Clarity in Purpose:

Let’s begin the self-leadership journey by gaining clarity on your purpose. What does success mean to you, both in your personal life and career? Why do you believe or think these are the definitions of success? Are these definitions truly your own? Or are they the definitions or expectations that have been planted in your head by family, friends, community, society, culture, etc.? Do these definitions effectively represent why you exist in this world? Would they meaningfully define the legacy?

I encourage you to ask yourself these questions:

• For what purpose do you exist? Is it simply to make as much money as possible? Is it to climb to the top of the career ladder? Is it to gain power and influence over people? If none of these represent why you exist, what do you want your life to stand for?

• For whom is your purpose meaningful, relevant, and impactful? Who in your life will be impacted by your purpose? Why would your purpose be meaningful and relevant to them? How would you ensure that your purpose impacts them positively?

• What experiences and reflections can you leverage to ensure that your purpose is truly meaningful and your own? This is imperative for you to build conviction in your purpose, so you do not waver in the face of challenges.

Critically examining the why behind your wants, needs, and fears will empower you with the clarity you need to thrive freely, without the self-imposed limitations, and will unburden yourself from external expectations.

Purpose-Driven Goals:

Set goals that align with your purpose. Instead of chasing external markers of success or expectations of others, focus on goals that are grounded in your personal brand values and contribute to fulfilling your purpose. The same level of critical thinking applies to examining the goals you set for yourself. Are these effectively aligned to living out your purpose? Will they meaningfully impact those who are important in your life?

Once you have identified your goals, prioritize them to gain a deeper understanding of the sequentiality and interdependencies amongst the goals. This will help you break down your goals into manageable steps and take actions with intentionality. What actions can you take today that will bring you closer to living a purpose-driven life?

Leading Yourself:

Self-leadership is the cornerstone of a purposeful life. Grounding your actions, decisions, and reactions in your purpose will ensure that you are leading rather than being led, and you are not overreacting to your circumstances, as Winfred Gallagher stated in her book RAPT:

“If you could just stay focused on the right things, your life would stop feeling like a reaction to stuff that happens to you and become something that you create: not a series of accidents, but a work of art.​”

How can you cultivate a mindset that empowers you to lead yourself effectively? Prioritize and practice self-awareness. Regularly reflect on your beliefs, thinking, decisions, and actions. Then align them to your personal brand values and purpose. Self-auditing your progress to fulfilling your purpose will help you effectively utilize your strengths, while investing in areas for growth. If you reflected on last week or month, how would self-reflection deepen your understanding of your experiences to guide your future decisions and actions?

Aligning Ambition to Authenticity:

Your purpose may present itself in the form of aspirations in a future state, and fulfilling your aspirations may require you to have ambitions. In order to pursue your ambitions authentically, ensure they are authentically grounded in your personal brand values and effectively aligned with your purpose. While setting ambitious goals is commendable, it would be dangerous to allow your misaligned ambitions to take control and derail you from pursuing your purpose. Also, be mindful of the unintended blinders that may come with being ambitious, which may create consequences and liabilities that will hinder you. A tunnel vision type of an ambition often can prevent or dismantle genuine connections with others, resulting in unhealthy isolations and fractured relationships. Regularly check in with yourself. Are your ambitious actions and decisions in alignment with your authentic self, or are you veering off course?

Resilience in the Face of Challenges:

Challenges are inevitable on the journey of self-leadership. Cultivate resilience by reflecting on the challenges you have already overcome in your life. When you were neck deep in your struggles and staring down the dark abyss of uncertainty, the challenges likely seemed insurmountable. However, you have conquered those challenges and persevered through the suffering to be where you are today. The times of pain, scratchiness, and struggles are the opportunities for growth. You have grown through every challenge you have faced. Expect a bumpy road and remain hopeful because you have endured and conquered before. You have earned the right to be hopeful. Develop a support system of trusted individuals who have been through their own struggles and been by your side through your challenges. Surround yourself with family members, mentors, peers, and/or friends who can offer encouragement and friendly reminders of your own resilience during challenging times.

Mindful Decision-Making:

Practice mindful decision-making. The days of simple duality of good or bad decisions are long gone. Now the decisions we are tasked with making in our personal and professional life are anything but simple or easy. Take the time to consider the implications of your choices on your life, career, and well-being. You will not be able to come up with all the possible outcomes and consequences. I do not wish for you to suffer from analysis paralysis. However, if you do take the time to think through your decisions and ensure they are effectively aligned with your purpose and meaningfully grounded in your personal brand values, you will be able to stand by your decisions and manage any unintentional consequences with an authentic sense of integrity.

The decisions you make in your personal and professional life are closely intertwined. Being mindful of the potential impact and consequences of your decisions will likely prevent catastrophic and irreversible outcomes and ensure the important people in your life are properly cared for.

Consider the long-term impact of your consistent and aligned practice of mindful decision-making. How do you think this choice will contribute to fulfilling your purpose in life?

Leading your entire life with clarity and purpose is a dynamic and transformative journey. As a coach and ally, I encourage you to embrace the power of self-leadership. Gain clarity on your purpose. Set purpose-driven goals. Cultivate authenticity and resilience. By practicing mindful decision-making, you can lead your personal and professional life purposefully, with the deepest level of intentionality. Remember, the most powerful leadership begins with the conscious decision to lead yourself towards a life that aligns with your truest aspirations. Here's to your journey of purposeful and empowered self-leadership!