BY JP MARONEY
Exceptional people have a clearly defined purpose in life. They know precisely what they want to accomplish or attain. They have a reason for being, a causation of behavior that motivates them and drives them to action.
People call it different things. Some call it a sense of purpose or destiny. Others call it a mission, goals, objectives or intent.
Regardless the label or definition, exceptional people have this sense of purpose and it sets them apart from others who only wish for more out of life. Exceptional people place great importance on their definite purpose because they realize without it life is empty and pointless.
Now, we’re not talking about your responsibilities. While important, very few people gain pleasure or power from the thought of cleaning the kitchen, or changing the oil in the car.
Nobody is going to get up in the morning, get excited, go out and work hard just to pay the bills. A purpose for your life goes deeper. It has to be more than that.
Your purpose can embrace a desire to be a great spouse, an exceptional parent, and financially successful. It can include your passion to maintain good health and physical conditioning. It can incorporate your professional ambitions to win in business, build a sales career, or write a book. It may mean knowing you’ve contributed something worthwhile to the world.
Bottom line, your sense of purpose must be important to you. It should get you excited. It should create drive and urgency.
Exceptional people are enthusiastic about their purpose in life. When they get up in the morning they are excited because they know where they are going and how they’re going to get there.
So, do you have a sense of purpose for you life? Does it excite you? Do you get up each morning with a high level of anticipation? Do you go to bed each night looking forward to what great events may happen the next day?
The incredible opportunity in life is that you have the power to choose your purpose. It is up to you. However, it must be something about which you can be passionate.
When you speak of your purpose, they things that are important to you, a light should come on, and your eyes should glisten. People should be able to tell that you love what you’re doing. You should receive strength by simply considering the possibilities of fulfilling your definite purpose.
It could be that you want to be an artist. You have ideas for paintings just waiting to be applied to the canvas. Now, is the time to make that a part of your life purpose.
It may be that you want to write books, start a business, get a degree, or enter a marathon. These hidden or un-pursued personal interests should be incorporated into your life purpose.
Once they become part of your overall life purpose, you can set goals, determine next actions and begin pursuing them. But, until they have been recognized and made part of your overall life plan, they will remain unachieved.
Once you define your life purpose, everything you do should support it. The tasks to which you commit yourself, the organizations you join, the classes you take, the books you read, the people with whom you associate should all support your definite purpose.
Think of it this way. Your definite purpose is your life journey. Your goals and objectives are points of interest along the way. Your dreams are the rewards for reaching your goals and fulfilling your purpose.
So how do you define your purpose in life? How do you make a choice of what to pursue? What determines the overall theme of your life?
You have to look inside yourself to find the purpose that can and will drive your life. And don’t overlook the obvious. There are probably things right now on which you place great importance. Yet, if you stop to think about it, you’re probably not doing all you should, or all you want to in those areas of your life.
Since you make the choice, you must ask yourself some important questions, including:
Once you’ve answered these questions you can write a personal statement of purpose. Some people call this a mission statement. It should incorporate all the things that are important to you in affirmative terms of how you plan to live your life and what you plan to do.
Most importantly, it brings it all into perspective. And it gives you something you reflect on each day when you have the potential of getting sidetracked from your life purpose.
###
JP Maroney a.k.a. “The Pitbull of Business” is a business growth strategist, best-selling author and award-winning speaker. Receive his FREE book, “5 Ways to Double or Triple Your Business” by visiting www.JPMaroney.com
——————————
Interested in publishing this article in your magazine, newsletter, blog, website or article directory? Send an email to info at jpmaroney dot com or call 1-800-304-5758.
Share This
I just wanted to say that I found this post to be very inspirational. Aristotle was also a big believer in purposes. He called it the “telos,” the “aim” or “end”. Regardless of what you want to call it, it’s important to know why you’re getting out of bed each day.
(required)
