What is your personal purpose?
How do you find purpose in what you do so that you can make a lasting impact? It comes from a combination of things: being of service to others, trying new things, stretching yourself around your strengths and weaknesses, and being good at what you do. In my opinion, this is how you bring value to the world.
Purpose isn't something that suddenly appears, at least not for most; it's something that evolves. It's deeply personal and can't be handed to you. I found mine through learning what I didn't want to do, hitting rock bottom, taking a few risks, joining a company where the culture was a good fit and working hard.
As you start this new year, take some time to reflect on your purpose, and if you aren't sure what your purpose is, try these things:
- Gain insight from experience. Finding your purpose takes experience and requires you to try different things. On my journey to find purpose, I have volunteered, sat on a school board, chaired the local economic development organization, spoken at events and written articles. I tried an engineering job, a sales job and an operations management job. I ran a few ultra-marathons, got into and quit CrossFit, and hated mountainbiking for years before I fell in love with it. All of these experiences helped me shape my purpose.
- Take some risks. When I was 28, I left Austin, Texas, and moved to Durango, Colorado, with no money and no job. When I got to Durango, I applied for a job at StoneAge that I was grossly underqualified for and got it. I've stood on stage in front of thousands of people to share my deeply personal story, which helped me develop my passion for public speaking. To find your purpose, you must take risks, push the boundaries of what you thought possible and expand your competency zone. It feels good to do hard things and doing them will help you find your purpose.
- Build a tribe. It's hard to find passion and feel purposeful if you feel like you don't belong. There is power in having a tribe of people who believe in, support and push you to become better. Surrounding myself with people who encourage and believe in me pushes me to keep trying, expand my capabilities and put myself out there. Surround yourself with people like this. Build a culture that is supportive, inclusive, and encourages both personal and professional growth. As Brené Brown said, "Connection gives purpose and meaning to our lives."
- Give your best effort. There is a saying, "Mastery leads to purpose," which I wholeheartedly believe. The more I write, the better I become. The better I become, the more I enjoy doing it, and I create more impactful messages. Making an impact is my purpose. See how it works? Channel Michael Jordan: practice, practice and more practice. Look at new tasks and challenges as strength and conditioning exercises. With every task complete and challenge overcome, you've built your "getting really good at your job" muscles. Give your best effort and analyze your performance. Then, practice more. Mastery will lead to purpose over time.
- Don't be afraid to change. As I said above, purpose evolves and may even change as you mature and grow. That's OK. As you change, your purpose and passions will change; let them develop and let go of what no longer feels meaningful and authentic. Like with all things, there is no final destination for your purpose in life. Get comfortable with the ebb and flow, and embrace feelings of confusion when you are transitioning to a new stage in life. It's all part of the journey.
I'll leave you with one of my favorite Viktor Frankel quotes from his book, "Man's Search For Meaning." He wrote, "It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life and think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life - daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but right action and right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual."
For more information, contact Kerry Siggins at kerry.siggins@stoneagetools.com. To read her blog or subscribe to her podcast "Reflect Forward," visit www.kerrysiggins.com/blog.
