“The direction of your focus is the direction your life will move. Let yourself move toward what is good, valuable, strong and true.” Ralph Marston
Purpose is Practical
By Ginny Kravitz, Now What?® Facilitator
To the Mountaintop and Back
Who am I? Why am I here? Whether it’s for you personally or in an organizational context, identifying your core purpose can have a profound and lasting impact.
When I guide
someone through the process of discovering his/her purpose, I describe it this way: We’re going to the mountaintop and back.
It’s “to the mountaintop” because it feels lofty to consider the big P-word and it does require a higher vantage point.
While there is much to say about how best to explore those mountaintop questions, today it’s the “and back” part that I’d like to address because the real value is what purpose does for you once you return from that metaphorical mountaintop and are walking around in real life.
Three Things Happen
Once you acknowledge your purpose, you can expect three things to happen rather quickly:
#1) Decisions are clarified. Even before you decipher the larger questions such as your next career move or direction to take in life, you can start using your purpose to make everyday decisions.
When my client, Catina, realized her purpose is: to stimulate growth, I supplied her with the following list of questions to use throughout the day – at work, parenting, or anytime:
Which decision or course of action will stimulate growth? What can I nurture today (in myself or others whom I encounter)? What supports growth here? What inspires me to grow? What would bring new life to this situation, project, or conversation?
It’s been over five years now and Catina says that her purpose continues to influence her choices – sometimes in surprising ways – and has led her to challenge herself and accomplish things, both in her personal life (running her first marathon, teaching dance to children), as well as in her career as a Business Intelligence professional.
#2) Communication is amplified. As the themes that comprise your purpose start to gel, you’ll find that they pop up in your conversations: as you share ideas at work, deliver presentations, update your resume, or summarize the why-you on a job interview or sales call.
How you communicate your point of view gets a big boost. Instead of limiting yourself to job description bullet points, you start articulating the difference you care about making. And it’s not tag line snazzy or slick – it is simply and authentically you.
Communicating your purpose helps people see you. Tina, a Project Management Professional, recently accepted a new job within her company. As she explored various positions and submitted her applications, Tina incorporated language that conveyed her unique perspective.
When the hiring manager who is now her new boss initially interviewed Tina, this is the feedback she gave: Your resume leapt off the page in a sea of resumes. It created a clear image of who you are and what you value. It was compelling. I didn’t just want to interview you… I wanted to meet you.
#3) Motivation is fortified. The third thing that happens once you identify your core purpose is that you now have direct access to a powerful source of motivation. The work involved feels worthy when the through-line to purpose is there.
Purpose is your touchstone and the reminder of who you are and aspire to be. It clarifies, aligns, decides, communicates, and motivates. Connecting with it feels good and brings joy.
Purposeful & Practical
Whether you have a definite sense of purpose or are at the clue-collecting stage, allow what you know about your purpose to influence how you move around in the world.
Call To Action:
- What are the themes that appear to be part of your purpose? Insert them into the questions that I shared with Catina (see #1 above) and use them to guide your decisions.
- Reinforce the times when you feel connected to your purpose. Before bed, review the day in your mind and note when you acted from your purpose in ways large or small.
Seeking your purpose is a worthy endeavor. It might feel a bit abstract or lofty to consider, but it is actually extremely practical.
Today’s Quote: Goals Direct Change
“Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor.” Brian Tracy
Thinking of Leaving?
If you’re a great employee thinking of leaving your job, you are not alone. Here are some of the top reasons that good workers move on, and things you might want to consider as you interview your next potential manager.
Today’s Quote: Failure Leads to Success
“Forget about the consequences of failure. Failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for your next success.” Denis Waitley
Do What Matters
We are entering American Thanksgiving week which also heralds the start of the ‘holiday season’. 
It’s that time of year again. That time when we re-evaluate and think about what we want the next year to bring.
It’s a time when we reignite charity in our hearts and feel a little more tender, maybe even sentimental.
In light of the recent attacks on Paris and elsewhere in our world, I’d venture to guess we are all just a little more aware of life’s fragility.
When we’re sensitive, more aware and even a little raw, we often benefit from heightened clarity. Our focus narrows and what is truly important becomes painfully clear. The superfluous melts away.
What matters?
That’s what begs to be answered, and I offer you this question as the appetizer to your holiday season.
What matters? What is really worth your time and effort and resources? What will ultimately make a difference?
Recently, I participated in a high-level mastermind group. I came in to the three-day event prepared to ask for coaching on a business idea I’d been brewing for a couple of months.
I 
was anticipating a flurry of ideas and a show of support for the direction I was considering. I was unprepared for what my colleagues actually helped me discover.
Being great coaches, they focused on what I said that made me light up. I was passionate about making the Now What? approach to career clarity and strategy the new norm, especially with young people
. I was excited about how schools and parents might use it to guide our young people toward a natural and meaningful path for them. Before I could even understand what direction I was spinning towards, they were throwing contacts at me that made me want to curl up on the couch in fetal position.
The names and places they were suggesting would be a big stretch.
After I shook off the shock, I realized that they had helped me to see what really mattered. As is often the case, it was clear to them before it was clear to me. I have no choice but to take the big stretches
. All the other priorities faded to the background. They don’t even seem to matter anymore.
It’s scary. It’s daunting. It’s a game changer. And, it’s really exciting.
What matters to you? What makes you scared and excited all at once? Act on THAT.