Ripples #963: Find Your Purpose!
Nov 6, 2017
PEBBLE
Find out who you are, and do it on purpose.
-Dolly Parton, shared by Kaitlin in Littleton, CO
BOULDER
Follow your heart and you will find your passion.
Follow your passion and you will find your purpose.
Once you start living your life with purpose,
you will realize that you do not need wings to fly.
-David Lee-Schneider
written and shared by David in Sydney, Australia
PONDER
I wrapped up my recent travels with a stop to hang with one more batch of P&Gers who gathered in St. Louis for a learning forum. They asked me to speak on innovation, and to do that we started with something you need to have on hand before you can even think about innovation: purpose.
Having a solid understanding of what inspires, motivates, and drives us is essential to creating a satisfying, successful life. In a really popular TED Talk, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” Simon Sinek unpacked the power in knowing your WHY. He explains that leaders and organizations who master the tasks of identifying, understanding and remembering their purpose are able to influence and attract others to their ideas. This leads to success in work, in relationships, and in in life.
I also came across a great article from ThriveGlobal about clarifying your WHY as a way to more productively manage your time. One activity they described was simple yet enlightening: asking myself what I want, and then asking myself: what about that is important to me? And then whatever answer comes up, to ask myself: what about *that* is important to me? The article suggests that continuing to ask that question as many as seven times, and answering honestly and unflinchingly each time, can help us find our way to our core purpose.
If you’ve been stumbling along lately, either dissatisfied or unsure about the path you’re on, hopefully one of these resources could give you some things to think about. Gaining clarity on your purpose will help you focus your time and energy, and will likely help you increase your enjoyment of work and life.
Peace,
Paul
The Ripples Guy
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