“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” — Mark Twain
On This Page
Tool #1: A Personal Mission Statement
Tool #2: Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle
Tool #3: Massive Transformational Purpose (MTP)
Deep Purpose is the core essence that fuels our actions, aligns our values, and drives us toward meaningful impact and fulfillment.
Some describe me as “a force of nature.” Deep Purpose is where my “force” comes from.
I believe everybody deserves a chance at a better life.
And I believe that your life is better with purpose.
I’m a big believer that to “change the world”, first start with YOUR world, right in your own backyard. I also believe that the real journey is the inner journey of self-actualization.
Inner journey, outer results.
And I believe all great things start with a creative spark and thrive through energy. I’ll be writing more on energized leadership in the future. We need more people who inspire, create compelling visions, and bring out the best in everyone.
To do great work with sustainable staying power, you need “Deep Purpose”.
Great. But how do you find your Deep Purpose?
I’ll share 3 key tools and then additional resources so you will have incredible clarity of your Deep Purpose.
Tool #1: Your Personal Mission Statement
A personal mission statement is a concise and meaningful declaration that outlines your core values, passions, goals, and the impact you want to make in your life and the world.
It’s a reflection of your purpose, guiding principles, and the overarching direction you intend to follow.
A personal mission statement serves as a guiding light, helping you make choices that are aligned with your true self and long-term vision. It’s a tool that provides clarity, focus, and motivation, enabling you to live a purposeful and intentional life.
Learn Your Org’s Mission AND Your Personal Mission
In my experience, too many people know their organization’s mission, better than their own. This is a failing to move up Maslow’s stack and self-actualize. You need to know your strong foundation, so you can serve better, and align with missions that are congruent with your own.
For example, let’s take Microsoft. At the end of the day, Microsoft is an “empowerment” company. Microsoft’s mission statement is:
“Empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”
My 3 primary values are excellence, empowerment and adventure.
My “Deep Purpose” is:
“Improve the quality of life for as many people as I can, as long as I can.”
When people ask me why I stayed at Microsoft for 25 years, the simple answer is alignment in mission.
Franklin Covey’s Personal Mission Statement Builder
Now for the tool. I think Franklin Covey’s Mission Statement Builder is one of the best:
Mission Statement Builder | Mission Statement Builder (franklincovey.com)
Here is an example of the output of my personal mission statement using the tool:
“I am at my best when I am learning, growing, creating, and sharing. I will try to prevent times when I am stagnating or getting bogged down. I will enjoy my work by finding employment where I can change businesses with technology.
I will find enjoyment in my personal life through helping people realize their potential. I will find opportunities to use my natural talents and gifts such as insight, innovation, and impact. I can do anything I set my mind to.
I will explore the world and share proven practices for living and leading a better life.
My life’s journey is I’m helping people and businesses change with skills that help them know more, do more, and be more. I will be a person who helps everybody become more of what they are capable of.
My most important future contribution to others will be strategies, skills, and stories that change lives.”
Your mission statement is an incredible back bone and part of your firm foundation. I find it helps to turn it into a simple one-liner reminder. For example, I might just say, “empower people” or “advance human potential”.
Tool #2: Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle
This is another powerful tool for Deep Purpose. I was lucky enough to get mentored by Simon Sinek’s early business partner.
She took me through the process of creating my Golden Circle and it was an enlightening experience.
To bottom line it, the Golden Circle is a tool to help you “Think, Act, and Communicate from the Inside Out.”
It’s the HOW behind Simon Sinek’s Start with WHY.
To picture the Golden Circle, imagine a bullseye with 3 rings:
- WHY: This is the center ring. This answers the question: “WHY do you do what you do?”
- HOW: Your HOW is the middle ring. This answers the question: “What’s your personal success process?”
- WHAT: Your WHAT is the outer ring. This answers the question: “What are your channels or arenas for expressing your WHY and HOW?”
I learned my Golden Circle long ago, early in my journey at Microsoft.
How Your Golden Circle Helps
My WHY in simplest form is:
“Advance human potential.”
The more fun ways to put it is “Cracking the nut on human potential”. And in terms of using my Golden Circle, if I want to write my greatest bestselling book, it would be “Exponential Results for the Underdog.”
That’s Deep Purpose in action.
The real beauty and power of the Golden Circle is this: Once you know your Golden Circle, you can take your game wherever you go.
The other key is this: If you don’t know your WHY and, especially if you don’t know your personal HOW, you can break yourself in your job. You will be incongruent, you will feel off, and not even know why. People in jobs that suck their life force out are usually in jobs out of alignment with their WHY or HOW.
If you know what you deeply care about, then you increase your flexibility for achieving it.
Do you want the Ferrari, or do you want the feeling of freedom you expect from it?
Golden Circle Resources
To figure out your Golden Circle, here are a few key resources:
- The Golden Circle Framework – Why Do You Do What You Do? (sourcesofinsight.com)
- Discover Your WHY
- Discover Your HOW to Your WHY
Start with WHY
And, of course, I recommend Simon Sinek’s book, Start with WHY.
Start with Why by Simon Sinek explores the concept of understanding and communicating the fundamental purpose or “why” behind an individual, organization, or movement.
Sinek argues that successful leaders and organizations inspire action by focusing on the underlying motivations and beliefs that drive their actions, rather than simply what they do or how they do it.
Key Takeaways from “Start with Why”:
- The Golden Circle: Sinek introduces the concept of the Golden Circle, consisting of three layers: “Why” (core purpose), “How” (unique approach), and “What” (specific products or services). He emphasizes that most organizations start from the outside (What) and work inwards, but truly influential leaders and organizations start from the inside (Why) and work outwards.
- The Power of Purpose: Sinek highlights that people are drawn to organizations and movements that share their values and beliefs. Communicating a clear sense of purpose or “why” helps create a sense of belonging and loyalty among customers, employees, and followers.
- Inspiring Action: Sinek argues that people don’t just buy products or services; they buy into the “why” behind them. Effective leaders inspire action by connecting with emotions and beliefs, rather than relying solely on rational arguments or features.
- Law of Diffusion of Innovation: Sinek introduces this principle, which states that successful ideas or products are embraced by people who believe in the “why” and are early adopters. These early adopters help influence the mainstream audience to join in.
- Examples of Successful Leaders: Sinek presents numerous examples of leaders and organizations that have effectively communicated their “why,” such as Apple, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Wright Brothers. These examples illustrate how a clear sense of purpose can drive innovation, loyalty, and success.
- Consistency and Authenticity: Sinek emphasizes the importance of maintaining consistency between the “why,” “how,” and “what” aspects of an organization. Authenticity in aligning actions with beliefs builds trust and credibility.
- Continuous Renewal: Sinek suggests that successful organizations continually reevaluate and rearticulate their “why” to stay relevant and maintain their sense of purpose over time.
Start with Why encourages individuals and organizations to look beyond the surface-level aspects of their work and discover the deeper purpose that drives their actions.
By communicating your “why,” you can inspire and connect with others on a meaningful level, fostering loyalty and lasting impact.
Tool #3: Massive Transformational Purpose (MTP)
These are no ordinary goals. This is Deep Purpose at scale.
The Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP) is a concept introduced by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler in their book Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth, and Impact the World.
This is one of the most profound ideas because it inspires people to rally around something bigger than you or your services.
Think of Nike’s “Just do it”.
Massive Transformational Purpose refers to a powerful and inspiring mission that goes beyond traditional goals, focusing on making a significant positive impact on a large scale.
The Power of a Massive Transformational Purpose
The Massive Transformational Purpose is not just about achieving incremental success; it’s about aiming for a transformational change that affects industries, communities, or even the world.
It’s a purpose that motivates individuals and organizations to think big, take risks, and pursue innovative solutions to challenges.
The big deal about the Massive Transformational Purpose lies in its ability to galvanize people and resources toward a shared vision that transcends ordinary goals. It’s about pursuing moonshot-level ambitions that can lead to breakthroughs and advancements that wouldn’t have been possible with a smaller-scale mission.
The Massive Transformational Purpose provides a guiding star that aligns actions, decisions, and strategies toward a singular purpose. It helps create a sense of unity and commitment among stakeholders, from employees to customers, investors, and partners.
The concept of the Massive Transformational Purpose challenges conventional thinking and encourages a mindset of audacity, exploration, and exponential growth.
Ultimately, the Massive Transformative Purpose represents a call to action for ambitious endeavors that have the potential to reshape industries, solve grand challenges, and leave a lasting legacy.
Build Your Massive Transformational Purpose
Crafting your Massive Transformative Purpose is more than a mission; it’s an unwavering compass guiding your every action, infusing every day with purpose and passion.
The outcome is a purpose statement for yourself and the world.
You can build your Massive Transformational Purpose with a free, 10-day exercise:
Build A Massive Transformative Purpose (diamandis.com)
It’s a 10-day exercise for people who want to do something big, bold, and meaningful.
And, of course, you can get the book that the exercise is based on:
Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth, and Impact the World by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler
Embrace your Massive Transformative Purpose and witness a profound shift as your life gains a new dimension – one fueled by audacious dreams, boundless determination, and a legacy that transcends the ordinary.
Discovering and nurturing your Massive Transformative Purpose is the catalyst that propels you beyond limits, transforms challenges into steppingstones, and shapes your life into a remarkable journey of purpose-driven impact.
The Power of Profound Purpose
Within the depths of profound purpose lies the boundless power to shape not just our own destinies, but the very fabric of the world we touch.
Deep Purpose is a transformational force that shapes lives, organizations, and societies. It’s the North Star that guides decisions, fuels passions, and ignites actions with unwavering conviction.
Rooted in authenticity, your Deep Purpose connects values to actions, creating a tapestry of meaning that resonates across time.
At its core, Deep Purpose is about finding the “why” that drives you beyond success toward significance.
It empowers us to navigate the complex seas of life with a clear sense of direction, transcending challenges, and transforming setbacks into steppingstones.
This profound purpose isn’t a luxury but a necessity, a driving force that fuels innovation, resilience, and collaboration.
It unites individuals under a common banner, inspiring them to collectively chase audacious goals that reshape industries and leave lasting legacies.
Deep Purpose isn’t a solitary endeavor; it’s a shared journey of impact.
It’s a call to shape our world, one decision, one action at a time.
By anchoring ourselves in profound purpose, we don’t just find fulfillment; we become beacons of inspiration, lighting paths for others to follow. It’s a reminder that life’s greatest moments lie not in what we gain, but in what we give, in embracing our role as architects of change.
In embracing the Power of Profound Purpose, we embark on a lifelong quest of self-discovery, exploration, and growth. We find meaning in the mundane, strength in the struggle, and significance in every step.
It’s a journey that transcends success, ushering us into a realm of enduring impact, where our lives ripple far beyond our grasp, touching hearts and shaping destinies.
Let me leave you with inspiring words from Pablo Picasso:
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” — Pablo Picasso
May your force be with you!
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