(Stop) Finding Purpose In Life
What is your ‘Why’?
I discovered Simon Sinek’s work a decade ago while searching for ways to help the organisation that I worked for define itself. His ideas about finding the ‘why’ were impactful and illuminating. It’s fascinating to see that these ideas have resonated with not only businesses but also individuals in their personal lives.
Most of us struggle to articulate our purpose
Finding your purpose is a simple yet profound idea. However, most of us struggle to articulate what our purpose is. To me, this is the crucial step before setting goals and making plans in life. Why do we do what we do? As I have written in another post about achieving success in life, Alistair Campbell’s book “Winners and How They Succeed” provides a useful roadmap for having goals, strategies, and tactics. But before setting any goals, it’s essential to figure out the “why.” Why are you setting these objectives in the first place? This is the missing piece of the puzzle that comes before the goals.
 |
| Start With Why by Simon Sinek |
High performance is a feeling
Being productive and high-performing is a state of mind. Being purpose-driven and cause-driven can help you achieve this balance. Feeling yourself move towards achieving your cause gives you a sense of satisfaction and productivity. Being purpose-driven ensures that the decisions you make are aligned with your cause, making it more likely that you will be high-performing while enjoying your work.
Your why is your origin story
We are all shaped by our experiences, and how we grew up makes us unique. Simon argues that our purpose and unique contribution to the world often lies in those experiences. He explains that our “why” is not something we invent, but something we discover by looking back at our life stories and finding the patterns and themes that define who we are.
How to find your ‘Why’
Simon suggested that one way to figure out your “why” is to ask a close friend why they are friends with you. These are the qualities that they value in you, which can give some indication as to what you bring to the world.
My personal take on finding purpose
Each of us has overcome countless challenges, both big and small, to get to where we are today. These experiences have shaped us into who we are and form the basis of our response when we face new challenges. It’s no surprise that our unique contribution to the world, our ‘why’, also stems from these experiences.
I recently reflected on my own friends and what I value most about them. I realized that there is a common theme among the people I chose to become close friends with — a quality that I admire the most. In a way, this is also a reflection of my cause, a preference that I would like to see more of in this world.
Having a better sense of your purpose doesn’t necessarily help define what you do, but it does make decision-making simpler and more coherent with who you are as a person. Your purpose is your inner guide, no matter what you do. So in a way, the specifics of what you do become less important as long as you understand why you do it.
Final takeaways
Finding our purpose or ‘why’ in life can help us be more productive and high-performing. Our ‘why’ is closely linked to our origin story and experiences.
Simon Sinek suggests that we can use our ‘why’ as a guiding principle for our actions and decisions, and as a way to inspire others to join us in our cause. He believes that finding our ‘why’ can help us live more fulfilling and meaningful lives. I love his work and always find it inspiring to listen to him. I hope you all find purpose in what you do.
Share these ideas with others if you have found it useful. Have a great day, everyone!
*********
Updated Section: In life, live in the moment instead
When we are talking about what we do in a specific context, for example as a business, as a team, or in our career development having purpose can be very useful in helping us find fulfilment in the work. But when we talk about life, that is something much bigger. Perhaps life is not something that need to be guided or should be defined by a purpose. Needing a purpose is an illusion of the human mind, life itself does not require a purpose.
In the end, I realised that asking about purpose of life is perhaps not a useful question. One ends up spending a lot of effort and time seeking this made up concept rather than living in the moment, doing what is required of us. You are all there is, you are life and a part of life, there is nothing to fulfil. Why must life have a purpose?
Comments
Post a Comment