How to Own Your Purpose

There's never been a day in my life where I didn't feel the calling to help, support, and serve others. It's just been a part of my fiber that I've never given a second thought about. I've been able to leverage this natural calling in many ways: work, non-profit, personal connections, DJing, and especially public speaking.

I also recognize that this understanding of purpose is rare. According to Lifeway Research, in 2021 nearly 57% of people questioned how they could find more purpose in life with 1 in 5 people wondering about their purpose daily.

So, how do we find this pot of gold at the end of the rainbow called purpose? And, assuming we find it, what happens when it's challenged?

I'm glad you asked.

Search Inside You

You will never find your purpose by listening to the opinions of others and hanging on the approval of the masses. It's when you spend time asking yourself "How can I be happy?" that you will find your purpose in the same answer.

Growth from Limitation

We have up to 60,000 thoughts in any given day, nearly 80% of which are neutral or negative in nature. What if you turned those negative, self-limiting thoughts into empowering ones? When your purpose and talents are being criticized or minimized, turn to positive self-talk.

Putting Purpose in Your Goals

We talk about goals ad nauseam in business and personal growth. What are we going to do? How are we going to get there? What metrics am I measuring? But ask yourself this: How will this help me feel more fulfilled? Between understanding the emotion within a goal and how it feeds to your greater purpose, you'll attack a goal with more resilience and joy.

What's Your Storyline?

Are you reading the script of your life or writing it? Are you letting life happen to you or are you making the decisions? Try sitting down and reviewing what's happened up until this point in your life and identify the strengths that have gotten you through trying times. Combine that with how you've helped, and been helped, and your purpose comes more into focus. From there, turn to what's ahead and decide how you want the rest of your story to read.

Focus, Patience, & Acceptance

I don't know who needs to hear this, but, you will NOT find your purpose scrolling through social media or binging Netflix. By taking quiet, dedicated time to sort through your thoughts and become more aligned with what you want in life and what brings you joy, you become more centered and balanced.

You must also be patient in the process. I know you want your purpose to be delivered like DoorDash, but it will take time, work, and consistency to find and align with your purpose. Give yourself grace and accept that there will be some digging out and cleaning up before true progress is made. No one starts this journey with a clean slate, so don't expect yours to be either.

Protect Your Purpose

Quite possibly AS important as finding your purpose, protecting your purpose is truly critical. It reminds me of the classic 90's movie "The Program" where a running back was charged with holding onto a football at all costs in class, walking around campus, etc. His teammates were constantly trying to knock the ball loose and recover it. There will be people who will try to knock your purpose out of your hands because they are either jealous that they haven't found theirs (but also haven't put in the work) or they don't understand your purpose and don't respect it.

Find it, cover it, and hold on to it with everything you have knowing that there will be those who try to knock it loose.

I've had that happen to me on many an occasion. My desire to help, serve, and support others through the gifts and abilities that I've been given has been criticized, misunderstood, or devalued based on lack of desire to ask questions about it, why it's my purpose, and how it can actually benefit those who tried to deny it.

And even though I never carried the ball in my football playing days, you can bet that even though I've almost dropped it a few times, I plan on carrying it across the goal line with everything that I am.

By investing in the time, soul searching, and personal growth for you to find your purpose, I can promise you that the immense value that comes in your everyday activities is well worth every second you spend.

I look forward to seeing each and every one of you win your own game and I will be cheering you on, loudly.

Rich Bracken is an energetic keynote speaker and marketing executive who blends data and research with emotion and case studies to share insights and strategies on how to implement sustainable positive change. His focus and passion is to help individuals and organizations perform at a higher level both personally and professionally. He has served numerous Fortune 100 clients and global organizations as a keynote speaker and consultant and is a Professor of Leadership and notable media personality appearing in such outlets as ABC, ESPN, Thrive Global, Vice, and Goalcast and this spring he will be presenting on the TEDx stage.

To inquire about Rich's speaking availability for your next event or conference, contact him at rich@richbracken.com.