Taking the Red Pill

Last year, in 2023, I think I took the red pill.?

My life mightn’t be as dramatic as Neo’s, however, like Neo, I did want to view my world through another lens and make choices accordingly.?

The lens I chose was ‘purpose’...ably assisted by a spreadsheet.?

Whilst, I had (and have) clarity about my purpose, I was interested in developing a method to measure purpose. Questions were on my mind like, if you have a sense of purpose, how do you know if you’re aligned with it? Can you measure or track this? And, if so, how, and for whom, is this helpful??

And does any of this actually matter?

I am interested in the concept of purpose.?

In fact, since 2005, with my company TOWARD Ltd I’ve been delivering a programme called ‘Purposeful Leadership Programme’ to 1000s of leaders from all over the globe. And, as the years have progressed for me, and as time has accelerated, I am increasingly drawn to the questions that encompass purpose. Questions including:

• What’s the part I’d like to play?
• How am I contributing?
• For whom or for what?
• What’s the point?

Purpose is systemic.?

It’s all about me whilst simultaneously being all about others. I am already playing a part in the world. Fundamentally, the act of existence is a contribution. Simply by breathing, you are contributing, and whether you are aware of that contribution or not, is another question. Many of us are asleep at the wheel and purpose is the alarm clock, or daylight, that seeks to gently, or abruptly, awaken. It’s the custodian of your circadian rhythm. It’s the ‘big why’ and, more importantly, it’s the big ‘for whom?’.

Purpose invites you to consider ‘the point’. When you hear yourself say, possibly in exasperation, ‘what’s the point?!’, purpose is already nodding. It’s the mirror that’s held up to you. And it is consistently courting you into a deeper dialogue about the point of you.?

Purpose provokes. It guides. It disrupts. It contributes. It elevates. And it sustains.

Now, more than ever, I have a clear sense of my purpose in life. I’ve met myself along the road, and I have a good sense of my strengths and talents, my values and my identity. And I have some understanding of how these all contribute to my purpose.?

However, having a sense of my purpose and actually doing something about it, are two different things.?Is measuring it possible?

Whilst it might not be easy to define your purpose, it’s certainly easier than actually doing something about it. Life takes over. Multitudinous demands land. BAU consumes. And these things, combined, can result in a numbed, auto-pilot experience of life, or, the sensation that one is adrift.?

In 2022, I decided that I didn't want to be a spectator of my existence. I wanted to awaken further and get my hand on the tiller. Toward the end of the year, I took some time to write. I developed a number of documents about my purpose and the supporting activities that enable my commitment to it.?

And all this thought and discovery led me to an idea…

…why don’t I build a spreadsheet?

I don’t necessarily associate this particular idea with unbounded creativity, yet, it did stir me.?

Why don’t I track the time I am investing in activating my purpose? Why don’t I observe how aligned my life is with my purpose by tracking the actual time I spend against it?

These questions resulted in the birth of the ‘Purpose Tracker 2023’; the not-so-exciting name I gave my spreadsheet. It was an experiment I developed and was based on a belief that if one’s purpose is a priority, then it must require commitment in the form of time and energy. In other words, it must translate into your diary.?

A commitment isn’t real until it’s in your diary.

So, for the guts of 363 days (I missed the first 2 days of the year), at the end of every day, I opened up my iPad, clicked on a google sheet, and for approximately 10 minutes, I inputted data.?

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The Purpose Tracker 2023 was a simple design.?

It contained my purpose statement at the top, along with the 3 activities underneath that activate my purpose. The rationale being that, if I can commit to, and demonstrably measure these activities, then I am more likely to demonstrate alignment with, and fulfil my purpose. Therefore, for each of these activities, I tracked my daily hours.

I also tracked:

• The quality of the day (-2 to +2)
• Alignment with my Purpose (-2 to +2) and?
• I took qualitative notes?

On most Sundays, I took a couple of hours to reflect on the previous week’s data and make commitments that translated into my diary for the following week.

Finally, I built an additional tab that accumulated and summarised the numbers as the year progressed.?

I fear this may sound remarkably self-indulgent or sanctimonious, nonetheless, I have found the process incredibly helpful.

I took some time during the turn of the year…the in between…to hunker down and review the date and the experience.?

• Was this beneficial for me?
• If so, in what way?
• What have I learned about myself?
• How did I invest my time in 2023?
• How has this made me feel?
• And, so what?

Having done this, I’ve learned some interesting things about myself:

• I don't write as much as I want to (in fact, I only hit 17.4% of my intended target)
• I generally enjoy most days (68.1% being scored as a 1 or 2 versus 8.8% scored as a -1 or -2)
• I don’t eat as well as I thought I did (73% of days noted as ‘poor diet’, albeit, my definition of a ‘great diet’ set a high bar)
• I’m good at exercise, activity and movement (61.7% of my days being classified as ‘great activity’)
• On a -2 to + 2 scale entitled ‘alignment with my purpose’, I scored?2: 16.4%1: 33.6%0: 46.1%-1: 1.3%-2: 0% (2.6% of days were un-scored)

Looking at some correlations from my qualitative notes, I have also noticed that:

• I am incredibly stimulated by disruption
• The score for ‘quality of the day’ was higher after I had spent time with a small group of friends
• I highly value time by myself…more than I thought.

However, the exercise was about more than numbers. I was also hoping to use the experiment as a tool to help me to remain committed. It was about keeping something in front of me. It was about aligning my mind with my lifestyle and actions. It was also about extending my thoughts beyond myself. It was simultaneously about me and not about me.?

I wanted to develop something in my life that allowed me to remain focused with my time, and to use this resource in a way that was beneficial firstly to myself, and ultimately to others.?

And in that regard, I have found the exercise incredibly beneficial.?

Decisions were made throughout the year, as a direct result of the data, that allowed me to choose more wisely. Things like noticing the correlation between time spent outdoors and the positive score for ‘quality of the day’. Whilst this mightn’t be a huge revelation for some, when I saw the data in front of me, it allowed me to intentionally change the upcoming week by building in more time outdoors…and then tracking the results.

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‘So what?’ you may ask.?

This is a reasonable question.

Did all this tracking of time spent actually allow me to demonstrably commit more effectively to my purpose? Is purpose something you can measure?

The answer to that question feels like a work in progress. The study is still in progress (With the help of Dr Jonny Bloomfield , I have just built my ‘Purpose Tracker 2024’; a much enhanced version of the 2023 version).?

However, the process in itself, of sitting down at the end of every day, and reflecting on my commitment to my purpose, has been a game-changer for me. It’s been a game-changer. I think about my purpose every single day. I seek opportunities to align with it. I let my purpose wander through my mind and body. I am it’s host and it is mine. I listen to it and allow my attention and energy to be drawn toward it.?

So for now, at the beginning of this new year, I think I can answer, ‘yes’. The exercise has allowed me to commit more of my time and energy to my purpose. And it’s has allowed me, to some extent, to measure it.

And, as Viktor Frankl said, “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.”

Maybe the converse is also true and, if so, maybe this is worth studying further.?

If you are interested in discovering more about your purpose, my company, TOWARD Ltd , will be running 3 Purposeful Leadership Programmes in 2024; two in Scotland and one in Ireland.

These are 3-4 day immersive experiences, in groups of no more that 12 people, where you’ll be exposed to methods and tools to help you discover your purpose.

If you’d like to find out more, please send me a message.