Are You ‘On Purpose?’
AT YOUR PROJECT X, WE FOCUS ON THE “WHO,” NOT THE “WHAT” YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE WORLD.
Any program, job change or business idea can seem better than your current path when you’re comparing your day-to-day with a dream idea or job description on your screen. But you’ll likely find yourself in a similar predicament months later during a difficult week.
Instead, design your decisions around a vision for yourself, who you want to grow into. This starts by leaning into a sense that you were put on this earth for a reason.
Purpose can be intimidating, though.
Can I have a purpose and make money at the same time? What if I can’t or don’t actually have one?
Here’s the good news: Purpose is an aim or practice. It is fundamental to life, not a ‘nice to have’ or ‘only for wealthy or well-educated.’ We all can focus on it — beginning with just a few minutes each morning and evening.
If there is blood running through your veins, you have a purpose.
Here are a few starter questions to figure out if you’re ‘On Purpose:’
- Do I have a specific definition of success for myself (make sure this isn’t your mom’s or your friend’s who makes $200k a year)?
- Do I know what my values are?
- Do I go to sleep most nights with a sense that I lived a meaningful day (not merely a busy day or a day in which my checklist was completed)?
And until you figure out what yours is, use our temporary purpose hack:
- Everyday do one thing in the service of others
- Everyday do one thing to explore your curiosities
In addition to these actions, start to examine some specific questions about yourself:
- Do I know what my gifts are (those things that come naturally to me that I enjoy)?
- Am I using my gifts to positively impact people’s lives?
- Do I work with people that acknowledge and share my values?
For most of us, peers and our educational system define success and career in ways that feel counterproductive to living a meaningful life. Examining these concepts is a first step to redirecting your decision-making around the person you want to be, not the what you want to do.
