Your Purpose – The Reliable Guide of Your Life

Strength Amidst Stillness – 2022

Mt. Moran and The Teton Range

Grand Teton national Park, WY

How Your Clarity and Conviction Sustain Your Purpose

It is common in our culture for individuals to think of and describe themselves by what they do…their title, profession, vocation, etc. You may often witness this in social settings when someone introduces you to another person. Commonly, they may ask you: “What do you do for a living? or what kind of work do you do?” Seldom does someone ask you to tell them about yourself.

Why is that? There are cultural and personal reasons for this. 

As to the cultural, we are taught to identify ourselves with a “What?” This begins early in life as when uncle Joe visits the family at a special occasion and with a kind smile asks Sammy or Susie: “What are you going to be when you grow up?” There are many variations of this that are experienced during formative years…and often beyond that.

However, it readily becomes clear that you are not a What…a “human doing.” Rather, you are a human being with certain principles and values that describe your character. So it is that your character, Who you are, is the source of your purpose in life, your Why. 

It seems that the choice of imprecise words, born of cultural and perhaps personal habits, tend to obscure what could readily be more clear for your benefit.

Clarity of your purpose guides your deliberate decisions as to how you will manifest it. This will occur throughout your lifetime in the various roles or personas that you will have, your What(s). 

Clear Questions, Fuzzy Answers

I have the privilege of working with individuals from different walks of life. They are often highly trained and experienced in their respective fields. They usually believe that they know their character, their internal identity.

Yet, as these topics are discussed more deeply, it becomes evident to them and me that sometimes what seems clear, is really somewhat opaque. 

A major personal impediment to clarity that is critical to developing an understanding of oneself is this:

The common misconception that your internal identity is defined by your job description, degree or title. It overlooks the difference between your internal identity and persona(s).

Why is That?

Many individuals, from all walks of life, adopt their persona(s) as their internal identity. To some degree, it is a good thing This is because confidence in your persona and the skills that you have worked hard to learn and develop, gives you the ability to accomplish great things…and sometimes make it look easy.

But this comes at a price that is not always evident.

One is that to the degree that you may describe yourself by your persona, such as physician, lawyer, counselor, artist, etc., you also inhibit the actualization of your potential throughout your life. Consequently, the beneficial influence or impact that you could have on the world around you is likely to be diminished.

Another relates to your end of career transition. If, for example, during your career your source of identity and relevance is your professional persona, you may find that as your career transition approaches, you may have some concerns about your ongoing sense of identity. This will occur when you recognize that your career is coming to an end. 

It is at this point in time, and hopefully much earlier, that it is very beneficial for you to distinguish among these principles. More specifically, how they apply to you.

Principled Foundations 

The foundation of purpose is your internal identity, your character. Your internal identity and character are firmly entwined and ever-present within you. 

In contrast, your external identity describes how others make sense of Who you are based on your behavior, appearance, etc.

What about the persona? 

The term persona was developed by the psychiatrist Dr. Carl Jung (1875-1961), the founder of analytical psychology. The persona is the true expression of yourself in the role you are in at a point in time. Some examples are your persona as a spouse, professional or volunteer to an organization, etc.

It is notable that Dr. Jung’s interests contributed to the fields of psychiatry, philosophy, archeology, anthropology, religion, literature and art.

He taught that individuals who strongly describe their internal identity as a particular persona will limit their personal development and thus the actualization of their potential.

It is valuable to remember that the actualization of one’s potential is particularly gratifying when it is expressed in the service of others, especially causes greater than oneself.

A Time for Clarity and Liberty

Clarity of purpose empowers and liberates you. It facilitates the understanding that you are not defined by what you do. Your profession or occupation is one of many possible expressions of your purpose that you can choose.

This is especially true as it applies to the different phases of your life. As a child, adult and wiser elder, you will have different ways of expressing your purpose. 

Your personas, the legitimate roles you will live throughout your life, will be the vehicles that provide the means to express your purpose. However, in and of themselves, those roles are not your purpose. Rather, they are an expression of it. 

Your various roles will likely end at some point but your unique purpose endures. This is especially true at the end of your career and beyond.

Focus on Clarity, Create Your Expressions

Crystal clarity of your purpose enhances the quality of your entire life. It liberates and empowers your creativity. It enhances your imagination and ability to create your life experiences at various stages of your life.

One such phase of life is your end of career transition and its aftermath.

Unfortunately for many, the joy of anticipation about their pending “retirement” is short lived. Frequently, the reason is that after a lifetime of identifying themselves by their job description, they now hope to fill the void with hobbies and various pleasures. There is much value in experiencing them. It is important to have fun…well earned, well deserved! Unfortunately, they often fail as a substitute for the fulfillment that you have long experienced in roles that manifested your purpose. 

When you are at the threshold of this major life transition, you can be propelled forward by a foundation of purpose that leads you to find new ways to express it…and balance it by having fun, your way.

You will find that as you plan and execute your transition, that to have lived with clarity of purpose expressed in different ways, will have prepared you well for the next grand phase of your life.

Date Updated: September 22, 2023

PS: Would you like to learn more about how to prepare yourself and your practice for the end of career transition? You may be in solo practice and wish to carry out a succession or outright sale; perhaps you are in group practice or are otherwise employed. I provide consulting/coaching services that are tailored to your specific needs. Click here to request a complimentary introductory conversation.

The Base of Half Dome

Yosemite National Park - 2008