‘Living a great life is doing what you love with the people you love.’ – Jim Collins

The Jim Collins quote above is a deceptively simple statement, but undeniably impactful. In the grand scheme of things, life is short, and no amount of financial gain, acclaim, or material possessions can hold a candle to the impact of love for purpose and people.

When I’m ninety years old, I want to reflect back on my life and think; ‘Yes, I lived a great life with people I love. I wouldn’t change a thing.’

While there is no secret formula for a great life, a journey of self-discovery is always the starting point.

Understand your WHY

Your WHY is your gift. Think deeper than purpose – every one of us is wired to be a genius at something. It might be to find a better way to do things, or to contribute to a greater cause or any one of the 9 WHYs. When we do this, we’re living our gift. It’s like a fast-track to fulfillment.

One of the first things we do with leadership teams is help the team discovery their WHY. It creates a deeper connection and helps the team to focus on right areas.

My WHY is to find a Better Way and teach it. I do this by Making Sense of the Complex and bringing Simplicity.

Discover your Purpose

Your purpose is what you choose to apply your WHY to. It’s the difference you want to make in the Universe, beyond making money.

For me, it’s creating A-ha moments. That moment of learning, where someone’s eyes light up and they get it. Everything I do aligns to creating more A-ha moments, from my coaching practice, to our Learning Community and when I’m teaching meditation.

Determine your Core Values

Your values are the handful of rules, built deep in your DNA that you live by.

This is where “with people you love” comes in. It’s vital that you spend time with people who are values-aligned to you. It creates a deeper connection and builds trust quickly.

I’ve worked with people I wasn’t aligned with many times. There’s always tension/friction in the relationship and I don’t feel like I can be 100% authentic.

Some of my values include:

• Family and Community First – The quality of our relationships are our true wealth.
• Intoku – Do good in secret, without hope for reward
• Progress over Perfection – Take steps forward and course correct when necessary.
• Learn, Grow and Apply – Always be learning and discovering new ways to apply your knowledge to improve your life, work and community.

The instructions are simple but the execution isn’t always easy. Take the time to explore and discover what it is you love to do and who you love to do it with.

Ask yourself: What makes me excited to get out of bed in the morning? Doing what you love is a choice first, and then comes the work to make it happen. Believe me, it’s worth it.