Today’s world is noisy and full of clutter. People have instant access to just about anything, rendering quality products and services not enough to differentiate your company or brand from the fierce competition that exists.
If you’re starting to feel like you’re just going through the motions and losing sight of why you or your company started, it might be time to take a break and collect your thoughts. Get some rest, and re-assess your purpose and strategy. To quote a Richard Branson article I recently read, “you don’t make your best decisions when you’re exhausted or overwhelmed, and you won’t have the capacity to spot new opportunities and think creatively.” He also goes on to say “if you don’t have time for the small things, you won’t have time for the big things.”
Sometimes the most important thing you can do in business or in life in general, is slow down enough to take stock of everything in your path and redefine your purpose.
You need to stand for something more than just the bottomline, and having a strong purpose is a powerful way to connect with today’s consumers. What do you stand for, what are you passionate about and what actions do you do everyday to prove it? What makes your brand memorable when a consumer is ready to make their purchase decision?
Think of your purpose as your navigation that will help get you through the storms. It is meant to guide you when the going gets tough and at some point your business is likely to go through its share of rough patches. As a successful entrepreneur or business person I know we all have many stories of troubled waters that we have had to navigate throughout our careers. A strong purpose is often what will get you through relatively unscathed when you stay committed to it. Now that doesn’t mean that you can’t course correct along the way and redefine why you started in the first place.
Is it Time To Redefine Your Purpose? Your purpose is not a destination, it is a journey. One that will define your future. Sounds intense doesn’t it? Well it doesn’t have to be, if you can have some fun along the way, figuring it out. Uncovering your true purpose in life and in business can take time. It takes some serious soul searching. You will need to dig deep into your experiences, what drives you, and what inspires you to do what you do best.
Timing is everything in life, and it is critical in entrepreneurship and business. Success isn’t just luck, it usually comes down to impeccable timing and a strong purpose. Staying ahead of the curve; predicting market conditions; spotting opportunities before they arise and having a guiding purpose that will help you stand out in the crowd is what will make you successful.It’s also important to remember that good timing is less about speed, and more about being in sync with your purpose guiding you. It’s easy to forget this in our go-go-go world, but it’s so important for your business or whatever it is you’re working towards in life.
It all comes down to aligning your purpose to ensure that it is guiding your business towards understanding what people really want and how you can serve and excite them, based on what drives you and your business. Partnering with a team like Sandbox, you can get an outside perspective on how you can best uncover and define a purpose that can guide your ship through any economic time or competitive situation that you are bound to encounter along the way.
Shelley Carter Sandbox Consultant and Contributor
Leadership Strategy