Finding your Personal Purpose
There are numerous methods to discover our personal purpose, and although the process can be a challenging lifelong quest, it is undoubtedly worth the effort. Once identified, living a life aligned with our purpose requires consistent action; our purpose should guide our decisions and behavior. This alignment influences all areas of our growth and development and helps distinguish which opportunities to seize.
Deliberate on critical questions such as, “What is the one thing missing in the world?” This should be considered in tandem with what you perceive as vital at the current moment.
Additionally, reflection on “What change do you wish to see in the world?” should be undertaken, aimed at addressing a significant need within the relevant context of time horizons and your spatial focus.
It is vital to recognize what we value, what is important to us, and what motivates us. Starting the process of identifying and defining our personal purpose might reveal that we are in the wrong place or at the wrong time. Rather than masking our true selves and pretending, we face the choice to evaluate possible solutions like changing the organization or finding a different role to realign with our personal purpose.
Method 1: Seven Levels Deep
To find a purpose that resonates with you personally or within your organization, "Seven Levels Deep" is an introspective exercise aimed at diving into your motivations.
This method helps you analyze changes you want to see and understand why they matter to you. It involves answering the same question seven times to each layer of your desires, helping to uncover underlying motivations.
Execution of the Exercise
1. Initial Step: Write down a desire or goal you are passionate about achieving.
2. Subsequent Steps: Continuously ask yourself “What’s the most important thing that comes from achieving this?” Repeat this cycle seven times to drill down to your core motivation.
Considerations During the Process
Be completely honest with yourself and allow emotions to surface.
Have someone you trust facilitate the questioning to maintain focus on your introspection.
Don’t rush; take your time to explore each layer of your motivation.
The most important factor to consider is finding that gold mine of emotions stored deep within you that only you can find, and no one else.
If answers become repetitive, shift the questions from "what" to "why" or "how".
Recognize and address any emotional blockages or limiting beliefs possibly through coaching, before continuing, as unresolved issues can hinder progress.
Translating your Seventh Level to Personal Purpose
Understanding your deepest motivations provides many answers you can combine to define your “why”, your personal purpose.
Example: Seven Levels Deep Exercise with a Business and Technology Executive
This example illustrates how an executive in the business and technology sector might use the Seven Levels Deep exercise to explore their personal purpose related to advancing humanity's responsible use of food resources.
Initial Step: Desired Goal
The executive is driven to create innovative solutions that optimize food resource management, reduce waste, and ensure sustainable use of food across the globe.
Level One: Sustainable Resource Management
The primary goal of such achievements is to establish a system where food resources are managed responsibly, enabling businesses to reduce their environmental footprint and improve efficiency.
Level Two: Technological Advancements
By advancing food business’ efficiency, the executive hopes to streamline supply chains, improving accessibility to nutrition while minimizing resource expenditure.
Level Three: Global Impact
The executive's broader aim is to leverage these technological solutions to make a meaningful, positive impact on global hunger and resource inequality.
Level Four: Ethical Responsibility
The vision extends to setting an industry standard for ethical responsibility in food production and distribution, demonstrating to other sectors how technology can lead to global socioeconomic benefits.
Level Five: Economic Sustainability
Through ethical responsibility and smart technology use, the executive sees an opportunity for creating a model of economic sustainability that encourages responsible consumer behavior and reduces waste.
Level Six: Long-term Legacy
Ultimately, the executive aspires to leave a legacy where they've contributed significantly to a shift in how the world thinks about, uses, and values food—and by extension, how businesses lead in sustainable practices.
Level Seven: Driving Innovation for Good
At the deepest level, the executive is motivated by the desire to be at the forefront of innovation that enables humanity to thrive, using their skills and resources to solve urgent challenges and better the human condition.
Core Root Motivation
Through this Seven Levels Deep exercise, the executive’s personal purpose could be “business and technology are forces for good”, “food is responsibly used and accessible, prioritizing the well-being of the planet and its inhabitants”, or “innovation enables humanity to thrive”.
Method 2: Uncovering Purpose through Ikigai
Marc Winn's diagram integrates the Japanese concept of Ikigai, which translates to "a reason for being." Ikigai is composed of two Japanese words: 'iki' (daily life) and 'gai' (value or worth), emphasizing the meaning found in everyday living. Winn’s diagram serves to identify personal purpose by merging this philosophy with practical questions focused on self-reflection.
The Four Components of the Diagram
Passion: What do you love?
Mission: What does the world need?
Vocation: What can you be paid for?
Profession: What are you good at?
These components converge at the center of the diagram, where personal purpose lies—representing a combination of our talents, passions, and the contributions we can make to society.
Method 3: Self-Reflection
This approach to finding purpose is more introspective and draws significantly from personal life events. It incorporates the concept of "crucible moments"—pivotal experiences where you were able to overcome obstacles and adversity by using your unique skills, abilities, and values, which then led you towards understanding your purpose and crafting a narrative of your leadership. This narrative should resonate deeply with you and have the potential to become a call to action for everything you do.
Steps to Conduct the Reflection
1. Childhood Reflection: Consider what you enjoyed most as a child, identifying pure interests before societal conditioning on what to like or do.
2. Life Challenges: Reflect on the two most challenging experiences in your life and consider how these situations shaped your character and decision-making.
3. Current Passions: Identify what you are currently passionate about and what provides enjoyment.
4. Servitude as Sufficient Reward: What would I wake up in the morning and do with passion and purpose, regardless of the pay?
After thorough reflection, articulate a personal purpose statement. This should be a clear and concise expression of your core driver. This personal declaration should guide your actions and help strategize your goals.
Your purpose statement is personal and can be expressed in any format that feels right. The key is that it resonates with you and can be communicated to others effectively, providing clarity and inspiration.
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