I am going to move forward in our Soul Purpose discussion and start to talk about what happens once we know our Soul Purpose. The best way that I have heard was introduced to me by a friend and business partner Garrett White. He asks the question, what big problems do you want to solve in the world that your purpose fits well with?
This is the fundamental answer to the question of when is my passion a business vs a hobby. The smaller the problem that you are solving the less you can expect to earn by solving that problem in most cases (but certainly not all.). If you have had a business for 10 years that barely makes money, that’s either a hobby or a business without the proper direction for it to flourish.
I will caution that I am not saying that all us have to strive to solve world hunger or any issue of that nature. Take the Ipod for instance. Most reasonable people would call this a need but it did bridge a huge void for music lovers for them to carry the music that they love in a simple and easy fashion. Thus the product became very popular.
Take some time tomorrow morning before you do anything else and ask yourself what problems exist in the world and how does my purpose fit that problem. As a personal example, one problem that I identified to be solved with my Soul Purpose is the rate of small business failure and creating more success.
On a final note, solving big problems is only the first step to building your platform but it is the foundation for which everything else is built.
This is a great point. I know my natural tendency is to act first; ask questions later. That has put me in a pickle more times than I would prefer to admit. My mom used to always say, “Find a need and fill it and you will be successful.” I guess that is just another way of saying, “Discover problems that are not being solved, provide real value-driven solutions to those problems, and you will be successful.” I’m sure I could come up with several big problems that need addressing, but what I need help with right now (first) is understanding the process I need to go through to discover and comprehend the facets of MY Soul Purpose. Once I know that, then I can match that up with an appropriate problem.
Thanks!
Munro,
You are absolutely right. Finding your purpose is the first step. Once you do that your comments about looking for opportunities to create value will lead to living a more fulfilled life. There are several exercises to help you on your path to discovery. Namely the event I advertise which is the “Soul Purpose Intensive”.