A purpose statement turns the clues from your self-discovery into a sentence you can carry with you. It doesn’t have to be poetic or permanent. It needs to be true enough to guide you today.
A simple formula
Try filling in this sentence, using the threads you circled in Lesson 1.2:
I exist to [contribution] for [who or what] so that [the difference it makes].
Some examples of the shape (not models to copy):
- I exist to bring calm and order to busy places so that people have room to do their best work.
- I exist to help people feel capable so that they try the things they’ve been afraid of.
- I exist to create warm, welcoming spaces so that the people I love feel at home.
If the formula feels too stiff, write a short paragraph instead, or a single word that captures the core (for example, connection, courage or craft). The format matters less than whether it rings true.
Testing your draft
Read your statement aloud and ask:
- Does it energise me? If it feels like an obligation, it’s probably a “should” rather than a purpose.
- Is it mine? Would it still be true if nobody else ever read it?
- Can I act on it this week? A good purpose statement suggests choices. If you can’t see a single action it points to, make it more concrete.
- Does it fit my best moments? Look back at the moments you listed in Lesson 1.1. Does the statement explain why they felt meaningful?
Revise until you can answer “yes” to most of these. Expect several drafts. That’s normal.
Your WHY as a decision tool
Once you have a working statement, you can use it to filter choices: Does this opportunity move me toward my purpose, away from it, or neither? Not every task in life will connect to your purpose, and that’s fine. The point is to make sure the big choices do, and to notice when you’ve drifted.
Try this: draft, test, keep
- Write three different drafts of your purpose statement.
- Test each one with the four questions above.
- Choose the strongest draft and write it somewhere you’ll see it daily: the first page of your workbook, your phone’s lock screen or a note on your mirror.
You’ll refine it again at the end of the course, once your values and vision are clear.
Workbook: complete Worksheet 3, “My Working Purpose Statement”, in your Personal Transformation workbook.