Purpose, Principles and Outcomes

The outcomes you’re experiencing in business and life is a direct reflection of the purpose you see for yourself in the actions you take and the principles you follow in creating those results every day.

The question then comes up, “What is my purpose?” Here is the short answer.

Your purpose in life or business is the difference you make in the lives of other people.

In past week’s we’ve talked about value that you’ve created to enhance the life of someone else.

That value is your current purpose. If you don’t feel that you are adding value to the life of other people, you probably feel unfilled.

That’s why people who work at a job are often unhappy and lack motivation. They are delivering a value in exchange for a paycheck instead of creating one to benefit other people.

There’s good news if you’re feeling stuck today.

Your purpose in life can change at any time you see a greater value to create. You will feel a pull deep inside to change so that you can develop this new idea.

Following that desire will ultimately make you feel good, so go for it. Just remember; you may feel frightened to make that leap. That’s normal.

How do you move forward in spite of fear?

Ask yourself the question, “What am I really frightened of?”

If it is loss of money, figure out a way to live on less for a while. I know a business owner who figured out how to live on $11,000 a year as he built his business.

Today that business is a $3,000,000.00 to $4,000,000.00 a year enterprise.

If you are frightened because you want to accomplish something that you have never done before, take small steps first. Then move forward as events allow.

For example ...

As many of you know, I love to play golf. I’m not a great player but I still love getting out there to give my creative mind a surge once a week.

It’s like taking a walk in a beautiful park while practicing the art of no-thought thinking. To me golf is the ultimate creative mind exercise.

I would love to figure out a way to play golf more and make a living doing it.

Being a weaker player means that making a living playing or teaching golf is probably not an option. BUT I am a marketer and love doing that. I also love to write.

So, I’m helping people like Michael Swanick make his name and golf vision prominent.

This weekend I started to put ideas about loving golf on the internet to see if my vision can become sticky.

Eventually, I’ll add a blog or other communication tool to spread the word about why I love to play.

Maybe it will inspire others to live more creatively. For me, that would be the absolute ultimate value I could create for other people.

I’ll test the waters to see if there is a place for golf in my business and life.

The cost to do it? Effort.

How I feel today because I’m giving it a try? Great!

In a lifetime, you may modify your purpose in life a number of times. It’s OK to change. It’s OK to fail too.

Very few people will do the same thing for twenty years and retire. Even fewer people ever see great success without trials and tribulations.

A great example of permission to fail, but still keep trying is in a famous Thomas Edison quote, “I haven’t failed, I’ve found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”

Change is the one constant the majority of us can depend on and we seldom succeed unless we are willing to fail first.

That’s why being an entrepreneur business owner can be so rewarding and so challenging at the same time.

When developing your purpose, always base your actions on the principles you want to live your life by.

Know what you will stand for and what you will not stand for. Do not modify those principles, unless there is strong evidence to support a change of heart.

Look back on your life. Think of the many things you once thought were OK to do. Your rationale was, “Hey, it’s not hurting anyone.”

Then evidence appeared that caused you to change your mind. Your principles of living changed based on new, compelling evidence.

Remaining rigid in old beliefs, once they are proven false, keeps you running in a cycle of confusion that has no end.

Be open to change but live your life with specific principles that guide your actions.

When you do, your outcomes will meet your desires. Before you know it, you will feel more fulfilled, no matter what you are doing.

You will not be afraid to express your deepest passions and you’ll feel more alive and energized with the start of each new day.

If you are feeling lack of motivation in your life today, it’s time to change by following these 3-steps:

1. Discovering a greater purpose that adds value to the life of other people
    
2. Matching that value with the principles that guide your life and actions
    
3. Experience the outcome you truly want to see in both your business and your life.

Good luck and stay with it. It is always worth the effort.

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