Strengthen Your Purpose: No One Hit Wonder.

When was the last time you connected with purpose to transform the efforts of your team and amplify the impact you have in the world?

Knowing your purpose allows you to connect it with what you love, what you're good at, what you can be paid for and what the world needs - concepts that encourage you to live a life filled with true meaning, happiness, purpose and joy.

Ikigai, a term meaning “a reason to live", is a philosophy rooted deep in Japanese culture used to guide people toward living a meaningful life according to:

1. 💙 What you love
2. 👌 What you’re good at
3. 💰 What you can be paid for
4. 🌍 What the world needs

Each of these overlap as follows:

1. What you love and what you’re good is where you find passion
2. What you love and what the world needs is where you find your mission
3. What you’re good at and what you get paid for gives you a profession
4. What the world needs and what you get paid for gives you a vocation

When you have clarity in all areas you find a powerful why – a strong sense of calling about where you are and where you need to be.

If you are clear about your chosen path, it's useful to flip the concept to eliminate complexity and strengthen your purpose.

Why you ask?

1 - Increased Resilience to Stress

Reinforcing one's connection with purpose enhances our brain's ability to recover from stress, distractions and negative thoughts.

Neuroscience suggests that engaging in activities aligned with purpose activates regions of the brain associated with a surge of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with positive emotions, pleasure and reward.

2 - Enhanced Focus and Attention

Purpose is deeply connected with values. A recent psychology study, 'Why reflecting on your values before opening your mouth makes for happier relationships' found that individuals who reflect on their values before engaging in discussions or debates are more harmonious.

It also helps you guide team members to stay focused on what matters most.

3 - Alignment of Strategic Decision-Making

Life is full of choices: from the barely noticeable, like deciding on the layout of an internal team meeting agenda, the mundane, such as selecting a vendor for office supplies, to the momentous, such as the decision to expand into a new market or geographic region.

Recent breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence (AI) research on planning in the brain, indicates that purpose-driven decision-making engages regions of the brain associated with long-term planning, leading to more strategic, goal-oriented choices.

A leader who regularly reconnects with their purpose of serving customers make decisions that are more aligned with the greater good, despite personal or political pressures.

Strengthen Your Purpose in 4 steps.

Go through each of these four concepts and see how you can connect:

1 💙 What you love

Here it’s about finding aspects of your work that you genuinely enjoy. You don’t need to be good at it, it’s simply a part you enjoy. This could be about the people you work with, or a specific task you do.

Q. What is it about your work that you love?

A. Share in the comments, "What I love most about my job is.... "

2👌 What you are good at

This might include skills you don’t necessarily enjoy, but you are good at performing. Maybe you were forced to practice piano as child. As an adult you're good at playing the piano, but you don’t actually enjoy it 😮

Q. When you think about what you do at work, what are you good at?

A. Share in the comments, "In my work, I am really good at... "

3💰 What you can be paid for

Money isn’t necessarily a big motivator, but it sure helps to keep doing a specific job if you don’t have to deal with financial worries because you’re not getting paid, or not getting paid enough and have to take on a second job.

It also helps to have a future that provides financial security, such as knowing you can work your way up through potential for promotions.

Q. Are you getting paid for work you love and what you are good at?

A. Share in the comments, "I'm an expert in ...."

🌍 What the world needs

Lastly, lets think about how your work is important to the world – how you are making the world a better place. Sometimes it can take a bit of stepping back and taking perspective on the broader impact of what you do, even if what you do is a small part of something much bigger.

The overall organisation cannot function without each part working, and as a part of that you make an impact. Being able to connect some part of your work to why the world needs it is an important part of this exercise.

Q. What is it about your work that the world needs?

A. Share in the comments, "I exist to... (what is the problem you solve)"

It's not always easy, but it is simple. Block out time to eliminate complexity and emerge a leader connected with purpose.

Ignite Your Passion

• Download The Uncharted Leader Podcast and listen to Trevor Millar, CoFounder of Ambio Life Sciences share about his purpose and The Life-Changing Effect of Psychedelics
• Stay connected on leading with purpose by following The Uncharted Leader on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube or Facebook.
• Book a call with Kylee and ask about the Emerging Leaders Program to Ignite Your Passion, Grow Your Influence and Amplify the Impact you have in the world!

"There is a powerful driving force inside every human being that, once unleashed, can make any vision, dream, or desire a reality" - Tony Robbins