What is your purpose?
Has anyone ever asked you this, and it makes you feel backed in a corner because it is too deep or too big to put into words? You know what you feel like when you have a sense of purpose, but it’s hard to grasp and challenging to nail down.
Purpose is defined in the mainstream culture as an object, intention or end to be attained. This definition often gets translated into the coaching world as “finding your why”, “determining your objective or goal”. Why do you do what you do? What is your goal or purpose? And what do you hope to gain from it?
Understanding your “why” and setting goals is useful, but I think that understanding your purpose is more profound and holistic and actually can’t be nailed down into a statement. I think that purpose is an embodied experience that is connected holistically to our sense of mind, body, and spirit. It is often perceived and communicated on a deeper level than can easily be put into words.
Purpose is that deep, abiding pull on your soul that draws you in the often mysterious direction you know is “right” for you. Purpose can be guided by your beliefs and values, and reason. I believe, however, that at its roots, our search for purpose is more deeply connected to our being than anything else.
Embodied Awareness Of Your Purpose
Purpose lives in our bodies and how we want to show up, be present, and create powerfully.
I think deep purpose originates in our ability to create how we “be” in the world. It shows up in the connection and alignment between our embodied experience of being and doing. It is rooted in our ability to choose to show up as a presence- or compassion, curiosity, peace..etc. How we choose our state of being is connected to what we value, our vision for what we want to create, and the energy we have to create it.
When I’m coaching my clients, I coach them to use their embodied kinesthetic awareness to tune into their state of being and their purpose on a deeper level. I use kinesthetic awareness to hone in on the holistic nature of purpose as a desire that moves us into a state of being our bodies and creates the energy and vision to move us to action.
Embodiment is about tuning into these dynamics. Sensing your body’s movement is about tuning in holistically to what you feel, your state of being, how you are aligned, your intention, and what effect you want to create on your environment. So moving towards an embodied language of purpose can give an approach to perceiving and living our purpose that is less intellectual and more deeply a lived experience.
Discovering Your Purpose
Discovering and evolving one’s purpose is ultimately unique to each individual, but there are some steps you can take to start to explore your purpose in an embodied way:
- Take time in the morning to tune into your body and ask yourself how you are feeling. Start with where you are and an attitude of acceptance.
- Then ask yourself what qualities you want to embody in your state of being today? (think qualities like compassion, peace, energy, creativity)
- Then ask, how does your state of being align with what you deeply value? How does it feed you inspiration to act in ways that support your vision for your life and business?
- Repeat this process throughout the day as a check-in.
Try this for a week and see how it transforms your sense of purpose and gives you an experiential way to embody it on a daily basis!
Dawn Strom
Dawn is a Gyrotonic Master Trainer, Movement Therapist, Coach and Creative Human who loves envisioning unique possibilities and trailblazing new paths. She works with holistic minded, ambitious professionals and entrepreneurs to help them RECLAIM deep meaningful purpose, down time and joy.
Dawn Strom
Dawn is a Gyrotonic Master Trainer, Movement Therapist, Coach and Creative Human who loves envisioning unique possibilities and trailblazing new paths. She works with holistic minded, ambitious professionals and entrepreneurs to help them RECLAIM deep meaningful purpose, down time and joy.
