For those of you in search of purpose, look no further than within yourselves. Here are 8 questions (that only you can answer) which can help you create a purpose statement for your life. Your purpose is not a destination; it is more of a guiding compass that helps you make decisions. Our ultimate destination will be determined by the small decisions we make every day, therefore, it is important to make sure that our choices are in line with where we want to go. Take a moment to answer these questions for yourself and see what you come up with.

Part 1: Where am I?
1. Principles: What do I value? What beliefs govern my life?
2. Passions: What do I love doing and why?
3. Problems & Pain: What social, scientific, technical, and/or personal question or pain do I want to solve?
4. People & Place: Who do I want to serve and where?

Part 2: Where am I going?
5. Picture: What's my vision for myself and the world?
6. Pioneers: Who are my models? Mentors? Guides?
7. Positioning & Potential: What do I want to master? What do I want to be #1 in the world at? And why do I believe that I can do it? Why am I the one?
8. Possibility: How will people experience life differently because of me?

You can read other people's responses below and/or
submit your responses here & scroll down

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

PurposeFinder #7

  1. 1. Person: What do I value? Who do I want to be?

I value truth, love, life and peace. I want to live a life of service that shifts the trajectory of human culture from collapse to regeneration.


2. Passions: What do I love doing and why?

I love relationship; growing knowledge of self, making friends and working with teams to transform the inner and outer world. I love doing this because I believe that's what humans are supposed to do – our ecological function is to love.


3. Problems: What social, science, technical, and/or personal question do I want to answer?

How do we live in right relationship to ourselves, to our communities and to Mother Earth? How do we transform the vision and values of both individuals and institutions in order change the human trajectory from collapse to regeneration in every sector of human endeavor? How can we slow down in order to think in long, generational terms?


4. People: Who do I want to serve?

I want to serve the "T"ruth although I now I can never fully come to know the "T"ruth, only near and triangulate it through actively growing and challenging my truth. I want to love ALL.


5. Place: Where do I want to impact?

The inner and outer. Gaia. The education sector first. LA and the greater Golden State second. The good 'ol US of A third.


6. Pain: What am I trying to heal or positively impact?

The historically imbedded trauma and presently recycled suffering all people on Earth are feeling as I write this. The false belief in having separate identities and interests that causes to commit violence against ourselves, each "other", to our fellow species who are experiencing a mass extinction because of human belief and action, and to Mother Earth… we're even weaponizing Space now… sorry, Space.


7. Power: What motivates/inspires me?

The fact that I am related to everyone and everything on Earth and in the Universe. The fact that we're all family. The fact that we have the power to transform the inner and outer world.


8. Picture: What's my vision?

Me, chillin' at like 98 years old on my porch, doing one-arm pushups with my great granddaughter on my back.


9. Pioneers: Who are my models? Mentors? Guides?

Nature. The people who quietly do good work every day. The people who loudly do good work every day.


10. Path: What are the steps? What are my short and long term goals?

Steps:

Give thanks.

Love.

Eat well.

Sleep.

Exercise.

Make friends.

Dream big.

Plan, plan, plan.

Execute.

Invite feedback every step of the way.

Short-term:

Secure the Transform America Fellowship by October 1

Secure the necessary IT capacity and financing to bring Mylinia to market by December 31

Establish the CSSC HQ at Newsom Springs Ranch by December 31

Organize a Cali coalition of student and citizen organizations to achieve energy security – get political in '08

Raise at least $250,000 for the CSSC Year-1 Budget

Raise at least $100,000 to launch E3 Clothes

Long-term:

Bring Mylinia to market and grow it into a cultural force.

Bring E3 Clothes to market and make sustainable sexy

Pass legislation to finance the shift to energy security in the Golden State

Collaborate to transform the California education sector into a force for cultural and ecological regeneration

Create a Empowerment Center to heal, train, network and resource young leaders.


11. Pressures: What internal and external life forces are affecting me right now?

Internal:
Remembering to give thanks with every breath and drink of water

Discipline

Staying centered while I'm on the move

External:

An insane culture killing everything

Lack of access to healthy, real food


12. Positioning: What do I want to master? What do I want to be #1 in the world at?

I want to be #1 at weaving together the emerging generation of leaders and big, hairy, audacious goals that exist within them into a force powerful enough to heal.


13. Potential: Why do I believe that I can do it? Why am I the one?

I have to. We have to. We are the one's we've been waiting for.

PurposeFinder #6

1. Person: What do I value? Who do I want to be?

I value family most, both those I know and those to come (e.g., my children). I want to be the liberator of my family. I want my wife, my children, my parents, and all of those close to me to be free. I want them to be able to live the lives they want without being financial constrained. Ultimately, I want myself to be free but I put my family before me. I also want to be a man of God and help other people find themselves and live their lives through Jesus Christ.

2. Passions: What do I love doing and why?

I love marketing. I love advertising. I love communicating with future customers and helping them understand why the relationship should be mutually beneficial.

I love consumer insights. I love being able to take insights and turn them into strategies that create value for your customers whether that value is in the message, the product, the strategy, etc.

I love growing a business. I like taking something and making it larger than it was before.

I love interacting with people (when I’m in control).

I love all of it because it is fun, challenging, personally rewarding, and makes me feel like I am doing big things.

3. Problems: What social, science, technical, and/or personal question do I want to answer?

How do you help the black community improve who they are and how they are perceived?

4. People: Who do I want to serve?

My family.

My spiritual community.

Underprivileged minorities, specifically blacks.

5. Place: Where do I want to impact?

Same as above.

6. Pain: What am I trying to heal or positively impact?

Same as above.

7. Power: What motivates/inspires me?

My family.

Impacting my community.

8. Picture: What's my vision?

My vision is similar to number one. I see a world where my family is following their dreams, has all of their needs supplied, and has no financial concerns impacting their lives or their decisions.

9. Pioneers: Who are my models? Mentors? Guides?

My role models can be broken down into three stages and are interestingly enough there is no one individual.

My desire to impact family: My mom. She made so many sacrifices for family that I desire to do the same thing. Every millionaire I have met. They have set the stage to let me know that it is possible to provide for your family in the way I desire.

My spirituality: My mother. She has taught me what having a relationship with God is like.

My community: There is no one model, just a lot of people who are impacting the world around them.

10. Path: What are the steps? What are my short and long term goals?

My short term goals…

Family: Invest in a career that is exciting, challenging, rewarding, and lucrative. The knowledge and skills I learn in this career should set me up to be a successful entrepreneur in the future.

Spirituality: Invest in my spiritual growth. Pray daily, go to church weekly, and find spiritual mentors.

My community: Give back to my community. Serve as a mentor, and impact lives however possible.

My long term goals…

Family: Make at least $15MM through a successful startup (or series of startups) enabling my family and myself to do what we truly want to do and enabling me to be the father I want (go to my children’s games without having to ask for permission, take my family to visit the world, etc).

Spirituality: Serve in my church and my community as a spiritual mentor and spiritual role model. Live a Godly life that is true to how Jesus has called me to live.

My community: Start organizations that will impact underprivileged minority communities in a way like never before.

11. Pressures: What internal and external life forces are affecting me right now?

I am in transition. I am changing jobs, functions, industries, cities, states, cultures, environments, careers, everything. I don’t believe any force can hold me back, but that is what I am dealing with TODAY.

12. Positioning: What do I want to master? What do I want to be #1 in the world at?

I want to master being able to talk to my customers, identify their needs, and grow successful organizations/businesses. I want everything I touch to be gold; I want to be able to start an organization/business and it “pop!”

13. Potential: Why do I believe that I can do it? Why am I the one?

Because I believe God watches over me and gives me favor as long as I follow his will and his way. I try my hardest to do that and have so far been very successful.

PurposeFinder #5

1. Person: Who do I want to be?
I value the dreams that we all have within and the voice that give
life to these dreams. I believe that the social, political, and
academic do not provider structured and strategic ways of amplifying
and strengthening this spirit within each other...therefore it becomes
necessary to create a mechanism for my life that is relative to others
to bring rigor to this valuable process.

I want to be part of a team that facilatates the issuing of the
challenge to live a purposefilled life to my family, friends and
others lost and stmbling ob the path of life. Next I want to dwliver a
process that make figuring this out .oee scientfic.

2. Passions: What do I love doing and why?
I love challenging my self and working with people to challenge
themselves...I love hearing raising supressed dreams to
consciousness...I love seeing the light of life reignited with in
dormant people. I love thos because awakening people is the fastest
wayof changong the world.

3. Problems: What social, science, technical, and/or personal question do I
want to answer?

How can sound wave frequencies be used to cool things?

4. People: Who do I want to serve?
humanity
5. Place: Where do I want to impact?
The world
6. Pain: What am I trying to heal or positively impact?

Lack of community, brokenheartness,

7. Power: What motivates/inspires me?
Prayer, nature, tavio, dre, jullien, mike, lil blakw boys that can't
eat, cats in jail, global economy

8. Picture: What's my vision?
I see life as a cosmiic struggle between to things...the person who u
are and thw person one wants to be...the journey is a process of
learning and continuous iomprovement and impact and more dolks gather
and confront this challenge collectively the more we advance to the
golden shore of love.

9. Pioneers: Who are my models? Mentors? Guides?

My role model are dead, but alive....richard wright, x, king, bob
dylan, garth brooks, greg(my homie that was shot this month, paulo
coelho for truth telling and hold a lattern on the dark path to self,
sonia sanchez for opening the well of sisterly, motherly quest to
teach histoical ancestrial spiritual truth. Death..knowing I am going
to meet you one day makes me want to live and reach the potential
within my winged dreams
10. Path: What are the steps? What are my short and long term goals?
In the short term I fight and claw and train each day contradicting
the devils last win against hope...new orleans...I systematically
fight agist the psychological doubt prwsent in the minds surrounding
me and agaist the ingfrastuctural and techical chalenges with love.

11. Pressures: What internal and external life forces are affecting me right
now?
The people that I want to help are exponentially neg and pos...

12. Positioning: What do I want to master? What do I want to be #1 in the
world at?

Bringing ideas from idea to execution

13. Potential: Why do I believe that I can do it? Why am I the one?

Because I believe God watches over me and gives me favor as long as I follow
his will and his way. I try my hardest to do that and have so far been very
successful.

Monday, September 24, 2007

PurposeFinder #4

1. Person: What do I value? Who do I want to be?
I want to make the most relatable, uplifting, and moving movies ever.

2. Passions: What do I love doing and why?
Getting into writing, storyboarding stories that I create, speaking correct Japanese, reading/watching well written stories

3. Problems: What social, science, technical, and/or personal problems do I want to solve?
I'd like to get over my own problems by immersing myself into someone’s story, one that I create. In the process I hope others will be able to relate and feel themselves in the situations I create.

4. People: Who do I want to serve?
Any one, any age, that is going through unbearable pain.

5. Place: Where do I want to impact?
Everywhere people have a chance to see my films.

6. Pain: What am I trying to heal or positively impact?
Broken self-esteem, those that feel off track, the underdog.

7. Power: What motivates/inspires me?
Films/TV shows that drive me to tears.
Films that break old barriers to film storytelling (The Matrix, 3-Iron(all silent drama))
Chilling but moving stories

8. Picture: What's my vision?
I want my films to be rich enough such that people don’t just watch once, but watch multiple times the way they play a good song over and over.

9. Pioneers: Who are my models? Mentors? Guides?
Yoko Kamio, the writer of Hana Yori Dango (a Japanese TV drama)
Steve Conrad (Weather Man and Pursuit of Happyness writer)
Ki-duk Kim (3-Iron director)

10. Path: What are the steps? What are my short and long term goals?
Make a love story short film this year.
Win at the Student Academy Awards.
Write a screenplay about a Ghanaian father living in Tokyo.
Work as a writer or director’s assistant in Tokyo.
Direct my first feature film in 5 years.
Win an Oscar or Academy Award in 7 years.

11. Pressures: What internal and external life forces are affecting me right now?
Self-doubt due to lack of skill recognition (i.e. from people that are not friends or family)
No close, true friends
Japanese not as good as it should be
Will I make enough money to survive in the future?
Search for a potential wife

12. Positioning: What do I want to master? What do I want to be #1 in the world at?
I want to be #1 director of uplifting and realistic dramas.

13. Potential: Why do I believe that I can do it? Why am I the one?
I was able to become a much better storyboard artist over the past 3 months so I believe in a few years I can become the best at creating the most visually riveting films.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

PurposeFinder #3

1.Person: What do I value? Who do I want to be?

2. Passions: What do I love doing and why?

I like thinking, coming up with ideas.

It’s a safe/uncontested/unconfrontational space/allows me to be creative.

3. Problems: What social, science, technical, and/or personal problems do I want to solve?

Problem of empowering women and getting people to think about the ways in which ideas about gender impact and limit the possibilities for creating social change.

4. People: Who do I want to serve?

Women and young people/students 15-25.

5. Place: Where do I want to impact?

Specifically in Africa and in the Caribbean.

6. Pain: What am I trying to heal or positively impact?

Silences around gender/racial oppression.

7. Power: What motivates/inspires me?

Learning, writing/poetry, art, music, honesty, nurturing, kindness, simplicity

8. Picture: What's my vision?

9. Pioneers: Who are my models? Mentors? Guides?

Amina Mama, Judith Byfield, Robin Kelley, Audrey Brown, Gail Smith, Audre Lourde, Alexis Gumbs, Climbing Poetry,

10. Path: What are the steps? What are my short and long term goals?

11. Pressures: What internal and external life forces are affecting me right now?

Right now, there are many external life forces that are affecting me. First, a big challenge has been this really stupid decision I made to help a friend, whom I was also dating, by marrying him to help him get “papers.” The result has been very many financial problems and has left

12. Positioning: What do I want to master? What do I want to be #1 in the world at?

13. Potential: Why do I believe that I can do it? Why am I the one?

Why do I believe I can do it- ? Right now, I don’t believe I can. I don’t feel as though I am in a space to motivate/nurture myself, and I am certainly not in a space where I can receive such nurturance in the first place.

PurposeFinder #2

  1. I value equal opportunity, I am most comfortable in instances where people have equal access to the tools necessary to succeed. I value fairness and decency. I want to be someone who impacts peoples lives. I want to be someone who is known for helping others and helping myself. I want to be someone who is successful by many of societies standards (wealth, beauty, lifestyle) and my own (fun, impact, legacy).
  1. I enjoy speaking with people. I am fascinated by new ideas and peoples personal perspectives on (X). In many cases I like to analyze there thoughts to check for soundness in there thinking. If I find a fault, I do not seek to crush them, but instead I prefer to bring it to there attention so that they can continue down there road to success. I enjoy anticipating how someone is going to react to something. Empathy come naturally for me in many instances and I like to check to see how I am doing with empathizing.
  1. The social problems that I am most interested in is giving black males in particular a fair shot at the “big leagues” I have seen first hand how a lack of exposure, limits you potential and your scope. If this in combination with equal access to the success toolbox is offered to black males, I believe that a sizable number of them will rise to the challenge.
  1. I want to make impact for the black males that I mentioned above. I want to make impact in my world as well. I want to be able to create a legacy that is arouses admiration and awe.
  1. I want to impact those in the inner cities, because it is they who have the most to gain from more exposure. The need it the most.
  1. I am motivated by personal experience. I know what it is like to not offered opportunities even thought you have all the right assets. With this knowledge in mind I can just imagine what it is like to not have those assets, not have the proper presentation and presence. You are well on your way to failing. I am inspired by those who make a goal and pursue it with everything that they have. Whether the fail or succeed, being a beast and chasing your dreams are the total inspiration.
  1. I envision an environment that equips all with equal access to the tools they need, and watch them go at it. May the best win.
  1. My models are the people who have been successful by societal norms as well as by their own terms. “I can’t help the poor if I am one of them, so I got rich and gave back now that is the win win.”
  1. I would like to positively impact those that need it the most, without having to sacrifice myself. I do not believe that I have to live the life of a sufferer in order to accomplish my goals.
  1. Short term goal is to make myself more marketable, through extra curricular activities (school, orgs etc.). Figure out what and who I am designed to be professionally. My long term goal is to be an expert. I am not sure in what or in what capacity, but I would like the opportunity to be a SME (subject matter expert) on a topic or issue of importance to me. The steps that I need to get to my short and long term goals really revolve around me discovering what type of life/ career I want to pursue. Without that, I am just out there searching and moving forward in the dark. I am waiting for that “lightblub” moment.
  1. The internal forces that are affecting me the most right now is the idea that I am not living up to my full potential. I have this gut wrenching feeling that I am behind where I want to and should be. I feel a bit aimless, which as a structured thinker is scary. I would say that the external forces are having just as much of an impact on me on a day to day basis. I see many of my classmates entering there third year of law school or at various stages of med school and I can’t help but wonder “man these used to be my peers” and now I am lagging behind. In addition because I want to be able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle of course the money thing comes in play as well. I feel like I should have a higher level of well being where money is concerned, but because of some of the decisions that I have made, I am not.
  1. Positioning? ? ? ? NO CLUE (This is my biggest problem)
  1. I believe that everyone has a purpose on this earth. There is nothing more interesting and pleasing to me, to see a master at work or watching someone discover what they were put on this earth to do. I feel like there is such a purpose for me and my immediate task is to find out what that is.

PurposeFinder #1

1. Person: What do I value? Who do I want to be?

Love, Creation, Community/Family, Freedom

2. Passions: What do I love doing and why?

Building community, counseling, coaching, developing self, playing soccer, eating with friends, organizing information, planning events, public speaking, writing

3. Problems: What matters to me most and why? Social/Science/Tech/Personal problems?

How do people reach their full potential? Because until you and I reach our full potential the world falls short of its full potential. Alcoholism is a big issue for me. My mother was an alcoholic and I saw what she experienced and I don't want anyone else to have to experience that ever.

4. People: Who do I want to serve?

The millennial generation

5. Place: Where do I want to impact?

The entire world, beginning with the United States

6. Pain: What am I trying to heal or positively impact?

Wasted potential, purposelessness, and alcoholism

7. Power: What motivates/inspires me?
  • The Spirit in You
  • My mother and her story
  • My mentees
  • My mentors
  • Spiritual texts
  • All creation
8. Picture: What's my vision?

My purpose is to help as many people as possible reach their full potential by helping them making a living doing what they love and in the process of doing so achieve my own. My time is my most valuable asset and I will use it wisely by focusing my energy toward the fulfillment of my purpose. Ultimately, I want to eliminate the need for Alcoholics Anonymous for my generation by creating experiences where people can find community, find meaning, and find a spiritual connection. In that world, I envision myself writing books, poetry, and music, speaking, learning, teaching, coaching, consulting, creating organizations, financing ideas, employing people, and developing tools and curriculum.

9. Pioneers: Who are my models? Mentors? Guides?
  • Bill Drayton of Ashoka
  • Ernest Holmes of the Religious Science Movement
  • Oprah Winfrey & Harpo Networks
  • Jesus
  • Chip Anderson
  • John Rice of Management Leadership for Tomorrow
10. Path: What are the steps? What are my short and long term goals
  • Build Mylinia.com, an online personal transformation platform
  • Write a book on purpose-finding
  • Continue blogging at www.julliengordon.blogspot.com
  • Expand the potluck movement
11. Pressures: What internal and external life forces are affecting me right now?
  • Extending my definition of family beyond people of African descent and those who already love me
  • Overcoming my fear of huge success
  • Learning how to ask for help and let go of control
  • The need to take care of my mother spiritually, emotionally, and financially
12. Positioning: What do I want to master? What do I want to be #1 in the world at?

I want to be #1 at individual and community development

13. Potential: Why do I believe that I can do it? Why am I the one?

I have been blessed with and continue to develop the following gifts and skills: Creativity, self-discipline, uniting people, building teams, personal coaching, communication, diversity training, group meditation, retreat facilitation, counseling and career coaching, personal strategy, entrepreneurship, organizational development, information and space organization, goal setting, and business plan writing, public speaking. I have everything I need to succeed.

PurposeFinder Survey


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