The PURPOSE Worksheet
The following form can help you determine your purpose in life and what you should be working towards.
“If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.”
– Bishop T.D. Jakes
Overview
One of the first steps to being effective in leadership and life is to know and understand your purpose in life. Once you have a defined purpose, you can set objectives with associated goals to work on daily. If you work your daily goals, you will fulfill your Objectives and, in turn, always exercise your purpose in life while staying on target.
It goes like this:
- Purpose: This is your overall Purpose in Life and is something that helps give structure to everything you do. It is how you communicate and should guide your relationships. Let’s pretend that your Purpose is to “To protect the environment and fight climate change.”
- Objective: An Objective is a longer-term general plan to meet your Purpose. Your daily employment may not seem to have anything to do with your purpose, which is what you are passionate about. Here are three possible Objectives for the above purpose in life.
- At Work – Identify 3 initiatives to support.
- At Home – Determine what can be done to help the environment.
- Work with support groups.
- GOAL: The process is to work on the top three priority goals daily. A goal is a task that you can complete in no more than a day or within one week. Example goals for At Home:
- Determine optimal thermostat settings and use those settings by [specific date].
- Purchase extra trash containers by {specific date] and separate recycling from garbage going forward.
Instructions for the form below
- Fill in your email and first name. The last name is helpful but not required.
- What do you LOVE to do? Think about doing something that you really enjoy. You could do it all day and all night long and never be tired or bored with it. Be specific. Playing computer games or watching sports or TV shows is not specific enough to help. What kind of game? What is it about the game you like?
- What bothers you or tends to irritate you? Be specific. Don’t just say, “People bother me.” What is it about the behavior that is irritating? Is there an opportunity with a social issue that bothers you?
- What would your perfect day consist of? Be specific and list 1, 2, 3, etc. Like this:
- Wake up, exercise – 30 min
- Eat bfast – 30 min
- Read news 1 hr
- Take a walk with dogs 2 hr
- ???
- Agree to privacy policies.
- Click the Submit button.
You can download a complimentary Excel version of The Purpose Form here.