Authentic leadership starts by connecting with the essence of who we are and by answering the question "What am I here for?". Otherwise known as our "purpose", this is our ultimate destination. I personally have found this experience very rewarding and motivating.

Finding your destination or "purpose" is more difficult to discern than picking a vacation spot, and is also infinitely more important. Without a clear overall direction for our lives we might never achieve our full potentional. Without tuning into our unique purpose, our lives will also be less fulfilling.

One of the ways we can discover our purpose is to examine our past experiences. Try the following exercise and see what it reveals to you:

1. List 10-15 examples of times in your life when you knew that you were doing what you were created to do. What experiences in your life come to mind as your most memorable? What experiences give you goosebumps when you talk or think about them?
2. Write briefly about each of these examples. Where where you? What was so satisfying about it to you?
3. Underline key words and phrases from #2.
4. Draft a 2-3 sentence statement using underlined words from #3 describing your purpose. This is your purpose statement.

Once you've completed this exercise, let your purpose statement sit for awhile. Come back for my next post where I'll discuss how you can test it to see how it really fits you!

If you already have a personal purpose or mission statement, how has having it benefited you? Hit the comment link below and share your experiences.