I Really Wanna Know . . .

Welcome to Seeds 4 Growth issue #3!

In each issue, I will use the “Higher Power of 4’s” to provide 4 “seeds” within a particular topic designed to help individuals, teams, and organizations find purpose in fulfilling their true growth potential. And by doing so, grow leaders into living legacy builders who desire to make the world better.

“When I chased after money, I never had enough. When I got my life on purpose and focused on giving of myself and everything that arrived into my life, then I was prosperous.”

— Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Last month, we talked about the 4 Dimensions of YOU – Who You Think You Are, Who You Actually Are, Who Others See You Being and Who You Desire to Become. These 4 Dimensions are not linear; rather they are very much integrated and revolve around Purposeful Growth.

They represent the foundation upon which you can grow into your unique purpose and find a deeper sense of fulfillment in your life and work. We started with Who You Think You Are, so now let’s move on to Who You Actually Are.

You see, we must first understand who we are so we can grow into the best possible version of ourselves. I do not believe this is a random evolutionary process, but an intentional revolutionary process where improvement can and should be continuous like the growth of a tree—day after day, month after month, and year after year.

And make no mistake, if you want to lead and manage others, you must first be able to lead and manage yourself.

To that end, you must strive to be authentically you every day; however, that does not mean in a static sense. You have a purpose and the power to grow in each season to become the best possible version of the you God intended. But to be clear, who you are is not defined by what you do—the title on your business card is merely a title, and no doubt a temporary one. It does not reflect the true essence of who you are across every dimension.

If discerning Who You Think You Are can be a bit subjective depending upon your level of self-awareness, there are many different diagnostic tools based upon scientific research to give you a deeper sense of Who You Actually Are. From personality assessments such as Myers-Briggs, StrengthsFinder, and DiSC, we have an opportunity to better understand ourselves in an unbiased, objective manner.

In tandem with my new book, The Purposeful Growth Revolution: 4 Ways to Grow from Leader to Legacy Builder, I have developed a Purposeful Growth Self-Assessment to serve as a companion to my thesis. I believe there must be alignment between your individual purpose and the purpose of the team or organization you work for. And that together, your life’s work can make a positive, lasting impact on the world. Why?

NEWS FLASH!?Work should mean more than just a paycheck!

Let’s find out where you stand on this topic by taking the Purposeful Growth Self-Assessment. Based upon your answers, you can download a free report that is personalized just for you.

Please note: You’ll find a link to the free Purposeful Growth Self-Assessment in the Comments section.

We all understand the need for growth to advance our careers and the organizations we serve, but research studies show that Purposeful Growth is the most powerful way to grow.

While it’s been there all along (possibly hidden in plain sight), the concept of purpose has been gaining a lot of traction recently. From spiritual teaching to scholarly research and changing demographic trends along with the increasing reliance on digital devices for social interaction, there is solid evidence that connecting individuals to their higher purposes helps increase job satisfaction, productivity, longevity/loyalty, and outer directedness that benefits others.

Researchers Aaron Hurt, Brandon Peele, Tim Kelley, Zach Mercurio, and their team at The Science of Purpose have found there is a direct link between purpose and the growth of both individuals and companies.

Individuals with a connection to their purpose experience:

• 63% increase in wealth, and leadership effectiveness
• 64 % increase in fulfillment
• Learn twice as much
• Are four times more engaged
• And are 175% more productive

Companies with a connection to their purpose experience:

• Higher margins as purposeful firms are 30% more innovative
• 73% of customers will switch to higher purpose brands
• 55% of customers will pay more for higher purpose brands
• 47% higher Net Promoter scores and related length of tenure
• 54% more fulfilling work relationships

Particularly now as we recover from the effects of COVID-19—and face dire prognostications on climate change and other life-threatening obstacles—the concept of purpose has risen much higher in our consciousness. There simply has to be more to life than just going through the daily motions of eating, sleeping, breathing, working, retiring, and dying, right?

We all go through various seasons, and most of us are desperately searching for our specific purpose in the fleeting time we are given to dance here on earth. Even before the Great Resignation, trends were moving in this direction, but with the COVID-related reset, there’s an increasing movement to question what is expected of us and relate it to what really matters to us. In fact, probably the most profound questions we all share are, “Who am I?” and “What am I here for?”

“The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.”

— Mark Twain

Since the dawn of human consciousness, most of us have wrestled with the question, “What is the meaning of life?” But, for me, that comes across a bit too passive and generalized. I believe in repurposing this question to be more active and personalized—“What does life mean to you?”

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”

— Pablo Picasso

Before we dive headlong into the search for our own individual purpose, there are 4 important questions you must ask yourself:

Seeds 4 Growth

1. Do you understand/believe in the power of purpose?

2. Are you ready for purposeful growth to take root in you?

3. Are you fully aligned with the purpose of your team or organization?

4. Are you prepared to pay it backward to help others along their growth journey?

We’re now hearing about a new term called, “Quiet Quitting”—essentially among those who do not feel personally engaged or aligned with their work, team members, management or organizational purpose. But instead of calling it “The Great Resignation,” I prefer to refer to this era as “The Great Repurposing”—an opportunity to get our life and work back on purpose by reflecting upon what (and who) matters most to us.

That sounds pretty great, right?

Let’s use this time to better understand Who We Actually Are in ways that provide a solid foundation upon which to build our richly imagined future as we grow into Who We Desire to Become. And by doing so, pay it backward to help others along their growth journey.

The Purposeful Growth Revolution is ON!

Are you IN?