Thursday Thoughts give you ideas you can use to boost your wellbeing. Useful, evidence-based strategies from our collective experience working with clients that are proven to boost your energy and focus, and reduce your stress and workload. Because your Performance equals your Potential minus the Interferences (W. Timothy Gallway).

So far this year we have been invited to share the 8 pillars of wellbeing with teams across Australia, Singapore and the U.K., through our popular wellbeing workshops, coaching sessions with leaders and talks at schools as they seek fresh perspectives to bring into 2021.

There have been some interesting themes emerging: leading through uncertainty, addressing isolation and wellbeing for remote teams and coping with an enormous workload. Reflecting on these conversations with teams and individuals, one overall need has really stuck out: the need for a renewed sense of purpose.

If 2020 was about breaking down old ways of thinking and doing, 2021 is about rebuilding. We’re tapping into our true purpose to find meaning, joy and fulfilment. The Japanese call it ‘Ikigai’, a reason for being. It’s like a north star guiding your speech, actions and decisions.

Click through to our blog to learn more about tapping into your purpose and finding fulfilment. And if you would like some guidance, there’s a free Find Your Purpose workbook below that you can download to guide you through the process.

And lastly, for those of us who may be entering the new year feeling helpless and overwhelmed, remember Captain Sir Tom Moore who passed away last Thursday and how he kept the faith. Captain Tom defied age and infirmity showing dogged determination in setting out to raise 1000 pounds for the NHS charities vowing to walking 100 laps of his patio before his 100th birthday ending up grossing 33 million pounds. and the frontline staff who have had an unfathomably difficult year. He exemplified the goodness that lives within each of us.

How might each and every one of us honour the memory of Tom Moore? What’s a simple daily or weekly practice that we could do to improve the lives of others, and in turn, ourselves?

Purpose – finding your ‘Why’ 

No matter your industry or life stage, every single day poses a new battle for our time and attention. We want ‘the good things in life’, but we also have a lot on our plates. Tapping into your purpose is going to give you the motivation, energy and focus you need to clear the clutter and achieve your goals.

What is ‘purpose’? 

You tend to feel better about the future if you have a set of goals.  When you can say to yourself:
‘I have a sense of purpose in my life which gives me perspective and hope for the future. I know what I value and I seek to align my daily life with my values.  I have a point of view about the future and feel able to seize pportunities that support my expectations to fulfil my purpose. I feel able to choose to live as my ‘best self’, most of the time.’   

How do I tap into my purpose? 

Take some time out either with a thinking partner or on your own and reflect on these questions:

  • What is your definition of success? Visualise what a ‘successful’ outcome looks like to you. Describe what will be different to your current situation.
  • What will it feel like when you have succeeded?
  • What makes this important to you?
  • What are the opportunities?
  • What is the reality?
  • Are there any barriers?
  • What assumptions are you making? Could some of those be re-framed?
  • Walking in another person’s shoes: what would they think, feel or do in response to your actions?
  • Say what you feel out loud . . . if someone else said this, what advice would you give them?
  • What would the person you most admire think of this?
  • If you didn’t care what others thought, what would you do?
  • If you knew you could NOT fail, what would you do?
  • How motivated are you to achieve this goal on a scale of 1-10? What could you do to move it up a notch? What is the impact of doing nothing?

How can I help others to tap into their purpose?

For those in leadership roles, some questions to ask your staff are:

  • What does success look like for this project / opportunity / role?
  • How do we set you up for success? What do you need from me, and what do I expect from you?
  • What’s the context you need to know: the bigger picture, the importance of this project, the stakeholders?
  • What are the benefits? What’s in it for you, me, others and the business?
  • How will we measure success? Check-ins, milestones and KPIs

For more information about finding your purpose, download our free Momentum First Coaching Program PDF – Purpose: Find Your ‘Why’.