Finding Purpose with 3 Questions

John Maxwell’s 30 day journey has really been a great inspiration for me. This post is actually my reflection on 3 questions he asks us to internalize. The combination of these questions were powerful for me to getting a definition around significance and how to be intentional. I am realizing that I can take charge of being the author of my life only when I become clear in what it is that I am supposed to be doing.

As I share my answers to the three questions, I want you to contemplate on the question that can be answered by putting all three together, What is the purpose of everything that I do?

Question 1: What makes you cry?

Maybe more appropriately the question could be what makes your heart break each and every time. After careful consideration, I am significantly pained when I see leaders that don’t take care of their people. I also am including managers here. Leaders and managers have a unique opportunity to influence and invest in people just by being in the role that they are in. When I see the dismay of an employee who has nowhere to turn and doesn’t feel that by going to their leader that they will be heard or even acknowledged, I want to scream.

Question 2: What makes you sing?

I really like this question, because it is so much more than what makes you happy. It is demonstrative happiness. For me, it is when I have helped someone to experience an “Aha” moment. I find that I can really get a lot of these when I pour into others my thoughts, ideas, and experience. I believe that those “Aha” moments come from learning every day. If I can help others learn new things, I am very satisfied. I often wonder if I would have made a great teacher like my dad.

Question 3: What do you dream about?

I must say this was a hard one for me. To be truthful, I consider myself a very shallow thinker never really trying to take on a subject like dreaming. The one thing I am able to come up with is this: “I want to invest in developers around the world to become great leaders.” In the last 25 years, I have seen a great need in this area. The specific goal would be that one million developers would get the information they need to lead intentional lives. These blog posts are the start of gathering clarity around this dream.

Answering the question about my purpose

To summarize the three questions above, I believe that I can start to formulate my purpose in life. Can you ponder these questions and come up with your purpose? There is never a better time than now to pursue diligently the goal. I am committed to this relentless pursuit of purpose by getting direction from God, ensuring that I am taking care of myself, and investing in my family. If I do this, I believe I can reach those developers with a song in my heart and a burden to change the face of leadership in technology.