P=Y

P=Y

Why your Purpose is Paramount

Mathematically this doesn’t make sense.  P=Y    And I have not seen an equation as such ever posted. But the reason this can make sense is this: Your (P)urpose is your WH(Y).  P=Y

Think about a trip you are going to take at Christmas. You will visit your in-laws, or your grandparents, or your kids. Why are you traveling there? What is the purpose? See how that equates? Your purpose is your why.

Why are you going there….to visit [my relatives]. Just as your values are your road signs and guardrails, your vision is where you are going, and your mission is your what (are you driving to get there). Your purpose is WHY you are going to that place. I am going to visit, I am bringing a gift, I am going there to eat.

I meet so many people and am struck to learn they don’t have a WHY, they don’t have a Purpose. Or, don’t know what their Purpose is…..specifically. “I work at a gas station, my purpose is to sell gas.” Is it? Or, is it to provide a specific service and the what is selling gas.

What I do in my work, which is speak to leaders, develop leaders, & coach leaders, is what I am doing, but the WHY (my personal purpose) is to be a deep source of information that is used to prepare people to be bold leaders.

Definitively what is Purpose? Webster’s calls it: determination or the object for which you are striving. Even better is Webster’s 1828 dictionary which says, ‘your Intention, or what you are designed to do, and Purpose always includes the end in view!’

What is the end product of your Purpose? What is your calling, your intention, what you are designed to do. Simon Sinek said it this way, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” – Start with Why

What are you intended to do today, next week, in your lifetime? And what end is in sight for that purpose?

Our purpose at LEADERSHIPTEN is “To serve as a strong well, deeply sourced, for the equipping of untold next generation leaders.” WOW!  We desire to be a place where all generations of leaders come to gain, build, improve to impact their world.

My personal purpose (in relation to above) in life has been to create bold leaders who impact the world around them. My purpose gets me up in the morning. My purpose drives my work each day whether I am coaching or speaking or writing. Why do I do it? To create bold leaders. Simple.

So, consider this:

1. Do you have a purpose? Each day, why do you do what you do?
   1. Yes
   1. No: Don’t read on because you need to find your purpose
2. You Have a Purpose: Does your Have Purpose influence your On Purpose? 
   1. What does that mean…
      1. What you do each day should be influenced by why you do what you do
      1. Your Life/Work Purpose should influence What you do
      1. Do you do things ‘On Purpose’ because of your ‘Have Purpose’
3. Also: Does your ‘On Purpose’ align to your ‘Have Purpose’?
   1. What does that mean
      1. Each thing you do every day should be done on purpose and be in alignment to YOUR Purpose
      1. If your daily habits don’t meet the intent of your Purpose in life/work then you are not living On Purpose.

My favorite movie of all time is based on the (arguably) biggest moment in sports history, “Miracle”, the story of the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team. I love the story, I love the movie, I remember the event. In the movie, just before the team takes the ice to play the Soviet Union, Herb Brooks, the coach of the US Hockey Team, gives a prolific speech. In that speech he states, “you were born to be hockey players,” “This is your time”. Thus, stating their purpose. It connects them to their WHY. I don’t know that this was their full life purpose, but for the sake of the moment, it was. P=Y

                What is your Purpose in life, in work? Ask yourself these questions:

1. What am I passionate about, what makes me excited, what do I desire to do that wakes me up in the morning?
2. What did your 10yr old self want to be when you grew up?
3. What makes you forget to eat because you get so wrapped up in it?
4. What would you do to make the world a greater place?
5. What work would you do for free?
6. What legacy would you leave for the world?

If you can answer all of those questions, without thinking long about them……..You know your Purpose…You know your WHY

P=Y

Would you like to know more about developing your purpose, developing yourself as a better leader?  Contact Leadershipten and let us assist.