Today, I am getting real about finding your purpose,
including the number one mistake
that people make
that often leaves them feeling overwhelmed,
lost, and confused.
And then we'll talk about the three things
that you can do to get back on track.
(upbeat music)
Hey Posse what's up?
It's Alex.
If you're new to the crew, welcome!
This channel is here to bring you the latest
in marketing copywriting and freelancing tips
with a little sprinkle of inspiration
and motivation every now and then.
So for more videos like this, go ahead and subscribe below,
and don't forget to ring that bell
to be notified when my next video goes live.
Today's video is a little bit different
from my normal tutorial and that's because I want
to get real with you for just a hot minute.
So I've been a copywriter
in the personal development space
for over 10 years now.
And I got a bit of a beef to pick
with this whole idea of finding your purpose
or at least how glamorized the idea has become recently.
While I truly believe that we all have a purpose,
I think it evolves over time,
based on your current set of values, needs and desires.
I don't think it's just one thing like the holy grail
of happiness and if you can't find it,
you're clueless, worthless or hopeless.
No!
Of course it's easy to think and sell
that finding your purpose is black and white,
either you found it or you haven't.
But I think we're all smart enough
to realize that nothing is that simple,
especially when it comes
to us weird complex multidimensional
and constantly evolving beings we are as humans.
So the thing about purpose
that the mainstream isn't telling you,
and again, this is just my opinion,
but that purpose isn't something you magically find
and then you're done and you've made it, right.
It is not a gold chalice,
hidden deep in a mountain side temple,
nor will it just dawn on you
in a single serendipitous moment.
That is Hollywood's version of purpose.
And while I'm sure it's true
that some people do discover their purpose
in these quick life defining moments,
for the majority of us,
it's usually much less glamorous than that.
And it happens gradually and very organically over time,
not just magically
after reading some five-step purpose book,
I believe that purpose is something
that reveals itself to you,
as you continue to step
into the person you're meant to become.
It evolves over time.
It grows and changes just as you grow and change.
So in today's video,
I'm gonna share with you three things
that you can do to start exploring your purpose
and maybe stepping into who you are meant to become.
And then at the end of this video,
I'm gonna talk about the number one,
most detrimental mistake
that I see a lot of people making
when it comes to this whole finding your purpose stuff.
Alright, now let's get started with tip number one.
And that is to
(marker scraping)
get uncomfy!
Yes, get uncomfortable.
Step outside your comfort zone.
Don't be afraid of trying something new.
One of my favorite quotes ever is "Self-doubt
is the killer of dreams."
Oftentimes, we confuse being inexperienced at something
with not being good at something.
So we don't even try out of fear of failing
or not being good enough.
But like one of my students, Missy,
so brilliantly once said,
"Don't be the one to tell yourself, no.
Try it and let other people be the ones to tell you, no."
And hear me out.
Fear is normal and natural
when you're venturing into the unknown.
Once you let that fear get in your way
and prevent you from trying
that new thing you're interested in,
well, then you're guaranteed to not succeed.
You won't ever know if that's your purpose
because you never really even tried.
Because you can't succeed at something
if you don't even try.
So we really need to start leaning
into the things that scare us.
Oftentimes, the things
that scare us are the very things
that we are meant to do to grow
and push us into that path discovering our purpose.
One of my favorite quotes,
well another one of my favorite quotes by
Joe Vitale is "A great goal should scare you a little
and excite you a lot."
And to me that has always been the litmus test
as to whether or not I'm gonna try something.
So I'll give you an example.
When I first found out about the job at Mindvalley,
the internship that I applied for over 10 years ago,
everything in me was making up reasons why it wouldn't work.
It was in Malaysia, they were only hiring, you know,
super smart tech wizards.
There was no way that I would get the job.
I had a university degree and was planning
to go to law school,
and how would I give up law school to go overseas?
I had a car.
I had commitments, right?
And no matter where you're at in your life,
it's really easy for us to negotiate
with ourselves and come up with reasons
to not do something.
In fact, it is way easier to come up with reasons
to not do something
than to come up with reasons to do something.
So anytime you're feeling that little like "Ooh, nope,
there's no way I can do it."
Ask yourself, is that true?
Is that really true?
Can I not do it or is there a way
that I can lean into this and give it a try?
You never know what is on the other side.
So do me a favor, get uncomfy, lean in
and hey, you'll find out really fast if
that is your path or not.
And if it's not, you pivot and you keep on going.
Alright now, tip number two is to,
(marker scraping)
is to follow your natural interests and talents.
So this is an exercise
that I have all of my students do.
Make a list of everything you enjoy doing,
and also a list of what you're great at.
And before you say, "Alex, I am not good at anything."
I'm gonna stop you right there,
this is your moment to do a little like self-brag session.
Nobody else has to see this note
or this list, but you.
Write down what you're great at
and what you enjoy doing.
Now, like I said, everyone's good at something.
So think of the things people compliment you on.
Think of how you feel at your natural best.
Think about things that you've done before
that have gotten results, because here's the thing.
Purpose is born from passion
and passion is born from interests!
That's right!
It might not be very romantic,
but before you find your purpose,
you really have to know what you enjoy doing
and what you're naturally talented at.
So ask yourself,
what's an interest or a hobby
that you keep going back to again and again and again?
What things do you do
where you lose track of time completely.
Once you have that list of interests,
start pursuing them, invest in them,
surround yourself with teachers, mentors,
and peers who do the very same thing.
And eventually you'll really start
to lean one or two of your interests over time.
And then my friends, you have what is called momentum.
You learn, you do, you learn, you do.
You gain experience.
You get better.
You get farther down that path,
that momentum of interest creates passion.
And then that passion can lead to a purpose
that is so fulfilling and exciting,
and maybe not one that you saw from the very beginning.
Alright, now, tip number three.
And this one's probably my favorite,
(marker scraping)
is to think beyond and you, or think beyond yourself.
Don't make your purpose about you.
Of course, it's about you, It's your purpose.
But every job in the world can be reframed
into an act of service that is bigger than yourself.
That's right, you don't have to solve world hunger
in order to have an epic purpose.
Teachers, nurses, marketers, lab technicians,
customer support workers, personal trainers,
plumbers, chefs, snowplow drivers,
I don't know!
Every single one of those jobs serves a higher purpose.
And the difference between the person
who feels fulfilled in one of those roles
and a person who feels unfulfilled is purpose.
Do they believe they're serving a greater purpose?
Do they see the positive impact
and change they're making in the world?
Even if it's just in the world of one person.
Once you shift your perspective from personal gratification
and wanting to make more money
or trying to satisfy family demands or expectations,
to a perspective of living with a purpose
to serve others, everything changes.
And I'm not saying you shouldn't care about money
or you shouldn't care about pleasing your family.
Those are all really important things.
But as soon as you step out of yourself
and think of the bigger picture,
all of those things
that cause a lot of anxiety within us actually disappear.
Because anxiety is just a fear
of something that hasn't even happened yet.
So if we can stay connected to that bigger vision,
we can accomplish a lot and we can move forward
in spite of those fears.
It's actually that simple.
Spend less time thinking about yourself
and more time thinking
about how you can help others.
Once you take yourself out of the equation,
you will be so surprised at how immediate your sense
of purpose will really start to evolve.
When you start to see the impact you're having
in the lives of others,
it doesn't matter if you're a millionaire investor,
art dealer, gourmet baker,
what matters is that you're doing what you love
and that you're helping others along the way.
And again, you do not have to be perfect or the best at it.
All that matters is that you are giving your best.
Now let's talk about the number one mistake
that I see people making when it comes
to finding their purpose
and that is falling into a pattern of jealousy.
So there's a really big difference
between healthy comparison and jealousy or envy.
Healthy comparison can inspire, right?
You can model those who you would like to be like,
but jealousy doesn't do anything but sabotage your success.
So whatever you do,
stop looking at what other people are doing
or what purpose they're fulfilling
and wishing that you had the exact same thing,
because everyone's purpose and talents look different.
Even if two people are both great copywriters,
they're not gonna be a great fit in the exact same way
for the same audience.
So find your lane and stick with it.
Remember before you can be really good at something,
before you can truly find and own that purpose,
you have to be really bad at first.
Trust the process.
Nobody is perfect on their first try.
It's just impossible!
So have fun.
Be you, be messy, make mistakes, right?
Help people.
And hopefully that if you focus on those things,
it really takes the pressure off finding your purpose.
And that way you're just having fun exploring
these three things.
Lean in, enjoy.
I hope you guys enjoyed this video.
I will see you next week with a brand new one.
Until then I'm Alex!
Ciao for now.
(upbeat music)
Alright guys, if you enjoyed that video,
make sure to check out the next one from me right here.
And you can click right here to get a free gift.
If you want to start a new business, quit your job,
help more people and have more fun in 2021,
you are in the right place.
Let's plan your ultimate comeback, shall we?
Keep watching to learn five simple mindset shifts
that literally changed my life.