How your purpose serves your mission and your vision…

Your mission is the map, vision is the road, and purpose is the engine in the car.

Purpose gives you energy, drive, and determination to climb every hill and enjoy every turn on the journey. The purpose of our lives is more compelling than personal fulfillment, peace of mind, or happiness. It defines our legacy: the way we shape people’s lives today and the impact we leave behind when we’re gone. It gives clearer, sharper definition to our reason for getting up each morning. Mission and vision let us know our lives matter; our purpose describes specifically how they matter.

A sense of purpose isn’t an aftermarket add-on—it’s essential if we’re to have full and meaningful lives. I have discovered that my life sometimes feels like a ship on stormy waters. Knowing my life’s purpose is the anchor that keeps me from drifting.

We should crave purpose like we crave food. We can’t live without a sense of relevance and significance. The search for purpose is our ultimate pursuit. Whether we realize it or not, this drive motivates us to enter relationships, take risks, and give our lives to a great cause.

Before we discover our purpose, our lives have no meaning, because our purpose is the source of true fulfillment. The search for the purpose of life confuses many people because they start at the wrong point. Many think of personal rewards, comforts, and accolades as their purpose in life; but these ultimately leave us feeling empty and flat.

Our life’s purpose is based on a vision for making a difference…but it goes one step farther. Purpose defines the impact. It asks:

• Who are the people you love, lead, and serve?
• What role do you uniquely play in each of their lives?
• What impact can you have on each of them to make their lives as meaningful as possible?
• What is your specific plan to have this impact?