“Succeed on purpose.”
Well, that’s a no-brainer, right? Of COURSE you want to succeed, and you’ve got faith in yourself to know that if you succeed…hopefully it ain’t an accident! But why do you want to succeed in the first place?
Let’s back it up a step and go a little meta.
No matter your job, career, or day-to-day, why do you want to “succeed” at whatever it is you do?
Chances are, it’s not just for the money you could make or the status or recognition you could have. It’s probably something so much more than that – it’s because it means bringing you closer to your true purpose in life. Your true reason for being on this lil’ planet in the first place.
Today, internalize this:
I 100% believe that your work needs to be completely fueled by your purpose. Too often, people make important decisions that impact the rest of their lives based on what makes the most money or what other people are doing or what people seem to expect of them. Aaaaaand this has nothing to do with their deeper, underlying sense of self and reason for being. Something may work out, but it’s probably more likely going to lead you to burn out, unhappiness, and a lack of fulfillment in your career and life. That sense of unfulfillment will stem from the fact that deep down you still know whether or not you are being true to your purpose. No matter the external accolades, awards, or recognition, the voice inside your head and your heart still speaks the loudest.
You can wake up every way and do your best to make it through the 9-to-5 without spilling coffee on yourself (guilty) or falling down stairs (guilty), but here’s some truth:
You’re better than that.
You have reason for being here. You have reason for being in the job you’re in now, for doing what you’re doing, for liking what you’re liking and thinking what you’re thinking. There’s a reason there, and in that, purpose.
Maybe your reason is making people smile when all they want to do is cry. Maybe your reason is being an unparalleled listener, the breadwinner for your family, or the bread-maker, always cooking really special meals.
While you can say it’s obvious to TRY every single day and put in effort and strive towards goals and forge your own path to success, it’s equally important to make sure your successes align with your greater mission in life – that they mean something beyond that initial swell of joy and achievement.
When you get up every morning, you’ve got a choice to make. Choice #1: You can choose to meander through the day, mentally chasing the weekend (or at least your next cuppa coffee). Choice #2: You can choose to live out your purpose by intentionally dedicating every moment to reaching a deeper meaning and connection. Sure, you can’t control every “success” or “failure,” but if you’re purposefully positioning yourself towards your own success, by golly you’ve got a better chance of reaching that than the alternative.
Now you’re set on succeeding on purpose…but how the heck do you find your purpose in the first place?
Figure out the bottom line of what you love and why you do what you do. Once you figure out at the most basic level what really makes you feel like you’re living your dream life, you’re that much closer to making that dream life a reality. Sometimes you’ll have more than one purpose in your life, and that’s okay. Purpose can evolve and fluctuate as you grow and develop and ride out the bumps and curves that life throws at you – and that’s all okay. Even when you’re completely unsure what your purpose is, sometimes making decision after decision in the moment, embodying what you believe to be good and right, will end up pointing you towards your purpose after all.
Create your own definition of success by unapologetically living out your everyday with such vigor and intention, people wonder where the heck you got the drive.
Succeed on purpose.
At the end of the day, we’ve got one life to live, as cheesy and cliche as that may be. You’ve got one life.
You shouldn’t be settling for anything less than what you are absolutely capable of achieving, doing, accomplishing.
At the core, identify your purpose. Why are YOU on this earth? What makes YOU unique and special, and what can YOU bring to this world that will help another human being in some way or another?
Don’t be afraid of success in your life. Embrace it and go after it like the last slice of pizza.
How are you succeeding on purpose?
Let me know in a comment down below. For this week and then some, let’s cheer each other on and succeed on purpose together.