Can you believe Christmas is only 12 days away? The holidays can keep you busy with gift buying, decorating, baking, and traveling (whew, I’m tired already!). They can also be a good time to discover what your purpose is in this current season of your life. Especially if you are contemplating a big change for 2017, including a job or career change or promotion, a start-up business, a retirement, etc. If so, here are some things you can do over the next several days (or any time of the year) to help you clarify, articulate, and present your purpose.
Clarify Your Purpose
Day 1: Spend some time reflecting on what kind of person you want to be and to be known for (think in terms of traits instead of accomplishments). What do you want people to say about you at your funeral? And most importantly, why do you do the things you do? (Recommended reading: Start With Why by Simon Sinek.)
Day 2: Take an inventory of your strengths, limitations, accomplishments, and how your skills benefit others. List the things you’re good at, the things you’re not good at, your biggest failures and the lessons you learned from them, and your reasons for why you like to do the things you do best.
Day 3: Be open to constructive criticism. Ask your friends, family, co-workers, clients, etc. what they perceive to be your strengths and weaknesses. Note the things that show up as patterns and the things that surprise you.
Day 4: Based on your own personal inventory and the feedback from friends, write down what you think makes you unique from other people who do what you do. See if you can think of additional things that make you unique.
Day 5: Determine what makes your audience unique. Who are they (recruiters, potential clients, fans)? What do they care about? What’s their biggest challenge or need? How do your skills meet their need? How can you serve them with your abilities?
Articulate Your Purpose
Day 6: Once you’ve determined why you do what you do (Day 1), write out your “WHY” in the form of a vision statement. A vision statement is your goal of what you want to accomplish with your skills and abilities. For example, the paNASH vision statement is, “I believe everyone should find the courage to discover and pursue their passions despite the obstacles they may face. I want to see people actively pursue their passions with flair (‘paNASH’) and confidence, along with responsibility to their purpose in life.”
Day 7: Write your mission statement. Your mission statement is HOW you plan to carry out your vision/your WHY. For instance, the paNASH mission statement is: “To serve, educate, and encourage others by assisting them with the discovery and pursuit of their passions in a way that honors their purpose and their own vision for success, while amplifying who they are personally and advancing them professionally.”
Day 8: Craft your Unique Selling Point (USP). In 140 characters or less, create a statement that summarizes the unique impact you have on your audience. The paNASH USP is: “Putting your passion into action!”
Package & Present Your Purpose
Day 9: Make sure you’re able to back up your message with a summary of your credentials and accomplishments. This can be in the form of a resume, a LinkedIn profile, client testimonials, reviews, letters of recommendation, etc.
Day 10: Post your message on your social media platforms, your web site, your business card, and other professional collateral.
Day 11: Foster and maintain relationships with strategic partners and your audience. Share your purpose and expertise in a variety of outlets, including blogs (your own and others’ where you can guest blog), article posts on LinkedIn and Medium, media interviews (print, online, radio, and TV), comments on others’ posts, etc.
Day 12: Most of all, learn how to present your message and purpose with confidence and professionalism.
Do you need help with any of these steps? paNASH can help you clarify, articulate, and present your purpose and personal brand with professional etiquette and confidence. Click here for my latest book on personal branding.
