Do you know your purpose?

As the popular 1996 film Jerry Maguire opens, the title character is wrestling with a number of issues that make him question who he has become. These issues offend his set of values.

In the opening scenes, sports agent Maguire goes so far as to say he hates himself – and then corrects himself to say he hates his place in the world.

So, he writes what he calls a mission statement, “a suggestion for the future of our company.” Among the values he talks about in the mission statement are the “simple pleasures,” “protecting clients in health and injury,” “caring,” and being “the me I always wanted to be.”

Above all, the mission statement inspires him to say: “I’d started my life.” As the film progresses, and the mission statement turns out not to be well received by his company, we realize that what Maguire has written is a personal mission statement for himself rather than for his company – a suggestion for the future of his own life.

Jerry Maguire said that people in his business, including himself, had forgotten about what was important. Discovering your purpose or mission offers the opportunity to establish what’s truly important to you and guide you when making personal and professional decisions. 

Yet when I ask most people what they think their mission is (I also use the words purpose or legacy), they often tell me they don’t know.  And many share that they have struggled with how to go about finding out.

Here are a few exercises that I’ve given them that might help you discover your mission.

1)  Imagine your own funeral (a bit morbid, I know!).  Imagine that you had lived to be 100 years old in great health and at your funeral, all your loved ones are there.  (Friends, children, significant other, etc.)  Three people closest to you are going to give your eulogy.  Write what they would say – in detail. 

2)  If you found out that you only had a few months to live, what would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your lifetime?  Write a list.

3)  If you could start fresh, with no past and a totally clean slate and live your life over, this time you would…

There are some pretty significant questions to ask when thinking about your life and what you want it to mean. 

Often times, people start to think in terms of their roles or relationships in determining their purpose.  Being a good parent or spouse will often come to mind. 

Of course those relationships are important to you but can they be your purpose or mission?  They may be a part of it – but it is unlikely they are the whole thing.

How can I know this?  Because as unfortunate as it is; those relationships can and do end.  Your significant other can leave, die or – like some of us – never be found.  😉

Your children will eventually leave (god willing) and if they were your sole purpose – now what?  Many women have struggled to “find themselves” after raising children and then dealing with the empty nest. 

There are some guidelines to discovering your mission.  I’ll share a few with you.

A) Your mission is not your job or business.  Just like your mission is not your role, you mission does not have to do with your occupation.  Can your job or business help fulfill your mission?  Absolutely!  Mine does.  But your mission can be lived, expressed and fulfilled under any circumstances.  Think of Nelson Mandela.  His mission was to end apartheid in South Africa.  For over 20 years in prison, he was steadfast in his commitment to see his mission fulfilled.  And look at all he accomplished from behind bars.

B) If it has no passion, it’s not your mission.  When you discover your mission, it is deeply personal.  It’s exciting and scary all at the same time.  It seems overwhelming at first as our minds race to figure out HOW we will accomplish it.  But it rarely can be denied once we realize it.     

C) Your mission will help heal your wounds.  We all have circumstances in our past that left us with some type of scars whether they emotional, mental, physical or spiritual.  Many people will spend years in therapy trying to get to the root of their anger, guilt, or low self-esteem. There is nothing wrong with trying to understand ourselves.  But I have seen nothing more effective for healing than for someone to discover and embrace their purpose in life.  Why? Because your purpose usually makes sense of the suffering you’ve endured. 

I will share an example from my own life in the next issue of this Ezine along with some other guidelines to help you discover your purpose!