The first step to having a successful and fulfilling life is to figure out ‘why you are here’ as Jack Canfield likes to say. Without knowing what your personal ‘North Star’ is, it will be nearly impossible to determine what really energizes and motivates you to achieve great things. Pat Williams, the former senior vice president and founder of the Orlando Magic and professional speaker states it very well when he says, “Figure out what you love to do as young as you can, and then organize your life around figuring out how to make a living at it.” It doesn’t matter how young or old that you are if you haven’t done this yet, start today.
Follow the example below to help you determine your ‘North Star’ or ‘Life Purpose’. This example reflects how I completed the exercise and my actual Life Purpose Statement.
Life Purpose Exercise*
- List two of your unique personal qualities, such as enthusiasm and creativity.
Integrity Acting with a purpose
- List one or two ways you enjoy expressing those qualities when interacting with others, such as to support and to inspire.
Help others learn Have an impact
- Assume the world is perfect right now. What does this world look like? How is everyone interacting with everyone else? What does it feel like? Write your answer as a statement, in the present tense, describing the ultimate condition, the perfect world as you see it and feel it. Remember, a perfect world is a fun place to be.
EXAMPLE: Everyone is freely expressing their won unique talents. Everyone is working in harmony. Everyone is expressing love.
People are learning and helping others to improve their lives. Everyone treats each other with respect, integrity and dignity.
- Combine the three prior subdivisions of this paragraph into a single statement.
EXAMPLE: My purpose is to use my creativity and enthusiasm to support and inspire others to freely express their talents in a harmonious and loving way.
Dan’s Life Purpose Statement: Live with integrity, creativity, and positive energy to help others improve their lives through learning.
Now that you have the tools, it’s your turn to try it out and start creating your life purpose. Don’t worry about making it perfect the first time. Put something down the first time, go back and revise what doesn’t feel right and keep editing it over time to get it just right. Most importantly, start using it to guide your life with purpose and achieve the success you desire.
*This version of the life purpose exercise is from Arnold M. Patent, spiritual coach, and author of You Can Have It All.
