“It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something.” — Winston S. Churchill
Over the years as I work to grow in my leadership and be the leader I know God has called me to be; I have read from, studied, and benchmarked some of the most successful leaders. I have discovered a common thread amongst all of them: They know WHY they’re here. Knowing their purpose in life gives them stability. And when others around them start abandoning their causes and jumping ship when the going gets tough, these people use this assurance to steady the boat and to ride out the storms.. It becomes an anchor in their life — a confidence based upon knowledge of purpose. If there is a word I could use to describe what so many people are experiencing in the workplace and in organizations right now, it’s “unsettled”. There is so much turmoil and uncertainty being experienced in homes, marriages, and relationships, people just want to be a part of a team where they can “settle” in! This is where truly knowing your purpose in life comes into play.
There are two great days in life – the day you are born and the day you discover your why. Highly successful leaders have discovered their purpose! There are two paths we can take to discover our purpose. The first is passion – What are you passionate about? What do you really care about? Passion is not 100 percent foolproof, but it will get you into the neighborhood of what your purpose really is. Passion is a wonderful thing. It’s no secret that passionate people have a lot of energy about the things they are passionate about. That’s why when you meet a certain person that has an energy and positive attitude about them you wish you had and felt, it’s because they are loving what they’re doing and they’re doing what they love. Purpose-driven people never run out of drive and they can’t wait to get going each day. Consequently, if you find a person who lacks drive, you will most likely find them walking around with a crabby attitude, yawning every other minute, and can’t wait to get home and plop on the couch, play video games all night, or binge watch netflix!
The first stage of discovering your purpose involves working through your life to locate common themes that reflect your core strengths (your superpower), your values (those things you turn to when making very difficult decisions) and passions (those activities that give you the most return on energy).
If you are struggling right now with your purpose, It’s best that you partner with your spouse, your closest peers, or the closest people to you to help you dial in your calling. Don’t go at it alone. Those closest to you know you best and can help set your direction. If you are a believer in Jesus, make sure you are spending time with Him daily and praying on your direction.
Remember this – Every minute you spend thinking about what you don’t want in your life is a second denying focus and energy from getting what you do want. Every minute you worry about what’s not working is a minute drawn away from being your very best. And every hour spent reflecting on the disappointments of the past is an hour stolen from seeing the possibilities that your future holds with your inner potential.
What I’ve discovered in my own life is that I see more of what I look for. Clarity precedes mastery, and the more clearly I look for what I want out of my earthly life, the more powerfully I generate that result in my own life. By setting a clear path in the important areas, I see more of what I’m searching for. By looking for the best in others that I lead, I generally find it. And by looking for the good things in my life and expressing gratitude for my many blessings (rather than thinking about all the problems I have), I see more of what’s good. Because one of the things I’ve noticed is this — There are too many amongst us walking the planet today who are sort of in a sleep walking mode. They have lost the sense of who they truly are.
You will never get the life you want if there’s a huge gap between who you truly are and the person you know you’re meant to be. Your life will never be flooded with energy, passion, creativity, productivity, and true happiness if there is a large space between your life right now and the life you have yet to open up. My encouragement and challenge to you my amigos is truly that you make things happen so that the leader you are going to start being tomorrow is more of who you know you truly are called to be!!
Don’t postpone it for next year(even though we only have a few days left of this year). Don’t make discovering your purpose a 2023 goal.. Start being that person, that human being, that creative force, that leader, that mom or dad, that friend. That force of good that you have always wanted to be, beginning right now, TODAY!
Do you know what is the most rewarding part of knowing your purpose and calling in life? It’s that once you know and have found it, and are living each day fulfilling it, you can turn around and help others find theirs and grow into the best versions of themselves. THAT, my brothers and sisters is where the real magic in leadership happens!
Let’s land the plane with this… Every day you are either repairing or preparing. Every day you’re either trying to fix yesterday— relationships, issues, priorities, lost opportunities – or you are living your life in such a way that you are preparing for tomorrow and setting up success almost as a given because there is no other option. The most highly successful leaders know their purpose in life, they grow to their maximum potential and they sow seeds that benefit others. They NEVER just live for themselves. They’re a river, not a reservoir. They understand what significance is and that is adding value to others! Every. Single. Day.
This life is a road-trip. We are called to love the journey as much as the destination. The speed and focus of us as leaders determines the speed and focus of those all around us. And the only way that you and I will ever continue to be in front is to continue to learn, grow and make a commitment to it. We must have a continual thirst for knowledge and are always asking questions to help grow! How you’re fulfilling your purpose today determines who you will be tomorrow. Don’t waste it!