Discovering Your Purpose
So we're talking about prioritizing your life. Aren't you beginning to gain the excitement of what it's like to put your life in order? If you'll turn to the next page of the Daily Planner, you'll find the page that says Discovering Your Purpose. The first thing we have to do is define purpose. Purpose isn't about us. Purpose is how we serve others. Purpose is how we use our gifts and talents to change the world.
And the first thing I want people to understand is Love is the foundation of purpose. In my own life, I was 43 years old before I even took a few minutes to write on a piece of paper, a simple piece of paper what my purpose in life was. What if you would take not just 7 minutes but an afternoon or a Saturday to discover your purpose. This is how it happened for me. I was on a team building exercise with my team and they had asked us to take 15 minutes in a yellow legal pad and to answer one simple question: My purpose in life is ______. Wow, what would happen if you'd try to discover what your purpose in life was? Well, we had a kitchen timer with 15 minutes and the clock was ticking back and as the clock ticked back, all I could think about was the groceries that I needed to buy and the laundry that I needed to do. But at 7 minutes, I began to write. And if I can have your permission, out of my book The 7 Minute Difference, this is what I wrote and how I answered the statement My purpose in life is... My purpose in life is about growing. In life, I want to grow and change. I want to be different tomorrow than I am today. I want to grow as a wife. To be more in love with my husband, to hold hands more often. To enjoy long talks late into the night and to share our hopes and dreams. I want to grow as a mother. To watch my children mature into their own destinies. I want to grow as a person of faith. To become kinder, wiser, more hopeful and more understanding. And I want to help others bring about meaningful changes in their lives by sharing my discoveries and ideas. My purpose in life is fulfilled by growing and through helping other people's growth. 43 years before I figured out what my purpose in life was.
In The 7 Minute Life, we're gonna encourage you to take your time, 7 minutes maybe but possibly longer to write down what your purpose in life is. There are three steps. On the right side of the paper, you'll write down what you love in life. What are the things that already make your heart pound and your palm sweat? Is it coaching little league baseball? Is it cooking, is it gardening? What is it that you love about life? From there, you'll write down your purpose. And at the end of writing down your purpose, you'll answer the statement: At the age of 85, I will know I have fulfilled my purpose when ______. What will you feel like as you hold this piece of paper in your life? I've seen grown men cry and grown women, for the first time reignite the truth that they've been placed in this Earth to make a difference in the world. You can be different tomorrow than you are today.