Forging Purpose...

Purpose carries many different meanings, but the one that stands out to me the most is the noun definition: A person's sense of resolve of determination.

Determining exactly what that is can be a tricky situation for us. We are constantly trying to find what our path is, or what we can do to find our sense of self.

As the years have passed, I've gone through many different iterations of what my purpose is. I've gone from wanting to be a professional athlete, to a personal trainer, to actor and model, and many more. All leading me to my purpose of being Dapper Dad.

I often recall a conversation I once had with a friend, who built his brand around next level athletic development. As he grew in his fitness journey, he knew it was his purpose to develop the next generation of up athletes.

In the middle of the conversation, I asked, "How did you come up with the name?"

"Begin to think about who you are, and what you bring to the table. Once you understand that, everything else will come. And of course, hard work and dedication equal success", he replied.

He couldn't help but drop that last line in there, as that is his brand motto. Roger Riggle, at www.DefyGenetics.net has stayed true to his purpose and has become the premier athletic trainer in all of VA, and only continues to grow. His clients make their way to premier college athletic programs, the NFL, and other professional sports, by the truckloads.

Why tell you a story that happened nearly 10 years ago? What does Roger have to do with this? I provided the story to give an example of how someone identified their purpose, mentally changed his perception of who he was today, pieced a game plan together, and took action.

Once we have defined our resolve, then making it happen is all about assembling the execution strategy. But how do I achieve that? Where do I even start? The market I'm interested in is already extremely saturated, how would I even begin? All great questions, and fears, to have. My recommendation to you? Just get started!

The road doesn't have to be a tempestuous one, as long as we are brutally honest with ourselves, and follow a solid plan.

Step 1: Embrace the suck!

Say you want to be an artist, and paint amazing tapestries, but can only just barely scribble a stick figure. They understand that the road ahead will be long, but know that it will get better. Be okay with not being Picasso today.

Step 2: Define who you are

Here is an opportunity to create a list of who you are with brutal honesty. Give it some serious thought! My list would look something like Father, Dapper Dad, Vlogger, Partner in Crime, Crossfitter, Investor.

Step 3: Ask yourself, how do you want people to remember you

Here is where we begin to move forward with our thinking. When you depart from this world, how do you want people to remember you? What is that lasting mark that you want to leave? Make a few notes after each outline of who you are.

Step 4: Define the roles further

Now look back over the list you have created. Dig deeper into each role and start to piece the puzzle together a little deeper. Put some definition into what you are looking to get out of each role.

Step 5: Prioritization time

Now that we have defined ourselves within each role. Let's put some numbers next to them based on their priority within us. Be honest here too, think back to how you want to be remembered.

Step 6: Identify your dreams

This is prime time for us to really put ourselves in the shoes of who we want to become. Thinking about who we are and where we want to go, place some dreams based off of that prioritization scale.

Step 7: Create an action plan

It's time to create the action plan to hold yourself accountable. Specificity is certainly key here! We are more likely to let the dreams we outline slide by if we don't really hold ourselves true. Be sure to give these actions dates to have them completed.

Step 8: Revisit often and revise as necessary

This should be a fluid list that is ever changing as we begin to check off the boxes of accomplishments. Always remember to keep evolving the list as we grow.

Achieving our purpose can definitely be daunting. Remember to lasso the moon and then refer back to our post The Proper Way of Setting Goals for a more in-depth look at how to create an effective action plan.

Thanks for tuning in, and that is your Daily Dose of Dapperness!