3 Steps to Starting Your Journey of Purpose
Hey Founder,
I was talking with a client the other day who is dying to feel the energy and focus that comes when you discover your personal purpose and then connect it to your company. But he feels a bit daunted by the prospect of answering the question, “Why do I exist?”
He was grinding away in his business and watching it grow, and there I was urging him to stop the locomotive and answer some kind of existential mumbo jumbo about why he exists. “Who has time for that,” he asked. “Is there a pill I can take?”
“Purpose isn’t a light switch you simply flip on. It’s not a binary, on-off proposition. And it shouldn’t be a prolonged struggle,” I answered. “Think of it as a journey. You will likely be on it for years, but they will be years of unimaginable growth.” The sooner he started, I offered, the sooner he could radiate purpose and generate all that great energy he can only fantasize about now.
“I’m in!” the founder said. How about you? Here's a simple start to putting yourself on the path to discovering your purpose:
Step 1: Clarify your role
I’m the guy who change-the-world leaders call to help them scale their impact. That’s not my job title. It’s my role. It’s also my purpose, which we’ll get to in a minute. But look what I’ve done with this description: I’ve clarified my ideal customers, their pain points, goals and dreams in one fell swoop. That’s who I am and, man, does it make me feel alive!
Do this for yourself. Just fill in the blanks to the sentence, “I am the [self-descriptor] who [ideal customers] call when they want [value proposition].” Go ahead. Are you a salesperson? Yes, but your role might read: “I am the gal who retailers trust to help them stand out in their marketplace.” Again, it’s not your job title. It’s your current role that in the simplest way points to your purpose.
Step 2: Explore your zone of genius
All of us, even leaders, have four zones: incompetence, competence, excellence, and genius— and by the way, thank you Gay Hendricks for this awesome insight. The zone of genius is the only place where you are not only very amazing at what you do but also highly energized by it. You can do it all day long without even thinking about it.
Start your commute to Genius Street by sending out emails to colleagues and friends, past and present, and simply ask them to quickly list the areas in which you rock the most and the least. Easier still: conduct an energy audit of your calendar over three months and draw an arrow up or down to indicate what really gets your mojo working.
Step 3: Discover your real purpose
Next, review the significant events in your life and think about the things you care about. The key is to connect these things with the role you play at work and the activities that keep you in your zone of genius. This will not happen overnight. But when it does, look out world—more to come in this series.
But first you have to get the ball rolling, right? These three steps should help, but don’t feel you have to go it alone. Nick Van Nice is ScalePassion’s personal leadership coach. And let’s just say he’s the guy change-the-world leaders call to help them harness their purpose.
Rob Craven
