In a world with unlimited options yet limited resources, a purpose statement assists in effectively allocating those resources. Great purpose statements should be a counter-attack against injustice.
WHY IT MATTERS: Your Purpose Statement is going to clearly outline your intentions and describe why this endeavor is so important to you.
LET’S DIVE IN: When helping people create Guiding Principles, I always begin with a purpose statement. This is the heart and soul of your reason 'why.' Remember, people aren't just interested in what you do, they're captivated by why you care to do it. What you do is merely the proof in the pudding of your beliefs.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Let's get re-anchored to our framework:
DOING
- Create a purpose statement that will serve as the “why” of your mission..
- Create a list of critical outputs that will drive your advancement towards fulfilling your purpose
- Create a list of critical inputs that will ensure you accomplish your critical outputs.
BEING
- Create a set of key characteristics that will guide your development.
- Create a list of statements to sculpt your identity
- Make a list of questions that interest you. These should be exciting challenges or problems you're eager to solve.
WHY SHOULD I CARE TO MAKE A PURPOSE STATEMENT?
A purpose statement is not only a roadmap for your aspirations and goals, but it is also a declaration of your commitment to achieving them. When we make promises or set goals that seem daunting or even impossible, we are challenged to grow. As humans, we don't have a reserve of willpower that we can tap into to build capacity before it's needed. We need a challenge, a weight, to justify building our capacity.
However, the challenge shouldn't be to do everything at once. Instead of thinking, "How can I do it all?", we should focus on a particular problem and ask ourselves, "What trade-offs will I make?" or "How can I go really big on this?" By seeing trade-offs not as losses but as opportunities to focus on the highest-impact options, we can channel our energy more effectively.
Our purpose statement should reflect our mission, a counter-attack against an injustice. It should articulate what we’re doing to serve people and why that effort matters.
HOW DO I MAKE A PURPOSE STATEMENT?
In your journey, both personal and professional, having a purpose statement is a vital component that can guide your decisions and actions. The formula to create such a statement is not complex, but it does require introspection and clarity.
The first step is to recognize that this process is not about perfection, but about progress. As the Business Made Simple Book emphasizes, your purpose statement should marry your personal and professional aspirations with a shared outcome.
While having a mission statement is common practice in professional life, it's equally important to have one for your personal life. Just as a good story focuses on a single, defined objective, your life should too. Juggling too many sub-plots or roles can lead to confusion and lack of progress. Your purpose should be an overall objective expressed through all the roles you play.
Remember, focusing solely on your career poses a danger. Your personal life needs a mission too, and it should align with your professional one. Your purpose statement should be a guide to navigating the maze of life's opportunities, helping you win your 'championship' or 'court case', metaphorically speaking.
PERSONAL
My Why is to ____ (How you want to help people) So that ____ (The impact you want to have)
My WHY is to live in radical alignment with my values.
To inspire and instruct others on how to improve their lives and achieve their goals.
PROFESSIONAL
My Why is to ____ (How you want to help people) So that ____ (The impact you want to have)
My WHY is to build 100 meaningful, transformational, active coaching journeys for leaders
To inspire and instruct others on how to improve their lives and achieve their goals.
It's worth remembering that people without a purpose not only waste company resources but they also waste their lives.
All humans long for a purpose. We are born self-identifying as heroes in a story and we know, even as children, that our existence on this planet matters. Every person longs to be on a team on a serious and important mission. Teams that are not united around a compelling mission waste time, energy, and money moving in random directions that do not serve the overall objective of the organization.
A good mission statement is short, interesting, and memorable. So, in crafting your purpose statement, consider what you are optimizing yourself for and whether you are designing your life or is somebody designing it for you.
WHAT SHOULD BE MY PURPOSE STATEMENT?
"The best thing that can happen to a human being is to find a problem, to fall in love with that problem, and to live trying to solve that problem, unless another problem even more lovable appears."
-Philosopher Karl Popper
Creating a purpose statement is both exciting and intimidating because it involves making a definitive commitment. You are declaring your intentions which can be exhilarating if successful and humbling if not. Although stepping outside of your comfort zone may bring uncertainty, this is exactly what makes it worthwhile. If you knew that you were going to succeed, it wouldn't be worth doing to begin with. The fact that you are uncertain when you start is what makes it worthwhile. The pursuit isn't just about the end goal - the transformation of who you become in the process to achieve this goal is the main point.
IF YOU BELIEVE IN HEAVEN…
We have to talk about heaven. Because we’re so obsessed with the finite of the here and now.
We struggle in the finite because we’re disconnected from the forever.
We fall for finite and fickle things because we’re not focus on forever.
We struggle in the finite because we’re disconnected from the forever.
We fall for finite and fickle things because we’re not focus on forever.
We want money like everyone else.
We want fame like everyone else.
We want riches like everyone else.
But we forget what wealth means there.
There, gold is asphalt.
There, no body cares how big your bank account is.
There, gold is asphalt.
There, no body cares how big your bank account is.
making money is necessary, but your mission should be about more than that. It's about creating value and making a difference. This is the heart of your purpose statement. Remember forever.
more tomorrow,
Hunter