Purpose, Passion and Potential

Spring 2011

Purpose, Passion and Potential: clarifying your life purpose, springing into action on your most important goals and dreams, to achieve well-being and your most inspired life.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? Who are you? Who do you want to be? How do you want to be remembered? What is your life purpose? Understanding your own passions, motivations, and goals is the first step to living a life of purpose. Defining and pursuing your purpose can be an infinitely rewarding path that can lead you to a fulfilled, successful, inspired life.

Greetings! Welcome to the Spring 2011 issue of the Leap Forward Coaching, LLC Newsletter, which is inspired by clients who have worked with me to achieve greater success and more fulfilling lives. I hope you find at least one suggestion, thought, or idea to inspire and encourage you.

In this edition, our topic is Purpose, Passion and Potential: clarifying your life purpose, springing into action on your most important goals and dreams, to achieve well-being and your most inspired life. Melanie Ott, Leap Forward Coaching, LLC.

Inspirational Quotes

Success demands singleness of purpose. ~ Vince Lombardi

True happiness … is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. ~ Helen Keller

Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction. ~ John F. Kennedy

What Is Your Life Purpose?

What gets you out of bed in the morning? What is your reason for existence? Who are you? Who do you want to be? How do you want to be remembered? What is your life purpose?

Determining your life purpose can be daunting because of the “bigness” of these questions. But, without a defined life purpose, you may feel you’re drifting, unsure of your direction or intention, experiencing ebbs in well-being. Identifying your purpose provides focus and direction in achieving dreams and goals, becoming a guidepost for making choices and taking actions.

Everyone has a life purpose: you know in your heart what matters most to you, and you express it daily in how you live your life. Your purpose is broader than career, relationships, or success; it’s the thing you “can’t not do.” It’s what you’re passionate about, what creates energy and enthusiasm, giving your life meaning.

Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People suggests considering the following questions:

• What do I want to do?
• Who do I want to help?
• What is the result?
• What value will I create?

Ultimately, the keys to setting your life intentions are powerful honesty and self-awareness. Understanding your own passions, motivations, and goals is the first step to living a life of purpose.

Tap Into Your Purpose, Passion and Potential

I recently heard world-renowned executive coach Sir John Whitmore talk about purpose. He views a life that expresses one’s values and passions, where you can apply the skills you are good at and the qualities you admire in others, as a life “on purpose.”

To tap into your purpose, passion, and potential, ask yourself the following questions and reflect on your answers:

• What do you value? Write down 3-5 things that matter most to you, like relationships, health, nature, education, or travel. Look for a common theme among your answers.
• What are you passionate about? Remember times when you experienced a sense of passion and joy. These may involve accomplishments like completing your first marathon or getting recognition at work, or fleeting moments like the stir in your heart when you hear spring birds chirping or watch waves crash on the shore. What was the value of these experiences? What is the common ground between these events?
• What are my skills? Make a list of the things you can say to yourself: “I am good at ____.” It might be cooking, public speaking, meeting new people, certain aspects of your job, sports, or teaching others. For additional perspective, ask your family, friends and co-workers for their thoughts.
• What qualities do I admire in others? List 3 or 4 people, living or deceased, famous or not, who you truly admire. Beside each name, identify the qualities you admire. What do these people have in common? What do they symbolize to you?

Regardless of your sources of reflection, knowing your life purpose stimulates and inspires, helping you focus on what’s most important to achieving your potential. Scientific studies confirm that living a meaningful and fulfilling life can improve physical and mental health and longevity. A smart person once said, “Purpose can add not only years to your life but life to your years.”

Further Reading

• How to Open Yourself to Your Life’s Purpose (Oprah)
• The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and for Life (Laurie Beth Jones)
• Write Powerful Mission & Vision Statements (Life Tools)

Focus on the Future …

What does clarifying life purpose have to do with you? Pinpointing and pursuing your purpose can be a challenging yet infinitely rewarding path that can lead you to a fulfilled, successful, inspired life.

At Leap Forward Coaching, LLC, we have a process to help you gain clarity about your life purpose, empowering you to focus on and live in alignment with your purpose. By guiding you through this process, focusing on a purposeful, intentional life, you will thrive and increase your potential to achieve your dreams and goals.