Finding your path to purpose

"Cheshire Puss," asked Alice. "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to go," said the Cat.

"I don't much care where," said Alice.

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.

-- Lewis Carroll, "Through the Looking Glass"

'I was just laid off after 10 years with the same company. I need to look for another job and want to try something new. Can you help?"

"As your job coach, I'll certainly try. What other kinds of work interest you or would you like to do?"

"I don't know."

"Nothing at all comes to mind?"

"Absolutely nothing."

Elaine had "fallen" into her former public relations career right after college, taking what she viewed as a temporary job that ultimately lasted 10 years. Elaine had done her job well and earned good money, yet she always felt like something better was out there for her to do. But until her layoff, she never hit the "life pause button" long enough to evaluate the direction of her professional or personal life and really assess her interests.

Most successful businesses have a mission statement that describes their purpose as well as a business plan that defines what they do. What works well for businesses also works well for individuals, especially if you are in a career transition like Elaine or are simply seeking a new direction for your life. Creating your personal life plan helps you focus on where you are, where you want to be and how you'll get there. It's a bit like having a GPS for the personal and professional direction you'll take.

Stephen Covey, author of "7 Habits of Highly Effective People," has this to say about your life plan: "Writing or reviewing a mission statement changes you because it forces you to think through your priorities deeply, carefully, and to align your behavior with your beliefs."

The process to uncover your life purpose and to map out accompanying goals is simple yet complex (with no meditation involved!). The steps involved are straightforward. The complexity arises from the process of identifying your interests and goals, then letting go of things that are getting in the way and finally finding a complementary career, volunteer work and hobbies, etc., that keep your actions in alignment with your purpose.

Start with defining what you are good at doing, like to do and feel purposeful doing.

Richard Leider, author of "The Power of Purpose" and founder of The Inventure Group, thinks that "the purpose of life is to live a life of purpose."

The next step is to determine what you want to accomplish, both personally and professionally, and to create your personal mission statement. Mission statements provide clarity. Consider Google's mission statement: "To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." A company without a mission statement has little clarity on what it needs to do; the same is true for us individually.

Now that you've decided your direction, you must ascertain changes you need to make: things to start, stop and/or continue doing. This real benefit-producing step of the process requires honest and thorough self-assessment. Rush University Medical Center, a teaching and research hospital in Chicago, released a study on aging and activity in 2009. According to Patricia Boyle, neuropsychologist and assistant professor of behavioral sciences at Rush, "If you find purpose in life, if you find your life is meaningful, and if you have goal-directed behavior, you are likely to live longer."

Goals and action plans come next. It's only when we combine our dreams with action that success results. Thinking, hoping and visualizing are helpful exercises to shape your focus and outcomes but are insufficient on their own to produce results.

Now for the real test -- your long-term commitment to action, learning, failing and trying again. Remember the words of Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better."

Having a life plan creates direction. Direction produces focus. Focus leads to productivity and increased self-confidence -- all win-win outcomes.

Jane Perdue is CEO of The Braithewaite Group.The Job Coaches are experienced volunteers from the Center for Women's Job Counseling Program. Ask them a question by calling 763-7333 or e-mailing info@c4women.org. If you would like further assistance, make an appointment; a donation of $10 is requested for appointments.