As we begin a new year, people often like to set New Year’s resolutions or review their past year and set goals for the next. I, personally, don’t set New Year’s resolutions but rather I will start a new habit or adjust my goals whenever I feel I need to grow in a certain direction – in other words, the beginning of a calendar year to make a change is arbitrary to me. However, the need to review how we’ve spent our time in the last dozen months and re-visiting our goals on a regular basis is a very good practice, so if setting New Year’s resolutions works for you, do it!
One of the main values we have at Olive Branch is effectiveness. We want to be effective coaches and we want our protocols to be effective. Our clients who come train at Olive Branch are also looking for the most effective method. They are definitely not coming for the fun factor! Then asking ourselves the big question on how to be an effective human being is ultimately what we’re after. In other words, what is your purpose for being here on planet Earth?
The answer to that question is personal. There are no right or wrong answers but I do encourage you to spend some time by yourself, to sit down and seriously think about answering that question in the most accurate and succinct way. You want to be laser-like in your answer – just a sentence or two that encapsulates your whole being.
Some examples of purpose:
- To be a great father for my 3 children.
- Use music to connect and inspire people in new and innovative ways.
- To build a company that can share the great food & drink culture of my home country to the rest of the world.
- To spread awareness and elicit global change in improving the environment.
To help you, try this exercise:
In one sentence only, how would you describe the purpose of your life.
Write that down.
Now, imagine in your future funeral, when your most respected friend or family member is giving your eulogy to the audience of all your friends, family and acquaintances. What is the one line that you would like him/her to say about you as a person?
Write down that one-liner down as well.
Now compare the two sentences you wrote down. Do they match? Are there any differences?
If you have some differences, then you may need to reflect on both and find out where the discrepancy lies. You should try to be as concise as possible when doing this exercise, otherwise we end up with a long list of great attributes that we all want to have as awesome individuals but doesn’t help you to focus.
We’ve just found a single purpose that drives you. You didn’t ask your parents, a teacher, or a higher power for the answer. Rather, you determined your own meaning of life. WE define our purpose – our meaning of existence.
This is an important realization because it puts the ball in your hands. You are in control of your being. You can decide how to live your life.
Of course, we all have social pressure and family obligations and expectations to manage. However, if your purpose is a noble one; one that is in service of others as opposed to a more selfish one, then I doubt society nor family will be disappointed in how you’ve chosen to live your life.
Having a clear purpose, one that is written down on a piece of paper,
We believe that purpose unleashes your most powerful motivation and energy source. And you will need that energy to get all the things you need to get done in order to achieve your purpose.
That’s it for today. Next week, we’ll put some action behind these ideas and begin planning our energy to realize our new found purpose.