Understand Your Life Purpose
To plan and execute corporate strategy, executives work through a series of questions to determine how their businesses can succeed. You can use a similar process to figure out how to live a meaningful life. We've created this seven-week series to show you how. You can start here.
We’re now in week two of applying the principles of corporate strategy-making to our own lives, as outlined in this HBR article. The goal this week is to answer this potentially daunting question: What is your life purpose??
Again, let’s learn from what organizations do: Successful corporate strategies are anchored to a purpose that lies at the intersection of, What are we good at? and What does the world need?, and takes into account, What are our values? and What excites us???
You can use similar questions to find your life purpose. Ask yourself, What am I good at? Think about situations at work or in other areas of life in which you have shown critical strengths such as creativity, teamwork, or communication. Feel free to also consult family, friends, and colleagues. Then ask, What are my core values? Consider online lists such as this one from James Clear, and think about which principles you hold dear.???
The next question is, What excites me? Maybe it’s mentoring, problem-solving, or meeting new people. Finally, ask, What need can I help address in the world? It could be one of the United Nations’ 17?Sustainable Development Goals, such as health, education, gender equality, or climate action. It could be something much more general, such as love, kindness, trust, or security.??
Think through your answers to the questions you asked yourself. Then draft a purpose statement. Here’s an example from one of the authors’ workshop participants: “Remain medically passionate, willing to learn, entrepreneurial, and strong-willed to drive medical innovation and create equitable access to health care for people.”?
Learn more?
Enjoying this newsletter? Unlock unlimited access to HBR’s content with a subscription.
You can read the next newsletter in this series here.
Get Unstuck. Find your Purpose. Reach your Potential. -|- Professional EOS Implementer (for Teams and Organizations) -|- Find & Evolve your Purpose Framework (for People)
8 个月When I first saw this from Harvard Business Review I couldn't have been more excited. That HBR finds it important to talk about Purpose at this moment in time speaks to both the gap and the opportunity. Strategizing may give some folks here pause (I see it in the comments) but rethought, a Strategy is nothing more than being thoughtful and deliberate in an approach while allowing for the measurement of progress and achievement on the other side. Sounds downright perfect for purpose. Purpose is not something you chase or pursue, purpose is something you arrive at through deep self-reflection, awareness, and experimentation. And it's ok to have purpose applied to different lifecycle stages, to have a purpose for now, a purpose for some time, and if you're able to find it, a purpose forever. Iterating and evolving is key otherwise it's not purpose, it's simply ... a goal. Love seeing this concept move front and center. As AI emerges and as what's expected and asked of us as people evolves, purpose will be what catalyzes, compels, and cautions us forward.
Consultor CONEXIG
9 个月Many publications talk about being happy in life and many wonder what it means to be happy? Happiness is such short moments in existence that they do not imply the non-existence of problems, but rather how to deal with them. Many talk to us about happiness on the route and not at the finish line. Maybe there it makes more sense, because the question is what happens after we become happy. It is like the concept of total quality from the 80s and 90s, which defined it as a process of continuous improvement (Book The Goal). Being happy is a duty, an obligation and more than a goal in life. Life is so short for many questions.
Providing rigorous regulatory leadership and compliance guidance for market participation and asset optimization. Talks about #climatechange #markets #ESG #energypolicy #cleanenergy #powermarkets.
10 个月Quite an interesting approach to the application of corporate strategy to finding purpose in one's life. Through reflection on one's purpose, the human side emerges within this paradigm.
Call Center Executive | CEO and Investor
10 个月Empower your entrepreneurial journey with Upwork – your gateway to a world of top-tier freelancers. Unlock unparalleled talent, scale your business, and thrive in the digital era. Join now using my referral link for exclusive benefits:? https://upwork.pxf.io/DKzAAy