Knowing Your Purpose
Why are we here?
Why are YOU here?
These are big deep questions, and yet so worth considering. And so defining of the type of leadership you embrace in yourself.
Think of your purpose as an expression of what I like to call your “spiritual DNA.” It’s something planted in you by Life itself—whether you think of that Life in a theological or spiritual sense, or in a more secular biological sense. And your awareness and articulation of that purpose is a way of orienting yourself to this adventure we call living—and leading.
Leaders that I know who have clearly articulated their purpose and placed it at the center of their lives, are demonstrating a kind of confidence that is tethered to a deep self-knowing and self-authority—and tend to be more inspiring to others because of their own personal source of inspiration.
So how do you identify and articulate your life’s purpose? While there are many ways to do this, I’ve landed on an approach borrowed from Theologian Frederick Buechner, who writes, “The place Life calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
You might think of it as the confluence of two rivers:
Your deep gladness.
What you do well—naturally. What gives you joy. What you are doing when your life feels most fulfilling and meaningful. What you seem to be built for.
The world’s deep hunger.
From your perspective, from your observation, what is going on in the world that cries out for your attention and contribution. What you see going on in the world around you that truly breaks your heart, or that “gets your hackles up.” What in the world, or in humanity, you would love to see change or evolve.
The confluence.
The intersection of what you know yourself to be built for, and what you passionately want to see change or evolve in the world. A statement that describes this confluence might sound something like, “My purpose is to ________ (action words), so that ________ (description of something changing, healing, or evolving in the world or in humanity).”
Getting clear about your purpose is a cornerstone of embracing leadership as a “sacred trust.” It is showing up—whether it’s in your family, your organization, or the larger community—knowing that you are entrusted by Life with gifts to give, and you are entrusted by humanity and the planet to bring those gifts forward as fully as you can.
Questions to ponder, and if you have a journaling practice, to write about…
What kind of difference do you enjoy making in the world—and in the lives of the people—around you?
Why more clearly articulate your purpose to yourself?
In what way(s) does the idea of leadership as a “sacred trust” resonate with you?
More in the Power Pathways Series…
Knowing Your Purpose is the 6th post in a series of 13 posts exploring 12 Power Pathways at the heart of highly inspiring and effective leadership.
Termed “Power Pathways” because they are avenues for expressing our power to be the creators and authors of our lives. I started the series off with an invitation to practice the creative power of radical responsibility (the essence of leadership) through these interrelated pathways. Read the whole series here →
Here’s the full wheel, connected conceptually and practically to radical responsibility and the four cardinal disciplines of conscious leadership – inspiration, integrity, courage, and clarity.
