I talk a lot about Purpose in my coaching. Not too long ago, I was talking with a friend of mine about the tagline Shift Into Purpose that I use for my coaching business. She told me, “I’m not sure I like that tagline because… what are you saying, that I have no purpose? Yeah, I’m not sure I would lead with that in your marketing.” I smiled.
But hey, maybe my friend has a point in that some folks could take offense, but inferring that one has no purpose from a simple encouragement to shift into it seems like a “glass half empty” kind of interpretation. Or is it me?
We all have a Purpose and yours is different than mine
In fact, what I believe and what I’m implying with the tagline Shift Into Purpose is that we all have a purpose. I call it Purpose, with a capital “P”. Not because it’s to be worshipped or feared, but because it’s absolutely personal. Your Purpose is different than mine, which is different from anyone else’s. And I also believe that things get better when you make shifts to become more aligned with that Purpose.
So what is Purpose? Or how do I define it, anyway? At its core, I define it like this: Our Purpose is to do in our lives what makes us feel truly satisfied and fulfilled.
You might be saying, “Yeah, that sounds great and all, but I have to go to work, and pay my bills. I don’t have time to worry about purpose, or Purpose, or whatever.” And I’d say that if you’re feeling satisfied and fulfilled in most aspects of your life−work, family, friends, spiritual life, health, etc.−then yes, I’d say not to worry about it. If fact, I’d say that whether you know your Purpose or not, you’re probably living “On Purpose”.
Our Purpose is to do what makes us feel truly satisfied and fulfilled
My own Purpose is to travel my unique path, engaging in creative, meaningful experiences and enjoying the rewards of using my talents to help others along the way. I satisfy a big part of my Purpose by being a coach.
So how do I know what my Purpose is? Great question. And the answer is not mystical or complicated.
In upcoming posts, I’ll go over the details of how to discover your Purpose, and of how it helps to be well-aligned with it. Stay tuned!
Click here for Part 2 of this “Purpose” series.