Every ask yourself this?

“What is my purpose?”

Of course you have.  We all have at some point.  Ever think about what your purpose is built on?

To know your purpose, you need to know the building blocks that support it.

You wouldn’t build a house without doing some homework first.  Before you build the second floor, you’d build the first. And before you’d build the first floor, you’d build the foundation.

The most important foundation you can build in your life is the foundation for your Purpose. 

In this post, we’ll take a look at the definition of purpose, how your Core Values serve your Purpose and explain why your values are so flipping important in this process.

Purpose

pur·pose /ˈpərpəs/noun – the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

Essentially, Purpose is the “why” you were created. It should be easy to know your purpose, but it isn’t.  There should be a manual or something.  But that’s not how it works, is it?

Most of us spend our lives never knowing why we are here.  Not only that, but we also become jusssst fine with resigning to never knowing our purpose.  In fact, many people report hopelessness as the reason for depression.

I believe many people suffering from hopelessness suffer because they don’t know their true purpose

He who has a “why” to live can bear almost any “how”. ~ Friederick Nietzsche

How Your Values Serve Your Purpose

It’s no surprise that our values serve our purpose… so you’d think.  But as a Coach, I find many of my clients are surprised.  Then when we work on their Values to clarify their Purpose things seem to just click.  We do a Values Assessment and find that they have never stopped to look at their Core Values.

Values serve as building blocks for your purpose.  Values are the compass to keep you on course for your purpose.

Building a home on a strong foundation is not only solid advice, but it’s also required by state building codes. Why? Because at some point, someone built a house on the sand and it crumbled! We learn from experience.

In our house analogy, your values are the building blocks on which your purpose is supported. Your purpose is the house (built to keep you dry and safe) and your values are the foundation on which your purpose is built.  Without a strong foundation of Core Values, your Purpose will crumble.

Values are also the compass to find your purpose. When trying to answer “Why am I here?”, Values keep you on course. They also serve as guard rails to know when you’re off course.

Why Values Are Important

Values are our beliefs.  They drive our choices and (if we aren’t careful) they can get us stuck if when they conflict with each other.  Beliefs come from our experiences. We learn Values from our parents, neighbors, and our friends and our Teachers. Culture plays a big part in our beliefs as well.

We all have two things we must do… die and make choices.  Beliefs guide our choices. If someone believes that all work is bad because the had a string of bad bosses, that belief will guide their choice of how much effort they give at the office.

If they choose not to give 100% because the believe no one will notice, that person (even in a great working environment) will show up in a way that gets them negative performance reviews. That actually reinforces their belief that all work is bad. Such a sad cycle.

Our values can also land us in the Wide World of STUCK if our core beliefs are conflicting. This is where most of us spend time. We have no idea why we can’t move forward and it is as simple as conflicting Core Values.

A client of mine was struggling with why they cannot seem to finish what they start (very common btw). She loved starting things and had no worries there, but she didn’t get things done.  That left her feeling un-genuine towards her value of Hard Work.

Once she realized that she had a core value of Adventure and Hard Work pulling at her from different directions, we worked to reign her actions in and honor both. Until then, she was living in the land of STUCK.

Recap

Now you know why your values are important and how your values serve your unique purpose. If you find yourself hanging out in the Land of Stuck, spend some time reviewing your core values and your purpose. Values are built on beliefs and your purpose is built on your values.

Get clear on your values and unlock your true purpose.