I’m a purpose-driven person.
There’s very little I do in my life that doesn’t support that greater purpose, which basically amounts to women-identified people conquering the world. (Because we’re pretty much doing it anyway.) So if it’s my mission to help other women to create their own solid sense of self, to support them as they set their own expectations, redefine their rules, and figure out exactly who they are and what matters most to them – and then take action to get it, funny I should be the one who ever loses sight of that.
But life is life and all, and every so often it happens. I’m not a machine.
And neither are you. Nevertheless, it’s easy to get bogged down into machine mode. Flipping switches and pushing buttons and checking boxes and chugging along automatically, forgetting what it’s all for. It can happen personally and professionally, and sometimes, we hardly notice what’s happening.
I’ve recently been working on what could broadly be called marketing and sales stuff. I’ve been doing worksheets (I do love worksheets), I’ve been reading books, I’ve been conducting market research, I’ve been taking courses and going to workshops. I know it’s important, so I’m gathering all the information, doing all the grunt work, staying really focused.
And also, I have spent all this time and effort, literally keeping me up at night and bringing me to tears during the day, trying to come up with a one-liner. That’s it. That one teeny, tiny element of a huge, broad picture of a business based on purpose and impact. So, ultimately, I’ve ended up spending a whole bunch of time totally focused on something that’s somewhat important, but not actually the heart of my work at all – or even the biggest part of the marketing and sales stuff. It’s so small, it’s so trivial. It’s stealing my attention and energy.
It’s misdirecting the finite amount of time and heart I have to commit to driving my purpose and mission forward.
And that’s a good lesson. I woke up after one of these sleepless nights, frustrated with the whole thing, and said to myself, literally out loud, “this is not what it’s about!” So, of course, the question is: what is it about?
We’ve got to go back to that part of it. Get clear, or clear all over again, about our purpose.
Broadly, absolutely. That’s the biggest driver. What are you here for? What’s the vision? At the end of your life, what’s it all going to look like?
Yes, I just went there.
Because, seriously, you don’t have to be Michelle Obama in order to have purpose in life. If you sit down for a minute, actually get quiet, let yourself let go and your mind flow, your heart and your intuition will take over, and you’ll remember what it’s all about for you.
Start your day from that place.
The day-to-day is hard. The day-to-day is where we get the most tangled up in other shit. And the day-to-day is where we get the most external stuff banging down the door to our inside world. We’ve got things to do, obligations to fulfill, and for most of us, every single action cannot be purpose-driven and impactful. We still have to answer emails and give the dog a bath and clean the toilet, right?
Right. And. It’s also possible to act from a place where the majority of what you do is driven, or at least influenced, by your underlying purpose. Where you make choices on how to spend your energy only after stacking it up against whether or not it contributes to steering you forward toward your vision. You can choose to direct, and to redirect when necessary.
Small, trivial things will almost always be part of the picture. But they do not have to be the whole picture. You’ve got to evaluate. Be critical.
What misdirected, small thing are you spending your precious time and energy and probably too much anxiety on? Where can you redirect?
If you are a purpose-driven entrepreneur, employee, community member – human – don’t let the minutiae take over the impact of that purpose. What I mean is, small things and tactics and formulas and getting things perfect and saying yes to everyone else’s needs are probably not always the best use of your time and potential for impact. Don’t waste that time. Redirect it back to the bigger things that will continue to drive impact and bring your purpose to life.
You’re here for a reason. Make it known. Don’t let it get lost in the small stuff.
Let’s go way beyond the small stuff. Get on my calendar below, or sign up for weekly emails to dig into that purpose and make it real.