I am clear that each of us lives our Purpose fully over time. Much of it has to do with serving or hopefully saving the world (it needs extra help these days). Yet, I find how we connect to our Purpose daily is the key to unlocking a deeper expression of Purpose.

Why? Because it is about giving our Purpose to ourselves. We tend to believe that everyone else deserves our Purpose first, and then if we have time left, we will give it to ourselves.

What if the opposite is the key to a 10X increase in you leading from Purpose in the world?

Here Is My Example:

My Purpose is “To wake you up, and have you finally BE HOME”. Given that I teach Purpose programs, when running these, it’s impossible not experience my Purpose. Yet, even with that I find something missing. Waking up everyone is great, but what about me? For each of us, our Purpose has guidance as to how we might access it on a daily basis. For me, “BE HOME” is about being home deep inside myself and what allows me to feel that.

What I do on a daily basis is one of the following on any given day:

  • Listen to the Purpose Visualization Exercise : I always go to the same place but a different time of day / year or different people show up, and the powerful waterfall is always there. Here I really feel “Home.”
  • Meditation has been a part of my life since I was 17 and has re-emerged as a powerful “Home base.”
  • Going outside at night to see the stars at my house. I live in a place you can really see them, and the gift I give myself whenever I wake up at night is to slip on the robe and sneakers and stand outside for 5 minutes and just be in awe as to my relationship to the heavens. They are perfect and unique, just as each of us…
  • Read something inspirational before bed: Next to my bed now is a poetry book by William Stafford, “The Way It Is” and Gandhi’s Autobiography, “The story of My Experiment with Truth.” I can only read a couple of pages before I feel so full, I have to stop. What is next to your bedstand?

These are the things I do, and here is a list you can consider that may help you step more fully into your Purpose every day. The key here is for each of these we have a choice as to what to do. Thus, they are within our control, even in a pandemic!

1. Verbalize your Purpose to others: Remind yourself every day what your Purpose is and never shy from sharing it with others when the opportunity comes. For example, our affiliate David Hopley got positive feedback from a colleague and in thanking them said his Purpose “…emboldening them to be who they truly are.”

2.  Listen to the Purpose Visualization Exercise

3.  Any form of meditation or yoga you find helpful

4. Being really present to the sunrise / sunset / stars above for 5 minutes and ask yourself what your Purpose wants to remind you of in this moment.

    5. Daily planning / reflection

  • Where will I bring my Purpose today (start of day)? Where did my Purpose show up today (end of day)? Ben Franklin gets credit for this one.
  • What will be the most energizing expression of my Purpose today or this week?
  • Rosebud / Thorn exercise: At the end of each day, think about what was the rosebud and what was the thorn? (Lauren McLane, Risk Manager from ING Bank, shared this one with me.)
  • 3-2-1: Write down 3 things you did today that enabled your Purpose to show up, 2 things you’re going to do tomorrow, and one hard right decision you need to make.

6. Put a post-it on your computer each day of what Purpose is asking you to do.

7. Add Purpose to Daily Task List: I actually still have my Purpose come up on my task list every day.

8. A token: something you can hold that reminds you of your Purpose. Affiliate Jessica Austin has a necklace with three charms,each representing a part of her  Purpose (sapphire = “Crazy Waves”, a silver angel wing = “Angel Wings” and a moonstone = “Magic”). She wears it always, and touching it helps ground and center her – it’s like a shortcut that brings her straight to her Purpose.

9. Pictures / posters: visuals are great reminders, and can be placed strategically so you see them at the right times. They can be the 1st thing you see when you look at your phone, computer, yourself in the mirror around your home and office, etc. (The drawing is courtesy of our alumnus Walter van Velden from ING.)

10. Just writing and having a running dialogue with your Purpose each day…

11. Read something inspirational before bed
For some of us, we have a metaphor in our Purpose that gives us options for daily practice:

A. Musical Purpose metaphors allow wonderful access.

  • Sing a song
  • Listen to something that connects you to your Purpose
  • Play that guitar and really go for it

B. Movie character metaphor

  • To be Nick Fury, building a MF team of Avengers, each with a unique skill necessary to collectively defeat Thanos. Wonder what movie would work here!

C. Exercise metaphor (running on water is my favorite)

  • Yes, going for a run if it’s in your Purpose is always good!

Just think of what you could do with Purpose on a daily basis…

I am clear that each of us lives our Purpose fully over time. Much of it has to do with serving or hopefully saving the world (it needs extra help these days). Yet, I find how we connect to our Purpose daily is the key to unlocking a deeper expression of Purpose.

Why? Because it is about giving our Purpose to ourselves. We tend to believe that everyone else deserves our Purpose first, and then if we have time left, we will give it to ourselves.

What if the opposite is the key to a 10X increase in you leading from Purpose in the world?

Here Is My Example:

My Purpose is “To wake you up, and have you finally BE HOME”. Given that I teach Purpose programs, when running these, it’s impossible not experience my Purpose. Yet, even with that I find something missing. Waking up everyone is great, but what about me? For each of us, our Purpose has guidance as to how we might access it on a daily basis. For me, “BE HOME” is about being home deep inside myself and what allows me to feel that.

What I do on a daily basis is one of the following on any given day:

  • Listen to the Purpose Visualization Exercise : I always go to the same place but a different time of day / year or different people show up, and the powerful waterfall is always there. Here I really feel “Home.”
  • Meditation has been a part of my life since I was 17 and has re-emerged as a powerful “Home base.”
  • Going outside at night to see the stars at my house. I live in a place you can really see them, and the gift I give myself whenever I wake up at night is to slip on the robe and sneakers and stand outside for 5 minutes and just be in awe as to my relationship to the heavens. They are perfect and unique, just as each of us…
  • Read something inspirational before bed: Next to my bed now is a poetry book by William Stafford, “The Way It Is” and Gandhi’s Autobiography, “The story of My Experiment with Truth.” I can only read a couple of pages before I feel so full, I have to stop. What is next to your bedstand?

These are the things I do, and here is a list you can consider that may help you step more fully into your Purpose every day. The key here is for each of these we have a choice as to what to do. Thus, they are within our control, even in a pandemic!

1. Verbalize your Purpose to others: Remind yourself every day what your Purpose is and never shy from sharing it with others when the opportunity comes. For example, our affiliate David Hopley got positive feedback from a colleague and in thanking them said his Purpose “…emboldening them to be who they truly are.”

2.  Listen to the Purpose Visualization Exercise

3.  Any form of meditation or yoga you find helpful

4. Being really present to the sunrise / sunset / stars above for 5 minutes and ask yourself what your Purpose wants to remind you of in this moment.

    5. Daily planning / reflection

  • Where will I bring my Purpose today (start of day)? Where did my Purpose show up today (end of day)? Ben Franklin gets credit for this one.
  • What will be the most energizing expression of my Purpose today or this week?
  • Rosebud / Thorn exercise: At the end of each day, think about what was the rosebud and what was the thorn? (Lauren McLane, Risk Manager from ING Bank, shared this one with me.)
  • 3-2-1: Write down 3 things you did today that enabled your Purpose to show up, 2 things you’re going to do tomorrow, and one hard right decision you need to make.

6. Put a post-it on your computer each day of what Purpose is asking you to do.

7. Add Purpose to Daily Task List: I actually still have my Purpose come up on my task list every day.

8. A token: something you can hold that reminds you of your Purpose. Affiliate Jessica Austin has a necklace with three charms,each representing a part of her  Purpose (sapphire = “Crazy Waves”, a silver angel wing = “Angel Wings” and a moonstone = “Magic”). She wears it always, and touching it helps ground and center her – it’s like a shortcut that brings her straight to her Purpose.

9. Pictures / posters: visuals are great reminders, and can be placed strategically so you see them at the right times. They can be the 1st thing you see when you look at your phone, computer, yourself in the mirror around your home and office, etc. (The drawing is courtesy of our alumnus Walter van Velden from ING.)

10. Just writing and having a running dialogue with your Purpose each day…

11. Read something inspirational before bed
For some of us, we have a metaphor in our Purpose that gives us options for daily practice:

A. Musical Purpose metaphors allow wonderful access.

  • Sing a song
  • Listen to something that connects you to your Purpose
  • Play that guitar and really go for it

B. Movie character metaphor

  • To be Nick Fury, building a MF team of Avengers, each with a unique skill necessary to collectively defeat Thanos. Wonder what movie would work here!

C. Exercise metaphor (running on water is my favorite)

  • Yes, going for a run if it’s in your Purpose is always good!

Just think of what you could do with Purpose on a daily basis…