I would like to say that if you do both of the exercises in the previous two posts you will know exactly who you are.
This, however, is probably not the case.
You will probably have a much better sense of who you are, but even for me, I had to answer the next big question (why am I here?) first before I really came to understand who I am.
So lets take a look at that:
Why am I here?
In one form or another, this is a question almost everyone has asked themselves. We all seek meaning in our lives, a purpose to strive toward and live by.
Some people think that it is too big of a question, that it cannot be answered. I disagree, it can be.
Let me show you a couple of ways to help you find your purpose.
All of the activites listed below are essentially looking for the same thing, but they go about it indifferent ways so hopefully one will work for you.
1) What’s Your Sentence?
I got this one from Reading Dank Pink’s Book” Drive” recently. I already knew my sentence by then, but it was a new way of looking for the “why” in your life that wasn’t as ‘morbid’ as some of the one’s below.
Watch the video at DanPink.com to get the full intro to this. I wouldn’t worry too much about the second question in the video for now, as far as finding your purpose goes, it’s the first that really counts.
2) What Do You Want on Your Tombstone?
As much as most of us don’t want to think about our own deaths, this is a good way to get this info.
If you have ever walked through a graveyard and looked at some of the headstones you will notices that after the names and dates there is often a short phrase. Something like: Loving Parents or he filled our lives with joy or she will be remembered in our hearts.
What this really comes down to is – how do you want to be remembered. What words would you like to have engraved in stone for all to see for hundreds of years to come.
It has to be short, there isn’t a lot of space on a headstone, and it has to sum up what it was you did your were working towards.
Do you want to be remembered as:
- A loving mother
- A Hero … to someone
- A true renaissance man
- A man who turned his life around and showed others how to do the same?
- A woman who inspired others to be their best
There are any number of phrases you could pick. I don’t even care if you steal someone else’s to start with. If it works for you, use it.
Chances are if you do take someone else’s it will change over time to become your own, but maybe it will at least get you started in the right direction.
3) Your Ultimate Mission Statement
Companies have missions statements. Well perhaps you can to. Take a look at some missions statements out there and make your own for your life.
A good book for this is “The Power of Story” by Jim Loehr.
As I said above all of these means are essentially leading you to the same place, a short phrase which sums up what it is you are striving to do in your life.
There are other ways that you can work on this also, but they require doing directed visioning. Since I haven’t yet figured out how to do this in a post yet (I really need to get video savvy) if you would be interested in this, let me know and I’ll do a visioning session with you.
Until then keep laughing.