At Freedom Land Capital, we believe it is truly vital for any company or individual to define their purpose – aka, their ‘why’ – when embarking on any new venture. As Simon Sinek puts it: “Very few of us can clearly articulate why we do what we do. The WHY is the purpose, cause, or belief that drives every organization and every person’s individual career.  Why does your company exist? Why did you get out of bed this morning? And why should anyone care?” 

Answering these questions helps to determine the value of your actions. With a clearly defined ‘why’, you can decide whether or not a venture is worth continuing, and you can set up milestones to make visible progress over time. With Sinek’s words in mind, let’s dive deeper into finding your purpose in everyday endeavors.

Prioritize Your Activities

Nothing kills a new venture faster than a lack of focus! The time you spend defining your ‘why’ will give you a clear aim and focus, ultimately saving you time in the long run, as you will be far less inclined to procrastinate. When you have a lot to get done, ask yourself: What tasks on my to-do list most directly contribute to my purpose and my long-term objectives? This way, you can prioritize your tasks in a way that maximizes time and shifts the focus on to your goals.

Say No to Other Opportunities

Seeking out fresh opportunities is both exciting and fulfilling. It’s rewarding to remind yourself that you have the skills and the capacity to face a new challenge. Taking on more than you can handle, however, is detrimental to your productivity. 

At times, what looks like a good opportunity is actually a distraction in disguise. Deciphering opportunities from distractions becomes a challenge when you don’t have a clear understanding of your purpose – when your actions are not aligned with your goals. This highlights the necessity of defining your ‘why’ and sticking to it; in doing so, it will be easier to tell which new opportunities are for your benefit, and which will only prove distracting.

Stay Motivated By Your Why

Our excitement about a new venture is generally short-lived. Bursts of motivation aren’t enough to keep us focused, either – so when our work starts to look like a monotonous daily grind, it can be a real challenge to keep pushing onward. This motivation burnout happens more often than we’d like to admit. By reminding ourselves of our purpose and goals, however, we can tap into a consistent supply of inspiration, creativity, and motivation!

Be Consistent

Successful businesses understand that consistency truly is key to reaching and surpassing your goals. Without consistency, growth is slow and stagnation is imminent. Your staying power determines your growth rate; the more you stick to those monotonous daily tasks, the more progress you will see. Defining your purpose can help with this consistency, as it brings you a clearer view of your goals and consequently bolsters your grit.

Define Your Relevance

Optimism is rarely lacking when starting a new venture – and positivity is a great thing. Without defining your purpose, however, you risk overlooking the significance of your business and its relevance to potential customers. Relevance is very important to every venture as it affects its sales and its continuity.

Boost Your Confidence

Sometimes, we avoid defining our purpose out of fear. Fear is the destroyer of progress: it talks to our subconscious, asking, what if you’re just not good enough? This self-talk dissipates once your purpose is defined – you just need to take the leap of faith. While your fear may still linger at first, defining your ‘why’ reminds you just how important your contribution and your business is to society.

The key points discussed here are intertwined: They work in synchrony to form a solid platform for your venture. Neglecting any one area can lead to instability of that platform. If you are motivated but inconsistent, for example, there will be no significant progress – it is only a matter of time before your initial motivation is lost. Conversely, strengthening one area will help to strengthen the others: Prioritizing your activities gives a clearer view of your timeline and helps you choose which opportunities to take on. Underlining each of these tools is the need to define your purpose – why you do what you do!