Finding Your Purpose

Purpose, what is that? How do I find it?

This is a question I get asked all the time and one that I asked myself many years ago.

Purpose, is the reason why we do something. It’s the force that drives us forward when we loose momentum, its the passion behind our most meaningful projects. But it’s not always obvious. It can take some soul searching to find it, but once you do, wow does it resonate!

If you’re interested in finding your professional purpose, are feeling stuck or stagnant in a job, or want to reroute and become a passionpreneur (a person who builds a business from their passion) A good place to start is to ask yourself WHY you do WHAT you currently do.

Not WHAT you do or HOW you do it, but WHY you do it.

Your conversation with yourself might go something like this …

Question: Why am I an accountant?

Answer: Because I like numbers?

Question: OK, so why an accountant then and not a math teacher or engineer?

Answer: Because I like helping people understand how to manage their money.

Question: Why?

Answer: Because as a child I picked up on the stress that unstable finances had on our family.

Question: So if you could pin point the purpose of WHY you do WHAT you do, how would that sound?

Answer: I help people create a stable environment for themselves and their family.

Now THAT’s a purpose.

You will begin to see that once you dig down into your purpose, it becomes far less relevant WHAT you do and far more important the WHY behind it.

If your purpose is to ‘Help people create a stable environment for themselves and their family’ that could be done through a lot of different roles: Social worker, adult education specialist, family liaison officer, architect …

Once you find your purpose a whole world of opportunity opens up to you. We can sometimes feel stuck in a rut, believing that it’s too late to retrain or feeling that we’ve done what we’ve done for so long we couldn’t possibly do something else. But that’s not true!

If you live in your purpose WHAT you do might change, but WHY you do it will always be the same.

My purpose is to help people understand themselves and each other.

I used to be a journalist and producer. I made documentaries for the BBC. I would interview people about themselves, their ideas and opinions and I would share that with millions of audience members.

Then I retrained as a coach, listening to people talk about what they wanted to achieve and helping them to turn that into reality. Supporting them to settle into the new lives that they would create for themselves and the relationships with others that may shift with those developments.

A few years ago I graduated as a Shaman Practitioner, where I work with clients using ancient traditions to delve into parts of the mind that might unlock new ideas, creativity and instinct. It’s a little different, but for clients wanting to understand themselves deeply it’s a fantastic way to try something new and gain insight. This practice take people on a journey of self exploration and discovery that can be tricky for others to understand, so I help them to communicate their experience to others, so that they can build meaningful connections and understanding.

Although these ‘jobs’ might sound different, my purpose has been the same throughout. My WHY has never changed, but the WHAT I do and the HOW I do it has changed over time and may change again. Who knows! But what I do know is that finding my purpose has helped me to decide the direction I want to take each day in the work I do and the decisions I make.

To start exploring your purpose answer the question: WHY do you do what you do?

If you don’t like or love what you currently do, ask yourself WHAT is most important to you in your work / professional life?

Then ask yourself WHY is that so important to you?

Keep digging with the WHY questions until you get close to something that feels important.

Write it down. What would it look like written as a purpose statement:

My purpose is to support others to become more healthy

My purpose is to help vulnerable animals

My purpose is to make as much money as possible so I can keep myself, my family safe

My purpose is to make parents lives easier

My purpose is to find a solution to the worlds sustainable energy problem

My purpose is to raise a family

When you connect with your purpose, you’ll enjoy a perspective shift of abundance and excitement. Rather than feeling like you’re stuck or don’t know WHAT to do next. Don’t worry about the WHAT part yet. That’ll come in time. Focus on the WHY first and the rest will come to fruition much more easily than you could have expected!

Get in touch if you’d like to chat to us about finding your purpose in a 1-2-1 session with me or one of our coaches.

#keepyourheadhealthy #purpose #selfdiscovery #explore #findmypurpose