The power of knowing your purpose
Written by: Lynne Edwards
Written by: Lynne EdwardsSome people know from a young age what they want to do in life. They have direction and work towards it with motivation and determination. Others don’t know until later in life.
Neither is right nor wrong. What is important is being able to identify what matters to you.
Your sense of purpose is shaped by what you believe in and what you value – think of it like your own personal code of behaviour.
Your purpose may change over time, as you learn new things about yourself, about others and about the world around you. It can and most likely will change with experience.
But why is having a sense of purpose important?
Purpose gives you direction
The power of knowing your purpose will give you the motivation to lead a fulfilling life, now and in the future. It allows for personal growth and it gives you direction.
Knowing your purpose not only helps steer you towards doing things that add meaning to your life, but it also helps when things go wrong.
Life presents unforeseen circumstances, so having a strong sense of purpose helps you keep those events in perspective. To refocus on what is meaningful to you and to keep moving ahead. Often, the challenges we face are the greatest lessons for shaping our purpose.
So, how can you start to understand your purpose and use that to fuel your motivation?
It starts with self-awareness
During a recent conversation with LH Head of Insight, Julia Rogers, Captain Kelly Gordon shared how knowing her purpose all started with self-awareness.
Growing up in a small town in Indiana, USA, Kelly was fortunate to learn confidence from a young age. Her mother was and still is her greatest cheerleader. However, Kelly also knew confidence wasn’t enough to progress in life.
“It’s important to constantly set goals for yourself. Set quick goals as confidence-boosters and long-term goals to ensure you’re always striving”, says Kelly. “And work hard at being self-aware. Work on it continually as it’s an everyday thing.”
As well as constantly working on her self-awareness and goal setting, Kelly sees personal growth and risk-taking as tools to help understand and steer her purpose.
“Digging into your purpose is like opening a series of doors. And you can’t not take risks to make change,” she says. “We’re not meant to stay in one place; we are meant to grow.”
Accept that your purpose can change
Knowing your purpose can help you focus on short and long-term goals. It can also help you to become more resilient as you grow and your circumstances change.
Kelly is a great example of how you should allow for your sense of purpose to change. What your purpose may have been 10 years ago may be different to what it is now and what it will be in 10 years from now.
As a keen veterinary school student, Kelly wanted to help and heal animals. Her purpose changed when she instead graduated as a Chemistry teacher, keen on helping young adults get into medical and nursing schools.
Now, in her current role as a yacht Captain, Kelly’s purpose is to inspire women of any age to make a career change, especially if they’re afraid to take the leap.
“I always try to make a difference even if it’s for just one other person. That desire and my thirst for knowledge, adventure and connection fuels my purpose.”
How LH helps people to uncover their purpose
At LH, we believe that when you uncover your sense of purpose, you live an authentic, meaningful life.
You are able to create your life in a conscious way, in accordance with your inherent desire to become the best version of yourself, rather than allowing life to simply ‘happen’ to you or feel compelled to do things solely to please others.
When you live life with purpose, it is fuelled by enthusiasm, determination and ambition. Knowing your purpose also allows you to find a way to contribute and to be of service.
Coupled with a sense of belonging, this goes a long way to creating emotional wellbeing in the workplace, which are all reasons why we strive to help people discover their purpose.
Having purpose makes life easier
You can learn to work smarter and not harder, since you know what to pay attention to and what to ignore, thus you use less energy getting caught up in things that don’t matter.
Most people want to know that their work has meaning and that what they do helps someone else or makes the world a better place. When people understand the deeper purpose behind their work, they are likely to be more satisfied and more productive.
At LH, our purpose is to help you to uncover what makes you ‘tick’, who you really are at your core, what your inherent strengths and talents are, and how you can optimise them individually and as part of a team.
This is exactly what Insight training is all about, and is the bedrock of all LH training.
Ready to discover your purpose?
Are you ready to discover your purpose but not sure where to start?
First, tune in to LH’s Power of Purpose podcast via Apple or Spotify to find out how others have found their sense of purpose and what has influenced them on their journey to where they are now.
Our podcast guests share what purpose means to them and what the impact of knowing their purpose has had on their lives and careers.
Then, start your own personal journey of discovery with our online Insight courses. Or book a discovery call with one of our Insight specialists Julia or Lynne.
We can’t wait to help guide you on your journey to discovering your purpose – it truly is exciting and it’s the first step you can take to becoming the best version of yourself!