My Purpose: Understanding, Transforming and Transcending

I’m a Leadership Performance Strategist. I assist leaders and executives in optimizing their performance to achieve their personal and organizational goals. I work in the convergence of leadership development, performance improvement, and strategic thinking.

In my second book, From Fog to Focus – Clarifying Questions to Discover Your Breakthrough, I aim to help leaders like you navigate with purpose and direction.

• My goal is to support you through today’s turbulent decision-making, giving you the tools to make your next big Breakthrough and lead with confidence and resilience.
• Building on four core concepts from my first book, The Glass is Full and a Half, I’ve curated a set of provocative questions and prompts to help you tackle today’s challenges and spark growth in your teams and organization.

While drafting From Fog to Focus, I inevitably thought about my own life and the new insights that can guide me towards my next Breakthrough.

On this journey, revealing my Life Purpose is the first important step. ?

?

Purpose pulls forward Focus and Direction

Purpose matters: knowing your purpose is essential because it serves as your personal compass, guiding your decisions, actions, and goals.

• When you understand your purpose, you have a clear direction in life. It helps you make choices that are aligned with your values, rather than being swayed by external pressures or distractions.
• A strong sense of purpose fuels your drive, especially during tough times. It keeps you going when challenges arise, helping you stay focused on the bigger picture rather than getting bogged down by setbacks.
• Living with purpose leads to a deeper sense of fulfillment. You feel like your actions matter and that you’re contributing to something larger than yourself, whether it’s your family, career, or the world around you.
• Knowing your purpose encourages self-awareness and growth. It challenges you to push beyond your comfort zone and strive for excellence in everything you do.

When you live with purpose, it often inspires others to do the same. Your clarity and conviction can motivate those around you, creating a ripple effect of positive change.

?“A meaningful life is close to, but distinct from, a happy life. Meaning is about connection, and understanding that our contributions—however modest—play a role in the greater story of the world.” - Alain de Botton, author

Living with Purpose: Your "Why" Compass

Each of us navigates life with a unique purpose, a driving force that shapes our actions, motivations, and worldview.

Your life purpose is your ultimate “why”—the driving force behind every decision, action, and challenge you take on.

Just as a business thrives on its mission and vision, your life purpose is the personal mission that fuels your energy, defines your priorities, and guides your long-term strategy.

• Your life purpose isn’t just a lofty ideal; it’s a practical tool that keeps you focused when navigating the chaos of daily life. It helps you navigate from fog to focus at all times.
• It connects your passion to your work, aligns your values with your goals, and ensures that your hustle isn’t just about making a living but about making a meaningful impact.

When you’re clear on your life purpose:

• Every decision becomes sharper. You filter opportunities through a lens of alignment with what truly matters.
• You become resilient. Challenges turn into stepping-stones because you know the bigger picture you’re building.
• Your work feels fulfilling. Success isn’t just about numbers; it’s about knowing you're creating value and living authentically.

Your life purpose is the “why” behind your what and how. It’s the reason you wake up motivated and go to bed knowing you’re closer to something meaningful. It’s not just about achieving goals but building a life and business that matter.

"The good life is a life of human flourishing, where one develops capabilities and uses them to help others." - Martha Nussbaum, philosopher

Clarifying My Life Purpose

After a long time of contemplation, I’ve concluded that my life purpose revolves around three interconnected pillars: Understanding, Transforming, and Transcending.

I’ve arrived at this notion through several coalescing sources:

• LEADERSHIP: My father’s tenacity, strategic thinking and diplomacy guided my aspirations to become a citizen of the world. Through his 93 years, he lived his values and led by proposition, not by imposition. He calmly navigated all kinds of environments and connected with all levels of society, without friction. My father was an optimizer and found joy in being a talented creator of harmony.
• WISDOM: Before my mother passed away at 96 years old, I talked to her every day, and we had deep conversations about what made me who I am. Her wisdom and her perspective helped me adjust my perspective. She taught me to embody the essence of the phoenix bird: a powerful symbol of overcoming adversity, embracing change, and the infinite potential for reinvention. She reminded me to rise again stronger after every setback, continuously evolving and transforming into a better version of myself.
• EXCELLENCE: Assisting high performance athletes and business leaders achieve extraordinary results and witnessing their lives’ transformation justified pivotal decisions I’ve made. Their success validates my sense of mission and contribution. Their gratitude is the essence of my progress. Their legacies deepen my appreciation of excellence.
• CONTRIBUTION: I’m privileged to have mentors who are among some of the best minds in the world. They encourage me to aim for excellence and refine my strategy to sustain it. Through their brilliance, they show me how to transcend the confines of my role and contribute in ways I never imagined possible. I am a catalyst of positive change in every environment where I operate.
• RESONANCE: Writing my book “The Glass is Full and a Half” as both a memoir and a guide to design Breakthrough provided me with “a view from the balcony” on ups and downs of my life – as well as the gifts I’ve received from my family, teachers, friends and mentors. I realized I had something valuable to say that could resonate beyond my environment and help others.

?

Expressing the Three Pillars of My Purpose

1. To Understand: Uncovering Stories and Motivations

• Hidden Narratives: Understanding is the cornerstone of meaningful relationships and impactful work. It begins with uncovering the hidden narratives—the core stories and motivations that define who people are and why they do what they do.
• The Defining Event: At the heart of understanding lies the “defining event," a pivotal moment of trauma, stress, or profound change. These moments of disruption often become a powerful source of energy, fueling resilience, creativity, and ambition. Exploring these stories reveals the deeper "why" behind someone's actions and their truest self.
• The Rite of Passage: This narrative framework helps uncover transformation by examining challenges, their emotional impact, and the growth or resolution they inspire. It’s a journey that mirrors our own path of evolution. We emerge from the quest with the gift of a new awareness and creative impulse.
• Connection as a Catalyst of Breakthrough: When we understand others' hidden narratives, we can forge relationships and projects rooted in authenticity. This foundation not only builds trust but also inspires collaborations that resonate on a deeper level and can lead to Breakthrough.

My Reflections on Understanding:

• The pivotal experiences that shaped me are… being encouraged by famous writers to become a writer and witnessing the massacre of five religious individuals whom I knew personally.
• The ways that critical moments of disruption fueled my growth are… having the courage to make a drastic cut with the past and start again from scratch (six times).
• The ways I connect with others' hidden narratives to build deeper understanding are… by creating events, spaces and opportunities for profound conversations that can shift perspectives.

?

2. To Transform: Embracing the Breakthrough Moments

• Recognizing the Extraordinary: Transformation occurs when ordinary experiences are elevated into something extraordinary—when a Breakthrough moment reshapes your perspective, leaving an unforgettable mark.
• The Essence of Breakthrough: The Breakthrough moment is where transformation begins. It’s the unexpected insight or action that surprises and inspires. It’s what makes something more impactful than anticipated, moving it from mediocrity to greatness.
• Striving for Excellence (the 300% moonshot): Incremental improvement is valuable, but striving for excellence—delivering the Breakthrough—is what truly distinguishes remarkable individuals and ideas.

My Reflections on Transformation:

• My most memorable Breakthrough moments have been… the success of ideas that were born in my imagination, that required the buy-in of many people, and that had impact beyond measure (international speaking tours, a theatre play, a TV documentary and large-scale corporate events)
• The ways I elevate my work, relationships, or ideas to be unforgettable are… by infusing them with essential concepts disguised as memorable symbols, metaphors and experiences, as a poet does.
• The ways I pursue excellence are… I design Breakthrough opportunities through a process that involves imagination, improvement, inspiration and ignition of new possibilities.

?

3. To Transcend: Living Beyond Limits

To transcend is to rise above the ordinary and attempt the impossible. This pillar emphasizes aligning your life with the highest values, strategies, and ideas to leave a lasting impact on the world.

I have identified four fundamental principles that allow me to continuously evolve as a thinker:

• I Tell Myself “You Are Here to Do the Impossible” - At its core, transcendence is about believing in your ability to achieve what others deem impossible. It’s about dreaming boldly, taking risks, and persisting despite obstacles. I choose to Love the Challenge and figure out how to expand my thinking to get better results. My work with sport psychologist Dr. Jim Loehr and professional athletes showed me how powerful this is - and I share it with my clients.
• Riding the Spiral of Human Values - Living by a strong set of values creates a foundation for transcendence. These values anchor you, even as you push boundaries and challenge norms. As Dr. Clare Graves stated, the scale is an open-ended spiral, through which we can continuously evolve our mind’s capacity to think, feel and do. Our human values evolve and they are dynamic, going from survival to planetary concerns.
• Living Strategically to Design Future - Adaptability and intelligence are crucial in navigating the complexities of life. Like dolphins, who balance strength with grace, transcendence requires strategic thinking and emotional intelligence. A strategic worldview intentionally transcends the present and explores the design of a more sustainable future. I live by the strategy of the dolphin, as my mentor Dudley Lynch taught me.
• The Convergence of Ideas to Create New Value - Collaboration with brilliant minds and the synthesis of diverse ideas fuel transcendence. True breakthroughs and new value come when we integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines and perspectives. I constantly refine my Creative Confidence, as my mentor Dr. Edward de Bono suggested. Richard Saul Wurman, the founder of the TED Conferences, showed me how intellectual convergence can trigger the transformation of ideas, behaviors, products and policies.

My Reflections on Transcendence:

• The values that guide my decisions are… independence, creativity and collaboration.
• The ways I collaborate with people who challenge and inspire me are… generating new ideas, expanding possibilities, implementing opportunities and giving ourselves permission to envision wild scenarios that inspire us to act now.
• The ways I align my actions with a purpose greater than myself are… considering what I would do that doesn’t involve money, power or fame – and reflecting on how others will benefit because I get to implement my creative ideas.

?"We all have work to do, and purpose is often forged in what we create for others." - Rebecca Solnit, writer

?

Your Life Purpose Exploration - A Guide for Personal Introspection

To explore your Life Purpose, consider the following reflective prompts:

Hidden Narratives

• What pivotal experiences shaped who I am today?
• How can I use my challenges as a source of energy and growth?
• Whose stories or motivations do I need to understand better?

Breakthrough Moments

• What is one area in my life where I can aim for a Breakthrough moment?
• How can I surprise and inspire others in my work or relationships?
• What does "being unforgettable" look like for me?

Go Beyond Limitations

• What impossible goals am I daring to pursue?
• How can I align my actions with my deepest values?
• Am I surrounding myself with people and ideas that elevate my thinking?

Commitments - Express Your Life Purpose

• “I’m in the world to….”
• As I live my purpose, the world benefits because...

?

Your Next Steps

Living a purposeful life is about more than just achieving goals; it’s about understanding your hidden narratives, embracing transformative moments, and striving to transcend limitations.

Considering these three pillars will help you unlock a life of authenticity, impact, and meaning—one that not only fulfills your potential but also inspires others to do the same.

You deserve to express your purpose to the fullest.

I invite you to design your pathway to Breakthrough and navigate with clarity and confidence. Contact me to explore your aspirations and the process.

?

Learn more about Leadership Performance Strategies

Find out about Career Transitions Advisory

Invite Carlos Salum to give a Keynote or conduct a Workshop

Register to be notified about the publication of “From Fog to Focus”

Read “The Glass is Full and a Half” book