Giving Words To Your Purpose

Who You Are

I’ve heard it called your Soul Purpose, Unique Brilliance, Soul Mission, and Life Blueprint™(1).  These are each expressions that refer to your life purpose: who you were created to be.  Your purpose is who you are naturally and the unique positive effect you have on others.  It’s what you most enjoy without even thinking about it.  Your purpose goes beyond any one role you’ve had over your lifetime.  More than what you do, it is simply who you are.

At Your Core

Discovering your purpose is recognizing who you are at your core.  This is something that can be simply stated.  I have discovered my own purpose is to enjoy life fully and guide others to live with greater joy and abandon — simply stated: to spread joy.  The way I express that to myself is to say, “I move with a joyful spirit.”  Here are some other examples from my clients:

To be and speak the truth
To create beauty and order
To lend an honest perspective
To bring lightness of spirit to other people
To be a connector to people, places, and ideas
To be an energizing catalyst for growth and transformation

Knowing your purpose will shed light on the decisions you face.  One client recently told me, “Ever since my purpose became clear, it’s been a lot easier to evaluate my career options.”  Whether you have had one predominant role over your lifetime or many (mother, caretaker, engineer, doctor, insurance agent), it is never too late to become aware of your purpose.

How your purpose is expressed may change and evolve over time.  Since it is the essence of who you are naturally, even if it’s not part of your official responsibilities or you aren’t formally acknowledged for it, it is still present.   You can choose to bring it forward in a new way at any time.

What purpose wants to reveal itself in your life right now?

Giving Words To Your Purpose

This week, I invite you to begin the process of giving words to your purpose.  Write down your observations about: what you enjoy naturally, the impact you have on others, and what you’ve learned about yourself from the roles you’ve had.  When I am coaching others to discover their purpose, we take several weeks to go through this process, so don’t try to force a catchy phrase or feel that you have to identify your purpose right away.  What do you know to be true about who you are, what is important to you, and what you bring to others?

Just see what comes out of your pen when you write: My purpose has something to do with…

Once your purpose is known, you will be keenly aware of when it is engaged.  Even without immediate changes to your external circumstances, a certain joy and confidence will start to percolate when you begin living your purpose more fully.

“Nothing contributes so much to tranquilizing the mind as a steady purpose –
a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.”
– Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851)

(1) The following people who use these various terms to describe “purpose” are each coaching professionals whose programs I have experienced: Suzanne Falter-Barnes calls it your Soul Purpose.  Kendall SummerHawk refers to purpose as your Unique Brilliance.  Alan Seale speaks of your Soul Mission.  Laura Berman Fortgang calls it your Life Blueprint™.