Let’s explore our purpose in life and identify how to answer the question, “what is our purpose?” Your purpose will complete the trifecta of statements that will help you live a purposeful life and correctly make the many daily decisions that arise. In our last segment, we built our mission statement, and before that, we determined our vision statement. The Vision statement describes the goal of what we want to be at a point in the future, and the mission statement describes how we will get there. Finally, the mission statement describes what it will take between now and the future to get to that vision of our lives. Here are the links to the preceding articles in this thread: my Mission article, my Vision article, and the preceding one that started this, Accepting Me.
My Vision Statement
In five years, I will be writing freelance articles regularly, continuing my blog and newsletter, and be visiting my children regularly. I will continue to help others improve their lives in every way I can.
My Mission Statement
My mission is to work with expert freelance writers to coach me through getting my contracts for freelance writing until I become more able to proceed and understand the nuances of this work environment. At the same time, I will continue to publish a weekly blog, two weekly medium articles, and a newsletter.
Let’s determine our Purpose
In the previous articles, we described our vision of where we want to be at a future time and the mission statement as what we will do to get there, and now we will explore our purpose or why. To begin this, let’s consider some questions to ponder and reflect upon:
- Why do I want to be where I described in 5 years?
- Why is it important to me to get there?
- How will I get there?
- What’s my reason for existence in the context of my vision and mission statements?
- Why do I live the way I do?
These questions and many similar ones are challenging to answer. Here are some steps to help you arrive at your purpose.
Step One
Write about your passions. Are you passionate about injustice? Does it bother you to see bullying? Are you interested in helping people learn?
my Answers
I’m passionate about treating all people as a part of the same human family,
about writing and sharing my thoughts about how we can each change for the better,
breaking down the barriers that separate us from others and building a more extensive community.
Step 2
Recognize that as you grow as a person, have more experiences, build more relationships, and focus on living daily, your purpose may change over time. Depending on your life roles, you may have several whys simultaneously or serially. In this step, write your current life roles. A few possible roles are husband, wife, significant other, worker, boss, human, etc. I have had several roles throughout my life: husband, manager, teacher, basketball referee, board member, caregiver, and now a widower.
Write a brief statement about each role that describes how you want your life to relate to each part.
my answers
I wanted to provide a happy, enriching environment for my children as a husband and father.
I wanted to care for and share a loving relationship with my wife as a husband.
As a worker, I wanted to do the best job I could for the company.
As a basketball referee, I wanted to help the kids enjoy the game within the rules.
Step three.
Reflect on your answers, realizing that you may not define your purpose in a single statement but look for the common themes and write your purpose statement.
my answer
My purpose is to help others grow into the best humans they can so they realize their full potential, break down barriers, and be the best writer I can while I nurture my relationships with my children and others.
