How To Find A Purpose Worth Pursuing?
Updated: Aug 12
Showing your authority on a subject is an essential part of building your personal brand. A key part of showcasing authority however is showing your expertise on one topic. But, if you’re like me, there are a ton of things you are good at. How do you decide which one to double down on and become known for?
In this blog post, I’ll go over the “FOCUS” section of the C.A.N framework and show you how I identified a subject/ topic that I could dedicate the rest of my life to.
Expertise is the way
Many people are jacks of all trades, masters of none. However, when people need assistance, they prefer to give their money to those who specialize in a particular area rather than someone who simply dabbles in it as a hobby. This is why specialization is so valuable.
This is why a Cardiologist or Neurosurgeon can charge 150X more than a general physician. Building your brand as an expert will help you stand out in a sea of generalities and ineffectiveness. It will become a beacon to which people will bring valuable opportunities and help you build a lasting personal brand.
The question you have to ask yourself is “Which topic will you choose to be known for?”. This is an important question because becoming the world’s foremost expert on the subject will require you to dedicate a huge part of your life to it. You better choose wisely.
But, if you’re like me, there are a ton of things you are good at. How do you decide which one to double down and become known for?
For example, I love, and I’m good at
Product development
Theology
Comic book art
Corporate strategy
UI/UX Design
Writing and filmmaking
Which one do I make a career out of?
To Find Your Purpose Or To Define It - That Is The Question.
For a long time, I struggled without knowing which direction to take in life. I was afraid to commit to any one path for fear that it would not be my purpose and I’d waste many years pursuing something that I will eventually regret.
Everywhere I searched, gurus kept telling me to "find my purpose", “find my strengths” and “turn your passion into a business”.
But even after searching for this fabled "purpose" for 7-8 years, I couldn't determine mine.
Here's why.
It doesn’t exist.
A "Purpose" is for things, not people.
As humans, we are multi-talented.
This is why I believe that the only purpose you have is the one you define for yourself. I’m serious, your purpose is anything that you want it to be.
This is why I call it “defining your vision”.
Instead of asking "What's my purpose?" Define it for yourself - ask yourself “What’s my vision for my life?”
This understanding set me free. I stopped searching for my purpose and started figuring out what I wanted to do and what I want to be remembered for.
Finding Your Life’s Vision Statement
This is my personal formula to help you identify a sustainable vision for your life.👇🏼 It’s something that I created after years of research and trial.
It states that a “sustainable” vision for ‘your’ life will be found at the intersection of your values, your frustrations, and the frustrations of rich people (those who can pay you). You require all three if you want your vision to be sustainable and profitable.
Let me show you how to discover your vision statement through an exercise. You’ll need a pen and paper. In this exercise, we will make 3 comprehensive lists.
Let’s start with the first list…
Your Values
Early in my search for my vision statement/ purpose/ direction, I realized that a person will be most successful in their career when it is aligned with their values or value system.
Here’s why.
To do your best work, you need to be consistent. 👇🏼
To be consistent, you need to be passionate about the subject. 👇🏼
To be passionate about a subject, it needs to be a part of your core belief systems.
Your core values or value systems are how you perceive the world. It’s what drives you.
Unless what you do is closely aligned with your value systems, you will be unable to do it wholeheartedly and consistently. And unless you can do something wholeheartedly and consistently you will never be the best at it in the world. If it’s part of your value systems, even if you don’t know about the subject fully, you’ll figure it out - because it is important to you.
Remembering your value systems is a shortcut to clearly define a vision statement that’s aligned with your core values.
Here are a few of my core values or beliefs. It will help you remember yours.
I believe that humans are meant to be more entrepreneurial than employed.
I believe corporate structures are created to maximize profits, not human growth - leading to unethical practices, wrong priorities, and income gaps.
I believe that family is more important than work. Your work can replace you, but your family can’t.
I believe that entrepreneurship is harder and more challenging than being an employee.
I believe the current education system is designed to churn out obedient factory workers and doesn't care about the individual’s personal growth, success, or happiness.
ACTION ITEM: What Do You Believe In?
To find out your core beliefs, take a notebook and pen and start writing your beliefs. Start each sentence with “I believe that…” and complete the sentences with what you believe are your universal truths. Make it as comprehensive as it can be. There are no rules except this is an exercise to make sure everything in your brain is now visible on paper. So take your time and write down everything you think is your belief system - whether trivial or not.
You’ll soon discover that what you might prefer to do for the rest of your life is now easier to imagine.
For example: After writing down my values - I realized that I wanted to help educated people to find their talents and live entrepreneurial lives that maximized their creativity, freedom, and impact.
Now all I have to figure out is how I’m going to help them do that.
Things That Frustrate You
The second list that you need to make is a list of things that frustrate you. We are all naturally curious and problem solvers by nature. Listing down things that frustrate you is a great way to understand opportunities that you could best help solve.
When you are frustrated, it is often because you care about something and you want to see it change. Frustrations often arise when we encounter obstacles or witness injustices that go against our values or desires. If you can identify the things that frustrate (not just annoy) you, you can start to think about how you can make a difference.
For example,
Frustration with managerial practices: If you find yourself frustrated with the way your manager handles their team, it could indicate that you have a passion for leadership and improving work environments. This frustration may inspire you to explore avenues where you can utilize your creativity to develop innovative and inclusive management practices. You might consider pursuing roles in human resources, organizational development, or even starting your own consulting business to help companies create healthier and more effective work cultures.
Frustration with software limitations: When you encounter missing features or inefficiencies in the sales software you use, it can be an opportunity to channel your creativity toward improving user experiences and solving problems. This frustration may lead you to explore a career path in user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design, software development, or even entrepreneurship. By leveraging your creativity, you can contribute to developing more intuitive and efficient software solutions that address the frustrations you've encountered.
Frustration with educational limitations: If you observe shortcomings or limitations in the current education system, it may drive you to seek ways to enhance learning experiences for students. This frustration can lead you to explore careers in educational technology, instructional design, or curriculum development, where you can apply your creativity to design innovative and engaging educational materials and platforms.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
What are the things that make me angry?
What are the things that make me feel helpless?
What are the things that I wish I could change?
List them down. Again remember to be thorough. This is an exercise to transfer everything from your mind onto paper.
Things That Frustrate Rich People
Now, on to the third list.
Okay, let’s start with the elephant in the room. Why rich people? Simple, rich people can pay for solutions and don’t make a fuss about it. It also forces you to create high-quality products right of the bat. If you’re going to pursue a long-term vision, it needs to be profitable in order to be sustainable.
This is why this circle exists. To help you choose a vision that actually pays the bills.
Never forget - revenue is oxygen. Without revenue, you won’t be able to pursue your vision.
In 2021, I worked with a first-time entrepreneur who was offering resume editing services for people looking for jobs. Try as he may, he couldn’t seem to improve his revenue numbers by much for a whole year. When we dug through the causes, we realized that most of the people who found him were people who were out of a job and they couldn’t afford his services. His biggest customer segment couldn’t afford his services - oh the irony. And he couldn’t lower his costs because he wouldn’t be able to break even himself.
We eventually pivoted and niched down this service to help only senior executives from a particular domain. This simple change increased his revenue by 150x in just 3 months.
Since then, I have been advising people to make sure the audience they serve - not only has a deep hunger for what you sell but also deep pockets. It’s something that first-time entrepreneurs forget about often. I hope you won't.
In fact, this is a commonly used tactic in the startup and corporate world. For example, Elon Musk wanted to make electric cars affordable for everyone. But he didn't have the money to develop a new electric car from scratch. So, he came up with the idea to sell to the rich first. He would start with a high-end electric car, the Tesla Roadster. The Roadster would be expensive, but it would generate the revenue needed to fund the development of more affordable electric cars. The Tesla Roadster was a success. It was the fastest electric car in the world, and it had a range of over 200 miles. It was also stylish and luxurious. The success of the Tesla Roadster helped to pave the way for the more affordable Tesla Model S and Model X. These cars are now some of the most popular electric cars on the market.
Figuring out what the market needs is probably one of the more difficult tasks in this exercise.
The Intersection
Once you have these three detailed lists, see if there are any similarities between your values, your frustrations, and the frustrations of rich people. The intersecting ideas between these three lists are where you will be most impactful.
Application Of This Model
In the below table, I’ve outlined how these ideas were instrumental in determining the vision statements of some of the most famous entrepreneurs in the world.
Famous Entrepreneurs | Values | Frustrations | Problems Faced by Rich People | Resultant Vision Statement |
Steve Jobs | Innovation, design, user experience | Limited access to intuitive technology, uninspiring products | Lack of user-friendly technology, stagnant industries | "To revolutionize technology and industries through innovative design, exceptional user experience, and groundbreaking products." |
Elon Musk | Sustainable future, innovation, space exploration | Traffic congestion, fossil fuel dependence | Limited access to sustainable transportation, high cost of space exploration | "To create a sustainable future through the advancement of electric vehicles and affordable space travel." |
Sara Blakley | Empowerment, innovation, female entrepreneurship | Lack of body positivity, limited support for female entrepreneurs | Limited access to confidence-building resources, gender bias in entrepreneurship | "To empower women, promote body positivity, and support female entrepreneurship through innovative products, resources, and a community of support." |
Characteristics of a Good Vision
Now after all this, you’ll end up with 3-4 potential candidates. But not all vision statements are made equal. There is one final checklist that I run through to help me decide which ones to choose.
A good vision statement is 4 things.
1. Perpetual
A good vision is something that takes at least 10-15 years or more to achieve. If it can be achieved in lesser than that, you're not thinking big enough! A better vision is if the goal is perpetual.
Nike's vision is a good example of a perpetual vision.
“Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.”
As long as there will be people to play sports, the team at Nike will always have a purpose to help bring innovative solutions to these athletes.
2. Inspiring
A good vision is something that attracts the smartest people in your industry to want to help you achieve your goals.
Tesla's vision is a good example of an inspiring vision. “To accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy.” You would think that Tesla's vision would be to 'create amazing electric cars' or 'create the best solar panels'. While these are inspiring, it's not as grand or inspiring as transitioning the world to sustainable energy.
My motivation for all my companies has been to be involved in something that I thought would have a significant impact on the world. - Elon Musk
3. Specific But Not Constricting
Your vision must be grand but not vague. It must be specific to an audience group but not so specific that it becomes constricting.
Take a look at IKEA's vision statement and tell me if it's specific. “Our vision is to create a better everyday life for many people.”
I feel IKEA's vision statement is vague and can be more specific. What does 'create a better everyday life' even mean? Is IKEA a furniture company or do they sell counseling services?
Here's how I would rephrase IKEA's vision statement.
“Help people create the interiors of their dreams.” or “Be the place where the world shops for interior items.”
Which one do you prefer?
On the contrary, check out Zoom's vision statement.
“Video communications empowering people to accomplish more.”
Zoom's vision is too narrow, restricting itself to just 'video communications'. In a world where VR and AR are increasingly becoming popular, Zoom's restrictive vision doesn't allow it to build on new technologies.
Here's how I would update Zoom's vision statement!
“Making virtual communication easy for everyone!”
This statement is much less restrictive but is still very specific about its industry.
Did you like the rebrand?
4. Not Prescriptive
A good vision paints an inspiring picture of the future but doesn't tell people how to achieve it.
Tesla's vision is a good example of this principle.
“To accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy.”
By creating a higher-purpose vision, Tesla can choose to take multiple paths to achieve its vision. They can create electric cars or venture into solar power.
The vision should not tell us how to achieve it. That is what makes a vision worth pursuing.
And that’s a wrap.
Try this exercise and tell me what you think.
Note From The Author
I used these ideas to help me identify a vision statement for my life.
“To help ambitious folks maximize their creativity, freedom and impact”.
The best way to achieve this is by teaching them entrepreneurship and personal branding.
Interestingly you will notice, it’s not one of the things that I listed as something I love and I’m good at. But it aligns with my value systems and because of that, I will be able to enjoy and sustain this pursuit for a long time.
I say this because there’s a lot of bad advice out there which tells you to pursue your passion or convert your skills into a business. But that's a message for another day. Until then. TC!
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