What’s my purpose
Here’s something I have been thinking about a lot lately — my purpose in life. This is very different from what it is I do or what I am, but I believe I tend to think about myself in those terms and neglect my true purpose. What I’m talking about is more about WHY we do what we do or our purpose for doing it.
What my brand means to me
Here’s what I mean: when I created my brand, Learn, Create, and Prosper. I decided on that brand name because I wanted the pronoun to be implied, as in You Learn, Create, and Prosper, or I Learn, Create, and Prosper, or We Learn, Create, and Prosper. It was a deliberate choice but I don’t think I contemplated how my purpose was integrated into this brand. I AM a teacher and a creative, but why I teach, and why I create is a very different statement. I haven’t yet defined my purpose for doing either of these things. The prosper piece, well, yes I desire to make money, but that cannot be my why. That’s an outcome, not a purpose. To prosper can mean more than just making money. It’s really about abundance and that can mean lots of things.
Find the diamond in the rough
When I taught high school level art and technology, at the beginning of the school year, I would say (to whoever was listening) that my goal for the year, my primary goal, was to help at least one kid to discover his or her full potential. I taught a lot of truly gifted and talented kids, but every year there would be that one kid, or several kids, who had enormous potential but had yet to realize, or even be aware of, what they were capable of. My job as a teacher was, I felt, to inspire those kids to transform, to break out of the chrysalis, and soar. And so it went year after year. It became my mission and purpose: to find those diamonds in the rough and help them to discover their full potential through their art.
The “why” gets lost in the “what”
When I left the classroom (which is another story), my mission and purpose became confused with other goals — finish graduate school, find a job, start a family, raise said family, find another job, buy a house, get a promotion — until my purpose became so deeply buried in the “what” I was doing that I completely forgot about the “why.”
Why “Learn,” “Create,” and “Prosper”
Subconsciously, when I formed the brand Learn, Create, and Prosper, I believe now that it was my “why” trying to surface, as if to say that “my mission, my purpose in life (should I choose to accept it), is to help others to learn a process, create their why, and prosper from it, to help others to reach their full potential, just as I helped my students so many years ago. My purpose has always been to help others succeed, it just took me two decades to find that out and begin to apply it to my business now. It’s my WHY and what gets me excited, every single day. I figure now that I know my WHY — coaching, teaching, leading, and inspiring my clients to be the most amazing versions of themselves they can be — the HOW will take care of itself.
The “Why” Challenge
So that is my challenge to you, my friends. Discover your why. Discover your purpose. It cannot be about making money, supporting your family, adding another stream of income, or even starting a business. Those are all end results. Dig deep, and discover why you want to do this business or any business. What brings you joy? What is your passion? When you find it, you will know it, because it will bring tears to your eyes. It sure did mine.
To your success,
Kim