26 Feb Staying true to you in 2024 

Are you still hopefully committed to your new year resolutions? A year that you can take ownership of, rather than feeling like a passenger, passively along for the ride?

Living with purpose and on purpose can sometimes feel more complex than it should.  Almost without noticing, our intentions and plans are swallowed up in a growing quarry of to-do lists, anxiety-inducing deadlines, and other people’s agendas.  

Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of intentionality, and we can recalibrate and refocus on pursuing what matters the most. So where does one start? 

Here are six simple principles that are at the heart of living – and leading – with purpose and humanity.

Get to know the real you

Living a life of purpose is fundamentally about who you are as a human being – not what you do. Do you live your life as a human doing, driven by the external demands of your world? Or do you live your life as a human being, living authentically and able to be the real you in everything you do?

Find connection in your context

Are you consciously aware of who and what constitutes your environment?  Are you connected to a community?  What relationships do you have and which of them might need work?   You cannot influence an environment you are not connected to.

Let go of what you can’t control

Too many of us spend too much of our time fixated on taking control of our lives.  In truth, growth and change do not happen through the relentless pursuit of controlling an outcome, but rather by knowing who we are and being true to ourselves in the way we move through our life.  Take ownership of what is yours – your purpose, your emotional responses, your actions.  Let go of the notion that you can control anything beyond that.

Life is about giving

Deepak Chopra said that the law of giving is very simple: If you want joy, give joy. If love is what you seek, offer love. If you crave material affluence, help others become prosperous.” and Winston Churchill said ‘We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” This is fundamental thinking for a fulfilled life.  

Seek out the magic in life – it is all around us

At Lead with Humanity we suggest that leaders come in multiple forms. This is also true of the magic and greatness in life. It is all around us, sometimes taking shape in the most unusual and unexpected ways – we just have to be open to it, and slow down enough, to notice it.

Be conscious about the daily choices available to you – and make the right ones

How we move through this life can be determined by the daily choices we make.  Gratitude and happiness are choices.  Choosing to see the good in people, to be curious, to give and to let go – all simple daily choices that can have a profound effect on the way we experience life.

Taking the time to look inwards – and perhaps commit to a personal journey towards getting to know the real authentic you – will, no doubt, set you up with the very basic and fundamental tools to live your life with purpose, on purpose.