Let's get back to basics and visit the foundation for making connections…getting in touch with your Purpose.
Wow, this is possibly the most important element in being true to yourself and forming meaningful relationships with those around you. It’s hard to commit to something, anything, without understanding why you are doing it. Why are you in your field of work, why are you volunteering for that particular organization, why do you do any of the tasks that you do everyday?
It’s important to get in touch with your purpose. Sometimes your purpose shouts loud and clear and other times it might be a bit more elusive or even seemingly impossible to figure out. Understand that your purpose doesn’t need to be a grand statement like you see in the movies. It can be as simple as asking yourself, ‘what am I passionate about? What matters to me? What do I love to do? or ‘What do I need to complete in my lifetime?’
Take some time to sit quietly, preferably meditate and really listen to the answer that comes to you. Be patient, it might not come to you right away. In fact, if you are a particularly busy person, it may take several sessions to start to get clear on your purpose. You might have just one word pop into your head – like ‘guide, compassion, humor, strength, etc.’
If this happens, think about the word and see if it feels true for you. If the word ‘humor’ pops into your mind and you find that you really enjoy making people laugh or enjoy when others make you laugh, it might be that your purpose is to bring laughter into the world. This is a very admirable purpose – what would life be without the joy of laughter?
Once you start to get a clearer understanding of your purpose, it’s important to start using it as a filter for everything you do. For example, if your purpose is to show compassion and you’ve decided to work in the field of repossessions, you may be out of sync with your purpose! That’s when it becomes hard to find meaning in your work and that spills over into your relationships with those around you. If your purpose is to guide and you are in a customer service position, than you can start to find ways to guide customers by helping them understand a product or policy and explaining it in a way that makes them want to work with you all the time. This is when you will start to feel like you are making a difference and you will likely be more satisfied.
My recommendation is to come up with a brief purpose statement such as ‘my purpose is to guide with hope and joy’. This makes it even easier to use your purpose as a filter for all areas of your life. If your purpose is to guide with hope and joy and you are a Supervisor, find ways to add more hope and joy to the way you interact with your employees. I’m certain that they will start to notice and be even more willing to follow your lead. It’s very likely that your employees will then start to add more hope and joy to the way they interact with clients, customers and co-workers. How great would that be??
The point is, when you have a better understanding of what your purpose is you can start to begin making better choices on how you relate to other people and where you may need to make changes in the way you spend your time. It can also help you realize or confirm the areas in your life where you may already be making an impact and are doing exactly what you need to be doing right now. The great news is, this is your life and you are the only one who can decide what’s right for you at this moment in time. When you are on purpose, you will begin to Connect...Like You Mean It!™
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