Pt 1: Pivoting Towards Your Purpose

I was recently the keynote speaker at the Crystal Coast Women in Business Conference. My speech, Pivoting Towards your Purpose, focused on finding a fulfilling purpose and carrying it out to success. I have decided to break it down into a series of blog posts so stay tuned for more!

Oftentimes, we find ourselves in careers that are unfulfilling to us. There is a constant search to fill that void of an unfulfilled purpose. We tend to not feel successful, not only in our career but life in general, because our days are not aligned with our purpose and what fills us up. It is key to discover what your purpose is, what you find fulfilling, and what you want your story to be so that you can begin the process of pivoting!

What exactly is purpose? If you look up the definition you will get answers like "the reason for which something is done" or "one's intention or objective." Some may also define it as your passion, the reason you get up in the morning, or the central motivator of your life. Many of us can't nail that one thing down which is why we are lost and on the constant search for our purpose.

First, you have to ask yourself, what are my talents, values, and strengths?

Second, are your daily actions aligned with your talents, values, and strengths?

If your daily actions are not aligned then it will be very difficult to find your purpose because you won't be doing actions that will fulfill you. You have to repeatedly take action that is aligned and you will begin the process of discovering your purpose and what fulfills you. It's like the domino effect, one action leads to more action. Even if the path changes along the way, each action drives you towards more action whether it's on the exact same path or starting down a new one. Each action must be intentional; leading to the discovery of who you are, what your purpose is, and what fills you up.

It's also important to know what purpose is not. First, purpose is not static. It is going to change and evolve with the different seasons of life. That is why you have to continually try new things (i.e. step out of your comfort zone) and find new purpose within yourself so that you grow as a person. We don't want to just be fulfilled but to completely fulfill what our life's purpose(s) may be. Complete satisfaction and contentment! Purpose is not someone else's expectations of you but rather what you want from this life and what internal success looks like to you. If you focus on other's expectations then your actions won't be aligned and you will be on a hamster wheel searching for purpose and fulfillment.

What you focus on grows!! Focus on fulfillment, purpose, and growing into the best you!

Success is defined as "the accomplishment of an aim or purpose." Therefore, true success can only be achieved when we are living our purpose. That is why when you are focused on the expectations of others, you may be successful in their eyes but you aren't fulfilled. You have to define both your purpose and your success from within. We get focused on defining success by what it looks like from the outside and we abandon living our purpose on the inside. Thus, the never ending hamster wheel.

In Part 2 we will look at taking action! Even if you are someone that knows your exact passion, you have to be able to execute it with your actions!