People come to coaching for many reasons and one of the most common is to figure out what their purpose is. Sometimes we have lost our sense of purpose and it can be useful to take some time to reflect on this. In our latest blog we will investigate what we mean by purpose, its role, the benefits of defining your purpose, and next steps to take.
What is purpose?
The dictionary definition of purpose is “the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists” as well as “a person’s sense of resolve or determination”. It seems to me to be a deeper sense of why you do what you do and provides a driving force for our motivation and actions.
Identifying our purpose creates a framework for everything else in our lives to be built around. It is almost like a physical framework of a building – it provides the structure so that everything else around it fits in well and stays strong.
What happens without purpose?
When our purpose is lacking, we can become demotivated, lack drive, energy and often boredom sets in. Our work and activities become dull, resulting in decision making and productivity reducing. Have you had times where this has happened to you? We tend to have our own warning signals that our purpose needs revisiting and reviewing, by changing our actions we can quickly create the momentum and energy we seek.
Identifying your purpose
Consider the following questions:
- In what activities do you thrive?
- What causes are you compelled to talk about?
- What skills and talents come naturally to you?
- What times in your life are you “in flow” and where the time flies?
- What makes you unique?
- Who am I – my beliefs, values and passions?
- At what times in your life do you feel fulfilled? How would you describe these times?
In coaching sessions, we partner together to build up a physical or verbal picture of your purpose. Once created, I notice people become so much clearer about where they get their energy. The next step is to re-evaluate their lives to identify what changes, if any, need to be made based on this.
Benefits of identifying your purpose
- Overall personal clarity
- Increased fulfilment
- At work, you can be clearer about where you add greatest value
- Increased possibilities for the future
- Clearer about your brand, what you bring and the ability to articulate this to others
- You can build your work and life around your purpose, rather than the other way around
Things can change over time, so it is no surprise that we get caught up in jobs that are no longer fulfilling or in activities that are demotivating. Our lives are built around stages and phases, so revisiting purpose on a regular basis is crucial.
Next Steps
As we head out of lockdown, now is a great time to reflect on what your driving force is. Taking time to speak this out loud with a coach is a super way of getting started. I encourage you to take an hour in the diary and start to work on your purpose – what is yours? I would love to hear.
If you wish to work on this, or have any questions for me, please get in touch to arrange a no obligation initial consultation.