Illuminating Purpose

In his previous post, Jeff asked the question, “What opens your portal to focus?” And again, the irony sets in. There seems to be a never-ending road of “things to do” that are constantly calling for my attention. About the time I get one thing completed, there are five more to fill the space. While many of these “things” are simply the stuff of life, others are bigger, more impactful, sometimes emergency-level. About the time I’m able to identify what I need to focus on, it changes. Without going into detail, let’s just say my family has demanded a LOT of unplanned attention lately. So finding the focus to write this has been rather difficult to say the least. So I thought it was a good time to take a step back and think.

Something I always look for to inspire what I write is a compelling story. The story may be something I’ve read, from a friend, or most often, involving my family. And while there have been some pretty compelling stories in the recent weeks, the inspiration didn’t come. I considered focusing on several different stories that would certainly be appropriate for leaders and the Work of Trueness, such as when I made my teenage daughter read How Full Is Your Bucket after she said something particularly nasty to her younger sister. (She actually enjoyed the book and sisters are back to loving each other again…most of the time!)

Even as I considered this, I kept getting pulled back to a familiar topic, and one I’ve been exploring a lot lately – Purpose. Then I thought that maybe it was a good time to share some of my story.

Change is something that has almost always been “forced” on me. While I had many choices, the need to make a choice was often out of necessity, not a personal desire. My first major transition was joining the U.S. Navy out of college. Then after 10 ½ years, I left the Navy and found myself working in “corporate America”. In 2013, after nearly 13 years, I was one of many impacted from a “reduction in force” (RIF). I was blessed to find my way to my most recent position where I met some great new friends, built strong network connections, and added value in many ways. Then last Fall I was again one of many impacted by a RIF.

“Only through our Trueness do we find congruency with our purpose and the outcomes of our focus.” ~ Jeff Brunson

Purpose. Focus. Trueness. Three very strong components of my current state eloquently brought together in one sentence. In the recent months, as a result of my current situation, I have taken a deeper, more intentional look at identifying and understanding my purpose. Along the way I was reminded that of the 3 Ps of the Work of Trueness – Passion, Presence, Purpose – the one that resonates with me most is Purpose. Through purpose I find passion and can be present with those I engage. However, without a clearly defined purpose, my focus has been a bit … out of focus.

As Jeff said, “Growth is a journey.” Along that journey we GATHER resources to help us navigate. Occasionally we GIVE these resources to others to help them on their journey. And in the giving we help others, and ourselves, GROW.

The resource I share today is one that was shared by Ric Gonzalez. Imperative is an organization “empowering purpose-oriented workers and the organizations that embrace them.” Being the “assessment junkie” that I am, I jumped right in and discovered that my Purpose Type is The Luminary. I provide the tools and resources that help people thrive with the goal of creating a more humane, just and inclusive society. This purpose is the embodiment of my strenghts. This is my imperative. My imperative IS the Work of Trueness!

So with this in mind, I leave you with this….

As leaders, we may not always know what, or who, is around the next bend along our journey. And we may not know why certain things happen that may rock our boat. But when we know our strengths and get curious about what the Universe is saying, then take the time to truly listen, the answer will be revealed. Like an optical illusion, this is where we encounter creative tension. Sometimes we need to NOT FOCUS in order to SEE the picture.

In the spirit of providing a bit of illumination on our journey, I share this…

• GATHER – Take a few minutes to explore what your purpose type is by taking the Imperative assessment.
• GIVE – Pay it forward. Share with others what you’ve learned and encourage them to do the same.
• GROW – Embrace your purpose – TRUST yourself!

As a good friend recently reminded me, I am where I am right now for a reason. In that I will discover my purpose. It may be that I need to be present right now as both of my daughters are in the midst of significant transition. And in helping them grow, so will I. After all, I am The Luminary.

“My most meaningful moments take place when my in-depth expertise or latest discovery has a direct impact on an individual’s life.”

ESPECIALLY those I care about and love!

Jennifer Rainey
“Strengths Expert”

All that Jennifer does is driven by a commitment to help you look inside and identify your passions and strengths. Jennifer is a practitioner and consultant for organizational effectiveness.

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