There is a lot of content out there about how you need to find your purpose in order to live successfully. Simon Sinek made it famous with the brilliant “Start with Why” and every guru out there now trumpets it as a top 3 tip for success.
So now that we’re all aware that loving what you do means you’ll be better at it, I want to give you the fluff-free way to find your purpose and stay on track with it.
Big-thinking billionaire Peter Diamandis explains that the way to find your purpose is by using these two questions:
- What did you really want to be as a kid?
- If someone gave you a billion dollars how would you spend it and what would you do to improve the world?
The day that you accept that you’ve become an adult and you need to get realistic about your future endeavours, dial back your dreams and live the life society has planned for you, is the day you die inside.
A bit dramatic? NO F#&@ING WAY.
You always have a choice. Grasp that childhood dream or whatever is burning you up inside and channel it. This is the fuel that will have you jumping all the hurdles to create the life you want to live.
The real trick is number 2. Pause on it for a second. A billion dollars is more than you can spend on all the things you’ve ever dreamt of. It’s more than you need for the house, jet, yacht, all the travel, cars, never working again. You now have all of this if you want it…
… but popping bottles and dropping thousands on blackjack and strippers will get boring real quick and you will still have many millions in the bank.
When money is no longer an issue, how will you keep yourself interested, motivated, alive?
Please stop here, think about the two questions and formulate your answers…
Next, learn to live your life with an undying focus on this.
Once you find your purpose, my tips for remaining on track with it:
Control Your Social Media Addiction
“Social media is like crack – immediately gratifying and hugely addictive” – Gary Vaynerchuk
Social media has taken a lot of my time. It’s a bit of a catch 22 for me as I need it for business and I enjoy it. I use it to build a community around what we’re doing at Sufficient Funds, elevating our brand, sharing our client’s stories and helping more people.
I also waste a lot of time on it.
These platforms are built to bring you in and keep you there. Understand that when you take your phone to the loo, or just have that quick squiz at Facie to see if you got any more likes on your baby spam (Guilty!), you’re losing more than just that short amount of time.
You lose your train of thought on the important work you were doing and you’re using up the remaining focus you have for the day, making it far more difficult to finish off the big stuff.
Beg for forgiveness, don’t ask for permission
People will try and change your course, slow you down, bring you back to earth. It’s far easier to explain why you did something after you’ve already achieved a few milestones. It is also far more difficult for them to stop you once you have momentum.
Also remember that by letting your big crazy ideas out of the bag too early, most people won’t be on your level. Trying to paint the vision of something that doesn’t exist yet, to the wrong people (who are probably your nearest and dearest), is a fast way to having it shut down before you get started.
Learn to say NO
If you’re like me, you see an opportunity to help, new business ideas or something that seems like a lot of fun, everywhere you look.
I have trained myself to avoid shiny object syndrome by pausing and holding the mirror up to see if it aligns.
You can’t solve everyone’s problems or start 100 businesses all at once.
Remember that when you find your purpose, you’re working towards the most fulfilling life you could possibly live. Anything that draws you away from this needs to be treated with the type of disdain usually reserved for ugly American businessmen turned Presidents of the United States.
Don’t let money get in the way of a good decision
If you’re offered what seems like a good opportunity, be very careful. I’m lucky to have been born with a very reliable gut instinct. My intuition makes a lot of my decisions and it’s usually spot on, but I still have to remember to trust it.
Having a start up business, it’s easy to fall into the trap of dealing with someone who promises to send us lots of clients, or ‘help’ us out in one form or another. Luckily we’ve learnt that if we don’t critically evaluate these opportunities we could be worse off for it.
Equally, if there’s something you really want to achieve, find a way. What can you go without to be able to afford a step towards something that is truly in line with your purpose?
Don’t compare
When you find your purpose, you get to live a life true to that. Nothing in the world is more valuable and fulfilling than this.
I’ve said it before and I’ll keep bashing you with it, don’t look next door to see what your neighbour’s life looks like. They don’t have your skills, your ideals or your purpose. Do yourself a favour and leave them out of it.
Cast back to when you dreamt without restraint and find that thing. Picture life completely free of money constraints, follow the above tips, go off the grid to get clear and then unapologetically chase it.
It’s your life. You choose how to live it.
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