is a MACRO personal purpose?
Your Personal purpose
For one, it need not be a bumper sticker statement, or an essay. It can be anything length. It can be written as a haiku or derived from a quote that resonates with your soul. Format is not important. Length is not important. TRUTH and REFLECTIVE of you is all that matters.
Now that the judgement and fear ingrained from our classroom days has been erased, let’s focus on what you need to include:
4 things to include in your macro personal purpose:
- It has to be selfish
- It must be grounded in your truth
- It should feel embarrassing at first but also brutally raw to being who you are
So now how do you write one? This becomes a discovery in self which is incredibly valuable, but cannot be rushed. To do this begin creating a list that embodies your life purpose. Don’t judge just write. Keep writing.. build on prior statements.. expand and retract areas. and any time you feel in your bones one line / word / statement resonate with you — HIGHLIGHT THAT. Keep going.
This random walk of thought will expose thoughts, feelings, and ultimately truths.
Your LIFE purpose is not:
- Being a parent*
- Being a good employee
- Being a solder
*sorry, I prioritize all else to be a great parent and would give anything for her, but no that is not my sole purpose in life or yours.
My walk to discover my purpose
Below is a trimmed version of the thought patterns and flow of my own personal purpose journey. Some I strongly disagreed with and others I thought were insightful, and I built upon them. I share these not to anchor you in my own, but to free you to truly walk out your truth:
What is a macro goal/purpose:
Maximum Life for my daughter?
Lessons… knowledge.. experiences .. Player of Life..
Guru ..
I am passionate and driven to do all; know all; and give all
My Purpose, all encompassing .. experimenter of life .. bush whacker
Maximize life .. ideal life .. enduring life .. a life that matters
What is a life that matters
Respect that gift of my body by strengthening it
Respect the mind by consuming and learning from others, to build on that wisdom
Respect the soul by getting in nature, laughing, and loving often
Respect the age of technology and leverage it
Be everything. Be greater.
Be relentless in pursuit of life
My macro personal purpose is to live a life that matters. Expanded to include the aspects above. This resonates very strongly with me and my desires to give to all those I work with and meet. The desire is strong and I share it, again, not to anchor you but free you to discover your own.
Purpose provides motivation
The greatest gift you can gain is to pursue, engage, and spend each breath of life doing what is fulfilling. Thankfully, 6.9 billion humans each can define what that is in their own life. It is empowering and shocking when you think of the magnitude of good that can be gained in life with this focus.
For you, please see your purpose, and live by it.
