I came across a story online about a lady who apparently had it all. She was influential, successful, rich, and admired by many. It shocked me greatly to hear that she tried to end his life early until I discovered the reason she had decided to do so!
For many years, she lived her life to please her parents, co-workers, teachers, clients, associates, etc. She had an image of what she thought was the best status in life; she followed that picture wholly! Though a gnawing sensation of emptiness had plagued her heart, for years, she had submerged it under her vision to become a celebrity in the eyes of others!
Never wait till emptiness overwhelms you to ask yourself the question, is my life, as a leader, on track with my true purpose? There is one human we must answer with our life’s direction, that is us! Success of a leader is relative to our pursuit of purpose!
Leader with purpose
Some say that the purpose of leadership is to achieve outcomes through others. Others see the leader’s purpose as developing newer leaders. Even others see the leader’s fundamental responsibility is to make the vision come to a realization. So, what exactly is true?
A leader with purpose is concerned with aligning their own personal preferences with their own sense of success and achieving a feeling of meaning and well-being in achieving their goals.
Discovering your true purpose
There are two characteristic aspects of the true purpose that make it unique. First, it can only be explored from within; this is due to the second aspect. Second, it was programmed and placed within us since our birth.
To explore the inner triggers to our purpose we must seek answers to the following questions:
- What makes me mad?
- What makes me sad?
- What makes me glad?
- What would I love to work at for free?
- What do I daydream about?
- What dreams inspired me as a child?
- What tasks do I find easy to achieve? What thoughts inspire passion and energy in me?
- Is there a hobby that I feel particularly drawn to?
By seeking answers to the above questions, like these, we start to get a picture of our ultimate purpose. The more precise the questions, the clearer the understanding becomes.
The next foundation is to start pursuing our purpose by implementing a daily, simple action plan. Prepare a list of five things you could do right now to start the process, even if they are just tiny steps.
Conclusion
Your purpose as a leader is a mission statement about who you are as a person and how you draw those unique qualities into your leadership so that you can shine as a leader. For that to become a reality, travel within and see your life purposes via the simple methods I’ve covered above.
Now You Know
