Identifying Purpose
I met with my coach today, and we talked about Purpose. Initially, I mentioned it was somewhat of a triggering word for me. I automatically think of faith, specifically Christianity, and the ‘purpose’ we are given to live here on Earth. I’ve deconstructed from my early ties to organized religion, so I had to really think about what it means to me today. Ultimately, I do believe that it’s what our inner being is here to experience.
My coach asked me to reflect on 3 questions / scenarios:
Imagine you are at your 95th birthday party, surrounded by all of the people you love. Imagine that experience, the sights, sounds, smells, etc. Now, each person comes up to tell you what you mean to them and how you’ve helped them in life. What are these people telling you? What is being reflected about who you are as a person and the things you’ve done?
Imagine you have a 15 minute TV show that millions of people will watch. What would that show entail? What would you be sharing with the world?
Think back on a time in your life when you felt most alive. Where were you, what were you doing, and what impact were you making on the people around you?
Wow - I can truly say I would have never expected to become so emotional. I would not classify myself as an easier crier, but I definitely cried. It brought up a lot of emotions for me, and I can’t pinpoint why. Partly because I was thinking about the end of my life and reaching a point where I wouldn’t be around the people I love but also because there was a feeling that maybe I am not currently living out my purpose. Or, maybe it was simply just recognizing the truth about what’s important to me and how I spend so much time focusing my energy on things that don’t matter.
The goal was to identify the themes that popped up throughout those 3 questions and identify how I can use this information to identify my purpose. How can I use this information to shape my understanding of myself? We’re going to be doing some follow-up in our next conversation, but this was a great start for me to think about what’s really important to me. And, it will give me more clarity on how I can incorporate more of the things that matter to me into my life and focus less on the things that don’t matter to me at all.
My homework before we meet again is to take my findings and come up with a phrase that encapsulates my purpose. My coach’s suggestion is to focus on the difference I make in the world, my unique contribution, and the impact I have on people.
After having some time to think about this, I am landing on: I am a Teacher who empowers others.
