What is your life’s purpose?
This is a big question and a question most of us ask ourselves from time to time. I think it is a question that we all need to reflect on frequently. The alternative to not asking the question is to go through life on auto-pilot and not live up to our true potential. Both ourselves and the world will be worse off as a result. I have had the diagram in figure 1 (below) on my office wall for the past two years. Every so often I would look at the diagram and contemplate my life’s purpose. The reflection on the questions has helped me to get a clearer vision of my own life’s purpose. I believe that even if you only spend 10 minutes now reflecting on figure 1 and the three questions, they will bring you closer to being clear on your life’s purpose.
The Hedgehog Concept
The questions in figure 1 are based on a business book called Good to Great by Jim Collins. The book describes the results of research in the US into companies and what makes a company become great and stay great. The research showed that one of the factors which helped good companies become great companies was when they found what Collin’s calls their ‘Hedgehog’. The Hedgehog Concept was originally based on an ancient Greek parable which stated, “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” Jim Collins, used this concept as a metaphor for business in his influential book. The three components of the hedgehog concept are:
- What is the company passionate about
- What can the company be the best in the world at and
- What drives the economic engine (makes money).
Personal Hedgehog
I think Jim Collin’s hedgehog concept/questions used for companies can also be adapted to people. If you take questions and adapt them to people they become the 3 questions below:
1. What do you love to do?
What are the things that you enjoy doing? Passion is a huge motivator. If you don’t have a passion for something then how can you possibly be great at it? Passion will drive you to work harder and stay at something longer that others. This reminds me of a quote from the great Physicist Albert Einstein:
2. What are your really good at?
What can you be the best at, not what you want to be the best at. I bet you know some of the things that you are really good at through experience. If you want more ideas on what you can be the best at I suggest you take the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality test if you have not done so already. If you Google this test then you will find the test online for free. The MBTI test will give you very good ideas about the types of things you are naturally great at – the things that will come natural to you.
3. What pays well?
I think question number 3 is very important because if what you are naturally great at and love to do doesn’t pay well then you are not going to be very happy being broke! You will have a great hobby! You need to hit the target in figure 1 and get something that you love to do, you are naturally great at and also pays well. That is a recipe for finding your life’s purpose and contentment in your life.
Figure 1: Three key questions to ask yourself
Can I suggest that you print out the above diagram and reflect on it often. I suspect that you already have ideas on something that hits the above target for you (the confluence between the 3 circles in figure 1). If not don’t worry – allow your sub-conscious mind to reflect on the diagram in the coming weeks and months.
Example: My Own Hedgehog
To help clarify the hedgehog concept I have shared my own example below. I answer the three questions for myself and then I state what my own hedgehog is for my life.
1. What do I love to do?
- Help others
- Teach
- Share knowledge and ideas
2. What am I really good at doing?
- Researching
- Learning
- Adapting, changing and transforming myself
- My MBTI is: INFJ – Introverted, Intuition, Feeling, and Judging. Favourite career choices for INFJs point towards meaningful, humanity-based causes that contribute to others’ well-being. INFJ personality types are good at helping others such as counselors, teachers and clergy.
3. What pays well?
- New technology
- Solving problems
- People needing to learn new skills, knowledge and ideas in a fast changing world
4. My Hedgehog:
To research, create and market great information products such as books and online courses on personal development and technology. Information products which will satisfy the needs of my clients and significantly enhance their lives. In return my clients will be willing to pay me well for my work.
I invite you to share your feedback/ideas on your own hedgehog concept in the comments under this blog post. Sharing your own examples can help and inspire others. Thank you.
Best wishes,
Tom
PS. If you are looking for new ideas or information to take your life in a new and exciting direction then have a look at my online course ‘Reinvent yourself: 30 Experiments in Personal Change‘. Learn how to visualise your ideal future and set great goals. Click the link below to get the course for the discounted price of €12.99. You can take the free course preview. The course comes with a 100% money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. Please click here for further course details.
