Know your Why? – The importance of having a Purpose

When Dan Carter, the World-Famous New Zealand rugby player retired as a professional his long-standing Purpose to “Be the Best Rugby Player, an All Black Great” became unfitting overnight. For the past 18 years he had woken each morning asking himself “what does an All Black Great do”.??He structured his days, weeks, and years around this.

Dan’s personal purpose had driven him since experiencing the delights of his first international test match at the age of 21 until he retired at the youthful age of 38. It drove him every time he got out of bed, his driving force for greatness as a player. Unwittingly the purpose he had given himself wasn’t an Infinite Purpose – a Purpose with no end, it was a goal.

Finding himself without a Purpose Dan engaged in a 6-month Re-Purposing Process with Kevin Roberts the ex CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi to find his Purpose outside being a player.??Dan says, “It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, I had lost my purpose”. He knew the power of having a purpose and had to find one to be fulfilled in life for the long run.

Through the process to find his purpose with Kevin they reviewed his character, values, beliefs, his background, past experiences and so many more critical points to create a new Purpose. The result would be a purpose so strong that it would drive him for the rest of his life to get out of bed?On Purpose,?just like he had as a rugby player.

From the age of 5 Dan had dreamt of being an All Black. Through having clear goals (Step 4 – Have Clear Goals?in my book “The 7 Steps to Live Your Best Life”) he had meticulously planned how he would achieve this – and did, becoming undoubtably one of the greatest players of all time. On achieving this amazing success and still feeling not fully fulfilled, he then created his?ifinite?Purpose “Be the Best Rugby Player”. Now a businessman and father of 4 young kids and a lifetime ahead of him he actively worked on finding his true Purpose, his driving force for life.??By having a Purpose and living to it he realised he would be happier and more fulfilled.

For me I also went through a similar soul-searching process to find My Why, My Infinite Purpose. I had always given myself goals and done well but knew something greater was missing.??I engaged the services of Mick Todd, Founder & CEO of 2bLimitless and over a 6-month period we dug deep into my ego, explored my past, my background, values, my mission and vision, gained a greater understanding of what fulfilled me to create my Purpose.

As a result of working in partnership with Mick and subsequently becoming an accredited Coach myself, I created such a powerful Purpose it gave me reason to bounce out of bed at 5am this morning to write this article.??I now live On Purpose, Driven by my Purpose.

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. If you don’t know your Purpose, find it!?

Did you bounce out of bed this morning because you had a clear purpose? I did, and I am pretty sure Dan Carter did too – we both have a clear purpose. If you didn’t you are not living your best life.

Download my book “The 7 Steps To Live Your Best Life” and I will share my purpose with you and give you some ideas on how to find yours.

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