How Can Purpose Help Understand Your Life Story?

How has your life changed over the past 8 months? What role will purpose play in how you tell your story in 2021 and beyond? Can understanding your story help you finish 2021 strong?

A client sent me a copy of Richard J. Leider’s landmark book The Power of Purpose, the 3^rd edition. I recommend that you grab a copy of the book. Richard J. Lieder does a fantastic job in providing tools to help you understand and embrace your purpose. I’ve used the book in my coaching and mentoring programs. It’s fantastic!  

Purpose unlocks your story

One idea from the book got me thinking and taking a*ction. It was about unlocking your story. The way we see our stories determines how we share and experience our purpose. Our story can help align our gifts, passions, and values. I believe the events of the past 8 months were transformational in so many people’s lives. The book focuses on longer time frames. For many reasons, I believe we are at a crossroad in history.

Final spoiler a l e r t, if you read my writing on a regular basis you know I seldom share things exactly the way the author does.  When you grab your copy of the book don’t be surprised if there are different interpretations between me and the author. When in doubt, choose your own interpretation.

What is your life asking of you?

So many changes are happening in our lives. What are you learning as you go through the process? What do you find important when everything around us is changing so quickly?

Is the person you are today different from the person you were earlier this year? The ideas and things that hold your attention are changing. Have you noticed what holds your attention today versus the past?  

For many of us, we could not have imagined the changes that have occurred and continue to occur in our world.  Have you become more or less interested in things that are happening in the world? What does it mean to how you see the world? How are you acting on this information?

Are you still committed to your life’s purpose? Has a new purpose emerged from what you’ve seen and learned about yourself over the past eight months? For many, things have gone wrong. Do you renew your purpose? Has your destiny been altered?  

Many people find purpose in loss. It can bring out a wide range of emotions. When friends lose friends, it requires a new set of skills to help them through it. Many friends have lost people over the past year. They are grieving. Their loss is heightened by the unknown around this pandemic crisis.

I’ve worked in hospice and in nursing homes. This feels different to me. This time, many more questions about why and what could they have done to protect their loved ones. Many feel guilty and angry.

You might find this article on what fuels your purpose helpful. Its called What Fuels Your Leadership…Power or Purpose? It’s by Keith Luscher of our sister publication Market Leadership Journal.

What are your emotions telling you?

How do you deal with these emotions? As your emotions change,  does your purpose evolve?  What’s different about how you see and feel about the world? Do you tell yourself a different story than you have in the past? Are you a victim or victor in your story when dealing with the current events?

It’s critical to know for your own wellbeing. Many families are multigenerational households.  Understanding how people grieve can make a difference in the health and welfare of the different family members    

Where do you get information from?

Many new celebrities are rising out of the pandemic. Few were prepared to be thrust into the limelight. Their knowledge of medicine and healthcare created a false illusion of expertise in other fields. Be careful who you place above you. They can disappoint you.

 Who and where do you get your information? Purpose driven people are insatiable in their curiosity about how and why things work. They are willing to have opposing views while deciding their course of a*ction. Purpose without a*ction is only a dream.

Here’s a quick question, how did you respond when a person in your community became ill or died? Did you surf the web looking for as much information so you could better understand what is happening? Many serving leaders felt lost as we grappled with ideas that we never would have considered before.

Know your purpose, it can make your time investment decisions easier. How does this time investment support our mission, vision, and values?  

Do leaders align with your purpose?

What leaders have resonated with you? Have they shifted the way you approach your life? For many, we have become less flexible in how we see our world. Our worldview has hardened in place. We’ve acted as we did when we were younger, we listened to authority figures and obeyed.

Peer pressure has convinced us someone may know more than we do about our current situation. Using critical thinking skills can help you make better decisions.

My values do not allow me to just follow the crowd blindly when I think what I’m being told might be wrong. My clients value that independence.  Sometimes this has cost me friends, but it was worth the investment. Said more simply, don’t follow people blindly unless you want to remain blind.   

Have you ever considered what’s your story? How it aligns with your purpose in life? Knowing your story can help you live on purpose.  Knowing how story and purpose works together can help you lead an extraordinary life. Embrace it!

You might find the following article helpful in identifying your purpose. How Do You Identify Your Purpose?