I was on Facebook the other day and a colleague of mine (whose work I absolutely ADORE) wrote this comment,

Apparently, at the time I saw the post, I was the only person who believed the answer to be False.

Your purpose shouldn’t scare you. Your mission might. But not your purpose.

And here’s why.

Let’s break down these words. (Warning: You are about to discover that I’m a Word Nerd in 3…2…1…)

From Dictionary.com:
Purpose (n.): the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc.

Mission (n.):
1)    any important task or duty that is assigned, allotted, or self-imposed.
2)    an important goal or purpose that is accompanied by strong conviction; a calling or vocation.

From etymology.com
Purpose
1)    from Old French porpos “aim, intention”
2)    from porposer “to put forth,”
3)    from por- “forth” (from Latin pro- ”forth”) + Old French poser “to put, place”  on purpose “by design” is attested from 1580s; earlier usage of purpose (early 15c.)

Mission (n.)
1)    “a sending abroad,” originally of Jesuits
2)    from Latin missionem (nominative missio) “act of sending, a despatching; a release, a setting at liberty; discharge from service, dismissal”
3)    noun of action from past participle stem of mittere “to send,”
4)    oldest form probably *smittere, of unknown origin.

Based on these two definitions, I’ve deduced that your purpose isn’t outside of you for you to “go do” or “go get.” Instead, it’s built in. As a matter of course.

Conflating your purpose with your mission only serves to keep you stuck, not giving your gifts to the world. Separate them, and you will have more freedom to figure out how to live up to your full potential.

I’ve noticed in my conversations with dozens of femme-preneurs this year that when we need our purpose to feel like “oh shit” we just beat ourselves up when we don’t live it. Further, when you feel like your mission is your purpose, you can delay getting started for fear of its absence when it’s done. The void you’d feel then might be worse than the void you feel now. And what if you get bored with your purpose? Then what?

The hero will have many quests. But his purpose will always be to save the day and be the hero, whether he is
ridding Gotham of crime or fixing the paper jam in the printer.

The hero’s mission on the other hand should feel like “Oh Shit. Can I really do this?” This is the thing you’ve chosen to do. And can un-choose to do. (You’d regret that deeply though. I don’t recommend that. Because you care about this particular thing so deeply, un-choosing it might feel like a betrayal to your heart.)
Once you’ve accomplished one mission, you can move onto another one. You can even abort a mission if it doesn’t make you feel alive. But you will always live your purpose. And that will be expressed whether you ever take on a mission or not. It’s more fulfilling when they are aligned. And life unfolds with more ease that way. But they don’t have to.

If you can relate to any of these (fear of getting started, feeling like “oh shit” when you think about it, fear of boredom, etc.) then I want to offer you a different way to think about this. One that’s more flexible. And gives you permission to live your purpose, right now, today, exactly where you are at.

This is what I call the Feminine Approach to Purpose.

Build your personal brand on your purpose and you have a business that will evolve with you. Build your personal brand on your mission, and it dies when your mission is over. If you’ve been stuck in the Old Paradigm for purpose, after reading this I want you to do the following:

1) Take out a sheet of paper and make a list of the ways you’ve been changing people’s lives. If you are stuck, phone a friend.

2) Look for the theme in that list. (I guarantee there is one.) Again, if you are stuck, phone a friend.

3) Take a week and choose a mission that’s in alignment with where you are now and the people whose lives you can change now. Not tomorrow, or if you get XYZ certification, or if you move to Africa.

NOW.

July 2013 Issue