(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...By Kat Byles, founder of The True Business School
In their book Built to Last (1992), Jim Collins and Jerry Porras showed that visionary companies guided by purpose are six times more profitable than purely profit-driven rivals. We are all born with a purpose. As unique as your fingerprint, it is held within your heart, your reason for being, your north star. With your purpose placed at the heart of your business, you benefit from the clarity of focus and direction. On the occasions self-doubt creeps in, purpose empowers you. Decisions become easier as you choose the path aligned with the fulfillment of your purpose.
Your purpose doesn’t arrive one day boom!’ fully formed, expressed, and embodied. There are recognizable stages to the growth and development of your purpose. These stages are not linear. You may experience more than one stage at a time, and some stages last longer than others. And when you become aware of the stage you are at, you have a map and can more easily participate in your purpose being fulfilled, with your business as the vehicle.
Image: Yay Images
Here are the seven stages of purpose. Use these to create a roadmap to help you grow your business by following your purpose not chasing profits. Take a look and decide where you are, and this will help you define the next steps you need to take to drive your business forward in-line with your true purpose and passion.
1. Calling
You sense you have a bigger purpose than what is currently being expressed. There may be a sense of ‘something’ missing, a frustration, a sensation pulling you towards ‘something’ you can’t quite understand, it is led by a desire for more – more meaning, contribution, and impact.
Simon Haas, yoga philosopher and author of The Book of Dharma and Yoga and Dark Night of the Soul shares that your purpose emerges naturally when you live your true nature.
This is echoed by Jill Ellis, former coach of the USA Women’s Soccer Team sharing the experience of opening up to her team that she was married to Betsy Stephenson, a woman. Fully supported, the US women’s team went on to campaign for equal pay for women using the World Cup as their global platform. Jill said, When I became open in who I was, I found my purpose there.
When you experience a calling, practice bringing more of your true nature into your business every day, and as you do, your purpose is revealed to you.
2. Receive
As you follow your true nature, you begin to receive a sense of your purpose, the more you receive the clearer it becomes. At this stage, stay curious. Don’t deny it or push it away. Embrace and begin to own your purpose.
3. Articulate
As you embrace your purpose, articulate it in a few simple words that inspire and resonate with your heart. The simpler the better. For example, The Teen Yoga Foundation has a purpose to empower young people through yoga so that there’s a generation of kids with self-esteem, resilience, and mental wellness. Maddy Cooper, the co-founder of Brilliant Noise, has a purpose of protecting the earth so that families have a bright future, with sustainable marketing for brands that really mean it.
4. Align
Now your purpose is clearly articulated the next step is to align your decisions, actions, behaviors, products, and services with your purpose. Let go of any aspects of your business that are not aligned with your purpose. This can take courage, but it is worth it.
5. Embody
As you make decisions aligned with your purpose, you shift from an intellectual understanding to your purpose becoming a tangible, living expression. The more you can appreciate the deep fulfillment, value, and impact embodying your purpose brings, the more you grow.
6. Lead
As you grow in the embodiment of your true nature and purpose you are now ‘walking your talk’. There is a noticeable dedication, integrity, and congruence and this inspires others. At this stage, as you communicate and share the wisdom of your experience openly and transparently, you become a recognized leader in your field.
7. Evolution
Your purpose, your north star, becomes an evolutionary force, both in your personal and business development taking you into the unknown, towards new frontiers. If you haven’t already, here you are invited to surrender more deeply, to let go of what wants to go and allow what wants to come.
Katharine Woodward Thomas is the best-selling author of Calling in the One: 7 Weeks to Attract the Love of Your Life. A family and marriage counselor, Katherine developed a pioneering metaphysical process to call in your love match. She used this process to call in her life partner at 42 and they had a child together. A leader in her field she served thousands of people to create their love match and trained hundreds of ‘Calling in the One’ coaches, speaking at international symposiums with peers Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, and Neale Donald Walsh.
Then Katherine separated from her husband – Her One! She speaks candidly about the vulnerability of the separation from her husband and also the vulnerability of a business built around Calling in the One.
Led by her purpose, her north star, which she describes as ‘serving the thrust of love into the universe’, she was guided to separate with love and Conscious Uncoupling: 5 Steps to Living Happily Even After became her second book. ‘This wasn’t the book I wanted to write!’ she says. Conscious Uncoupling became a New York Times bestseller, helping thousands of couples to separate with love, made famous by Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin consciously uncoupling. While a traditional business may have folded with this development, Katherine, led by her purpose, her north star, stepped into a significant period of discovery, growth, and evolution.
Which stage do you most resonate with? And which stage do you want to invest your focus, energy and attention in next?
Kat Byles is the Founder of True Business School, for creative leaders, entrepreneurs, teachers, artists, and healers who want to do business differently. She works with people to find and align with their purpose and creativity to build a happy, healthy, wealthy business and world.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog post or content are those of the authors or the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.
Related Posts
By Fiona Hudson-Kelly, author of Grow and Sell your StartupWomen run around 29% of UK small businesses. As with most small businesses, many do not suc...
By Kat Byles, True Business SchoolMaddy Cooper, founder of a sustainability marketing agency, Brilliant Noise was burnt out. Bex Shindler, plant-based...
By Gary Young, EquinoxMany of your staff will relish the opportunity to have more time to enjoy the summer. With the possibility of working more flex...
By Craig Sams and William Fugard, co-founders of Gusto Organic drinksWhen you’re a small food or drinks company, how can your brand compete against bi...