What's Your Purpose?

Three questions you must answer:  What is your purpose? Why did you start your business? What change do you want to create? 

The answer must be something more than to make money. Having a purpose is what makes the difference between successful and struggling entrepreneurs. It is what marks out successful companies, business owners and products. You must discover your purpose. 

You must decide how you want to impact the lives of your customers, clients, employees, community and the world. It is your purpose that ignites your passion and inspires others. It is your purpose that will attract the right customers, clients and employees. 

It is your purpose that shapes your business

Few business owners know their purpose. They struggle to answer the question Why did you choose to do what you are doing? This is a question though that you must answer but for many it is not that straightforward. 

So how do you find your purpose?

Your purpose is connected to your values and your skills. People tend to excel at those things which align with their skills and their values. People are usually happiest when they achieve a goal they consider worthwhile. This could be passing an exam, finding a partner, buying a new home or car, reaching their sales target, making a sizeable donation to charity etc. 

Your happiness will help reveal your purpose You should look back on your life and write down the times when you were happy. This could be when you were happy at work, school or university or when you were working on a pet project or indulging in a hobby.

You want to find numerous times, so keep noting them down. It is worth digging back into your childhood as you will find your purpose expressed there as well. The next steps is to jot down the things you don’t like to do. These give you a steer on what to avoid and through elimination helps gives you an idea of where your purpose lies. People don’t usually like doing things they are not good at. 

People definitely hate doing those things which go against their values. You should now look back through your notes and find the common connection. You should think about what you found the most fulfilling. When did you feel real passion (a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement)? When were you so engrossed that you kept working on it late into the night? 

The next thing is to look at your strengths

What tasks do you do easily that other people find difficult? What activities do other people say you are really good at? Do you prefer to focus on the facts and tasks or relationships and feelings? This is important as your purpose will be connected with your strengths. Between your strengths, your values and your happiness you should have a good idea of your purpose. 

You may have a few ideas. This is very usual. You can filter down your list by asking What would I be willing to give up to achieve my purpose?

Every business owner and entrepreneur must regularly give up things to achieve their goals. This includes giving up some or most of their free time, spending less time with their family, working late into the night or getting up extra early, trading down their car, putting their house on the line, going on holiday less, taking work on holiday etc. You need to be willing to invest in your purpose to the detriment of other things.

This does not mean giving up everything. It simply means cutting back as needed until you have things up and running on a stable basis. If you are not willing to make the needed adjustments, then this is not your purpose. You should now be able to whittle down your ideas to one purpose.

By going through these steps, you will be able to find your purpose. This may seem like hard work but it is very well worthwhile going through this process. Growing your own business is hard work. It takes long hours and dedication and there are few shortcuts.

You need to know your purpose as this will motivate and push you through the difficult times.