The Power of Purpose - What's Yours?

One of the key Blue Zone common features for longevity is to have purpose in one's life. Businesses have purpose statements as a matter of course. Yet few businessmen (or anyone for that matter) has a written, memorized life purpose. What's yours? 

I'm almost done with my MBA. Yeah, late start.  In my coursework, it reinforced what I have experienced in my personal life and in my career. If you don't have a direction in life, you don't get much done. Roy Williams, an advertising guru I know, noted that there are four personality types on the ocean of life.

1. surfers - rapidly catching the latest wave of fads or fashions and riding it until it dies out
2. drifters - going wherever the currents of the day take them
3. drowners - people who are constantly overwhelmed by life and suck energy from all around
4. navigators - adjusting their sails to travel to a destination

In business, as in our personal lives, if you don't have direction or a goal, you either surf, drift or drown. You can only navigate if you know where you are going. A defined life pupose provides a framework, a context if you will, for all of the little daily decisions that eventuate in one's life trajectory. You are headed somewhere; that's a given. The question is, are you heading on the course where YOU want to go, or are you heading where others want you to go?

Here are steps to writing your OWN life purpose. You need to spend some thoughtful time on this, but don't worry about getting it "right." Just start! You can refine it later.

STEP 1: Make a list of all of the things at which you are good. This can be a list of things at which you know you are good or that others have said you are good. Don't be afraid to ask your friends for their opinions on this one!

STEP 2: Now rank them and list your top 5 abilities in rank order.

STEP 3: Make a list of your values. There are hundreds of value words out there. Do a google search on 'values' if you need more than what's listed below. 

Here's a partial list: decisiveness, speed, variety, cooperation, power, loyalty, success, discipline, openness, work, truth, strength, teamwork, fun, change, adventure, status, peace, independence, faith, excellence, competition, health, freedom, stability, tradition, unity, quality, love, meaning, innovation, justice, trust, collaboration, family, integrity, commitment, leadership, punctuality, respect, security, wealth, efficiency, fairness, progress, creativity, empathy, democracy, service, friendship

STEP 4: Now rank them and list your top 5 values in rank order.

STEP 5: The last data gathering step is to write an answer to the question, “About what am I truly passionate?” What gets you up in the morning, increases your energy, really gets you excited in life? Write it down.

STEP 6: OK, you are now ready to write down a life purpose statement from what you have collected. From your prioritized list of abilities, your top values and the things about which you are passionate, in 25 words or less, write down why you think you exist.

Here are some examples from others:

• Bill Wilson exists to encourage and inspire others to a life that is founded on science.
• Margaret Jones exists to glorify and serve my creator.
• My life mission is to bring those who break the law to justice 
• Tom McClure exists to provide food for people and protection for his family 
• My purpose is to ensure the safety and health of my family

You now have your draft life purpose statement. Write it down and tape it on your fridge door. Look at it every morning for a couple of weeks. See if you want to modify it or if it is really what you want to do with your life.

If you like, post it in on this eChurch7 thread, we'd love to see it and it will inspire others.

Next time we'll talk about how to take your life purpose statement and use it to organize the activities in your life.

Blessings,

Pastor Sid

eChurch7 Health Pastor