Unraveling Purpose: How to Unlock Your True Potential

Embark with us on an expedition to the heart of what drives us, as my dear friend Anks Patel, the Master of purpose, joins the conversation. Together, we deconstruct the myths that cloud our understanding of purpose in life and business, moving beyond the pursuit of clarity to nurture a deeper connection with ourselves. Through our engaging dialogue, you'll discover why existence transcends financial aspirations and how embracing your journey with authenticity leads to a more fulfilling path forward.

In this episode, we grapple with the notion that our greatest challenges can be the fuel that propels us towards our true purpose. By examining the inspiring stories of Scott Harrison and the mission of Tony's Chocolonely, we see how a single challenge can catalyze a profound impact, turning businesses into vehicles for change. Tune in to learn how shedding the victim mentality and answering the call to purpose can transform obstacles into stepping stones for intentionality and success.

As we wrap up this enriching session, I invite you to celebrate the strides you're making in uncovering your Genius Blueprint. Your journey matters to us, and we’re thrilled to accompany you as you unlock the genius within. Share your takeaways and actions prompted by this episode with me, and let’s continue to support each other on this path to greatness. Your stories and insights are the pulse of our podcast, so let's march together toward a future where our purpose and passion are one.

To learn more about Peoplepreneur® and Becoming Purposeful, Sign-up for the Live Masterclass, https://www.peoplepreneur.com/live-class-instances/becoming-purposeful-may

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Hey there, welcome to the Self-Aware Solopreneur podcast where we uncover your genius blueprint. I'm your host, myra. My story dates back to a few years ago, when I transitioned from a corporate employee to a solopreneur. And let me just say this building a business isn't all rainbows and unicorns, like the internet tells you. If you're struggling to package your genius, where you feel lost in the sea of marketers trying to sell you step-by-step guides, cheat sheets, templates, where you continue to seek the magic bullet and fit the puzzle pieces together, then this podcast is for you, my friend. It's not about meticulously planning each step of the way, but rather diving deep into self-awareness, where you need a mirror to reflect your reality. If you're ready to toss aside all this cookie cutter advice and embrace your inner maverick, let's uncover your genius blueprint together. Hey, friends, I am so excited you're here.

Speaker 1: 1:24

This episode is going to be a slightly different format, where I'm actually joined by my co-host, who's also a really good friend of mine. We've been friends for the last three years, but today I got him on this episode because to me is known as the purpose guy. So welcome, my friend Aangst Patel. How are you doing? I'm good. How are you?

Speaker 2: 1:53

Fantastic. We've had so many conversations that I wish. I wish we had recorded.

Speaker 1: 2:00

So, yes, we've had millions of conversations that could have very well be a year worth of podcast episodes and things of that nature where I can tell that there's a lot of confusion, and that's what I want to talk about purpose. There's a lot of misinterpretation of what purpose does, whether it's for your personal or for business. So, to give listeners a context, ains Patel leads a platform called Peoplepreneur. Peoplepreneur is a transformative growth platform that provides the tools for self-leadership. By establishing an interconnected self, we adopt an identity for greater effectiveness, and they aim to bring life-changing teachings, training strategies and insights from truly people-centric leaders whose only agenda is amplifying your potential. I know that you are someone who doesn't talk the talk. You're walking the talk. One of the problems we see that has come up is that people are misguided, and because they're misguided, they're misled and therefore they're misaligned right. So the question for you is, when people seeking clarity, one of the most common questions that people are being asked why do you exist? Why do you exist beyond money? I want to get your thoughts on that.

Speaker 2: 3:47

I completely believe that we've misunderstood clarity in itself as well. When we say people seek clarity, it almost seems as if they're not seeking clarity, but they're seeking a solution, an answer. Just give me the answer. And we've confused that, because what clarity should be? If we just change, throw that clarity word out and put a different word in, what would that word actually be? That word would actually be connection. Think about that for a second. If you really want clarity, clarity is about connecting and then feeling as if okay, I see the light, I see the answer, I understand why, I understand whatever it is. So, when this jargon language is really important in my life and it's one of my biggest bugbearers coaches and strategists trying to achieve clarity, but I really don't think it's clarity. I think that even that has been misunderstood. It's more how do I bring them a sense of connection so that they can clear things up? That was the first thing, the second thing you said. The second thing I want to speak about is you said we're trying to ask why, right, why are we here? What are we doing? Well, the simple answer is you're here. It's the wrong question because we're here and we. At what point do we ask that question.

Speaker 2: 5:19

Humara, you know this. We get to a point in our life when we realize that things don't align in the way they should, and we go to this, this whole spiritual journey, and then we start saying, well, why am I here? What am I here to do? And that question comes later. It's not the first thing you think about, because when we're young, youthful, we don't care, we're just living. But the simple answer there is because we are here, we exist. What is the alternative to that question? Not exist? Right, it's almost. It's an irrelevant, it's a redundant question. Why am I here? Well, if we don't know the answer, then the result can't be don't exist. So we already are. We've really got that the luck there of being.

Speaker 2: 6:08

I think about Gary Vee when he says I don't know what the figure, like a trillion, a million to one like you are here. Right, that chances of you being here, that for me, is worthy cause enough. So we need to change that question and then. So, going back to that first thing, it's the idea. You said that what are people seeking? Why is it that they get into the point where they're seeking that? That is ultimately what we should be asking why are we seeking this now? When we're talking about clarity, we need to really be thinking about connection. How do we connect better so we can be more clear? We're not just trying to solve one problem, one clarity. We're trying to actually be connected so that we can actually find our sense of way, if you will.

Speaker 1: 7:02

Right. So when you say connected, are you talking about connection to yourself or connection to the people around you?

Speaker 2: 7:11

No, no Connection to yourself, connection to the self, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 7:15

Yeah, I stopped asking that question because it's not where the journey starts for me. You know when I started my business. If you asked me then five years ago hey, myra, why did you start your business? Beyond financial means? Everybody knows if you're running some sort of a business, it's a way for you to have a financial gain. To ask that question beyond why you exist, beyond the financial gain, I don't know if that's the right question anymore.

Speaker 2: 7:51

Perfect, I'm glad you said that. Let me add to that it seems as if these days that seems to be a relevant question because we all of a sudden now we're asking that question, we seem like we are knowledgeable and insightful and we're the sage that allows us to find that deeper question. It's the wrong question because here's the thing a lot of people are contradictory to the thing that they they serve. Like you just said, you stop asking that question. It's important Because those people asking those deep questions don't necessarily do anything contributory in their lives to that question. Does that make sense? So we're asking that question? Yet when they define their own purpose, they're not really doing anything purposeful.

Speaker 1: 8:46

Okay, now you're getting to the real conversation of purpose and purposeful?

Speaker 2: 8:52

Yes, because it's contradictory. It's like we want to ask that question what are you doing beyond money? But if you look at the person asking, they aren't actually doing anything that extraordinary that makes them purposeful. So what is the point in the question? We aren't really connecting dots here. We're just filling checkboxes and make believing that we're doing strategic.

Speaker 1: 9:17

No, let me hold on Hold on a second. Now, let's say Scott Harrison started teaching about purpose. He was running a strategy session because he had a challenge in his life and he started to ask those questions himself that where he wasn't leading the purpose. People say that you need to stay on purpose. There's a difference between being on purpose and leading with purpose. Scott Harrison didn't have a purpose until he actually went through a challenge.

Speaker 2: 9:55

Perfect. Well, even that's arguable right Himara Purpose doesn't just happen and I've got a certain perspective about this. Purpose was there already. Let's say, if we talk about scott harrison as an example and he's a really good example I always use him as as a kind of like a poster child really for people but purpose has been there ever since we were born.

Speaker 2: 10:24

Right, we just, we just wasn't. We didn't have the capabilities, the understanding or the willingness to accept that. That is what it is. So how would, how would you have already known that when you were born? It just do you understand what I mean? So, right, we don't have those things. So what life? The universe, what are you going to call it? Has to do its job in order for you, to shape and mold you and get you into that direction.

Speaker 2: 10:52

So we're talking about conscious and unconscious. Well, purpose has been there. You can live life without purpose. Of course you can. Consciously, because you just ignore it. Right, but the important distinction there is that the way we're looking at purpose isn't correct, and you said it we don't lead. We don't lead purpose, right, and this is what businesses seem to be doing like. This is what our purpose.

Speaker 2: 11:17

No, the mistake, that is just a reason, and that's the why we call it right. What is the reason this business exists? It doesn't mean that's the business's purpose. So, consciously, yes, if I say, well, I don't want to live a purpose-driven life, then consciously, we don't have to, and this is why we go through our lives unknowing what we're doing until we get to a point where now we start tapping into that unconscious and and that's where purpose resides it's unconscious, unconsciously there. Now we bring it into consciousness, right, we kind of say, well, what am I doing here, what? And ultimately, what is that? That isn't purpose.

Speaker 2: 11:57

Purpose is just a label, right to define, to like me, and you can have a conversation around purpose. Whoever's listening, they're tuning in because of that term, because of the understanding of that. But then, truly, what, what is it then? Well then, so then. So I have a definition. It's purely for fulfillment.

Speaker 2: 12:16

Purpose brings us fulfillment. It's that sense of that deep sigh that we have like I did that, and that is always contributory, it's always for somebody else. You never feel that sense when you're doing it for yourself. It's just like, yeah, great happiness, nice to have, but it doesn't last very long. So when we're talking about Scott Harrison in that example, purpose, for it to exist, that idea of purpose for it to exist, there has to be a challenge, because otherwise you can't be purposeful. And that is the terminology we need to be using. What makes me purposeful? Not what brings me purpose or what is my purpose. What makes me purposeful? Because when the challenge presents itself, humaro, that is when we need to act. Just because we've done something, that doesn't mean, oh, I'm living on purpose now. No, that's just a choice.

Speaker 1: 13:09

You said yeah you said something really important. When the challenge presents itself, that's when you know that you're supposed to act on that purpose. Something's always been there, right? I can't think of one person who doesn't have a challenge, but we all have challenges.

Speaker 2: 13:29

So why we're unable to determine what that challenge is, and that is what purpose does Like. For my life to exist and for me to be purposeful, I need to be presented with a challenge, because then purpose is easy. Then that doesn't make sense. Oh, it's just given to you on a platter. There we go. This is your purpose. How does it work like that? You have to work towards it.

Speaker 1: 13:53

Yeah, and it just reminded me of something. When there are stories, there are millions of stories how people have started, not one multiple businesses.

Speaker 2: 14:05

Perfect, I know where you're going with this. Go on Right.

Speaker 1: 14:09

They started like, oh, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that, I'm going to start a Etsy production company. I'm going to start a digital media. I'm going to start doing websites, I'm going to start. There's so many capabilities a person has right. You try all these different things and then you come to realize none of those things were the things you wanted to do, right. So it's interesting to me when you said that when the challenge presents itself, that's when you act on it. Does that mean all the things that people run after? They try different things and they still haven't found? The one thing Like this is the flag that I'm willing to put on the ground and say, yeah, this is it.

Speaker 2: 15:04

So let me unpack that a little bit. I think that's a really good question. We don't have multiple purposes, we only have one purposefulness. And the reason why that's a good question is because when we understand what the challenge is, then we know how to act upon it. So what is the true problem here? The true problem is we don't know what challenge is going to make us purposeful, because we haven't defined it. We haven't understood the challenge. Now we're challenged all the time. Now the challenge can be this small and the challenge can be this big. Yet if it's defined, then we understand how it will manifest. Because when the challenge presents itself, we don't.

Speaker 2: 15:56

Who said that purpose is one of those things that needs to be charged? No, it doesn't make sense. We've made that assumption ourselves. When purpose presents itself, that is the signal, it's a calling right. That's what I'm called here to do. So when that challenge presents itself and we're aware of what makes us purposeful the challenge, then we act instantaneously, without thinking, without saying, well, okay, has he given me 10k to? No, it does. Purpose doesn't work like that. That is a different.

Speaker 2: 16:30

Now, going back to the idea of the business and these multiple businesses. Well, when we understand the challenge, what you're really talking about. There is intention business. When the individual angst patel humira. When we understand our challenge, what makes us purposeful, then we can be intentional by taking that challenge, breaking it up and then investing our time in different places, but bringing us back to the ultimate challenge. Does that make sense? So you can have a top level challenge. Let's say let let's use Scott Harrison a really great example Everyone should have clean drinking water. That is a top level challenge. Now, if you broke that up into each individual piece, well, first of all is to have fresh, clean drinking water. What do we need? Well, there's one challenge here. There's another challenge here. There's another challenge here.

Speaker 2: 17:29

Now you can see, if you're trying to be intentional about being purposely led to be purposeful, that either you invest in a business that is solving that particular challenge, you collaborate with someone that is ultimately solving the challenge towards your main purposefulness challenge. That's why someone that has someone who's intentional, by the way, and a lot of people aren't they're leading on different things. I need to make money, I need to pay bills, I need to do all this, but those people that are intentional that have, you know, let's say, five businesses, if all of those five businesses are solving a particular aspect of that core defined challenge. That's what's going to keep them going. Otherwise, if it doesn't, what's going to happen?

Speaker 2: 18:12

We're going to say, well, I'm going to sell this business, isn't it? Well, but it wasn't purposeful in the first place. That's why we're disconnected. At a point We've got what we can from there. Now I'm going to sell it. I have an exit strategy. Whatever, that's a different conversation as well. But the point there being is we're not intentional. And the reason why we're not intentional is because we, for twofold, we don't know what to be aware of, what is the challenge look like? And then we don't know when to take action on it. So when we get a challenge, we get to a point we're like, oh, why me? We get a victim mentality. This, that, or we need to now solve that, or don't solve that. And this person's come to me and they're not paying me, so I'm not going to do that. We're lost. Do you understand?

Speaker 1: 18:53

okay. So you brought up something really cool, which is when a challenge presents itself, instead of people looking at it as an opportunity, they look at it as I got. Why, me right, like Like you got bashed, but you create more problems, and the mind is so delicate. In that sense, it will become what you feed into it. Think of it. Your mind is just like your gut Whatever you feed, that's what it becomes. Yes, and so what are we feeding into that mind, right? So another thing that came to me while you were talking is that one of the things that I work on and I try to get people to understand is their energizing vision. Right, what is the vision that you're creating that's pulling you forward, not backwards forward? Right? We're very good at our mind spiraling to a place where it can't think creatively anymore. We're not solving problems, we're creating problems. Right, we're contributing to the problem. Where's the disconnect here? Because your purpose isn't division. Those are two very different things.

Speaker 2: 20:26

Is that what you find in your line of work? Is that what keeps coming up?

Speaker 1: 20:45

Is that where the confusion is the direction, the purpose. Your vision does have purpose in it, but that doesn't actually define the direction that you're heading necessarily, absolutely Bang on.

Speaker 2: 21:02

It doesn't, it can't, but here's the thing.

Speaker 1: 21:10

Ideally they are two separate things.

Speaker 2: 21:12

Well, I can understand how they should connect as well. Now, if we understood from the conversation we had right now, if we understood, okay, what makes me purposeful is X, y, z, this challenge. I'm purposeful when I challenge what, whatever that mad lib is, whatever you fill in, that is a little framework. Fill that in what, whatever that mad lib is, whatever you fill in, that is a little framework. Fill that in. Then you're going to be aware when that challenge consistently keeps coming up in your life, however big or however small. When we've understood what that challenge is, that doesn't necessarily mean that is ultimately where we're going. This is why I'm quite cautious about using these kind of words. You know, vision, mission, because we have such an association around them that people are getting lost. That's the point of the conversation, right? So I don't tend to use it as purpose. I say purposefulness. When you say vision, I I say what triggers us, because it's a much, much more important understanding. So the vision really should trigger us. Okay, it should. What is that trigger? Oh well, let's say let's use a different word it's not triggered, it's in what invigorates us. Right, you talk about pull. That pull invigorates us because it gets us going from the inside.

Speaker 2: 22:33

And I've always used this example, and it's probably overused and you've heard it before is if we use an example of NASA and if we're sending a man on the moon, if that was the mission, then ultimately what's the vision that accompanies that mission? That isn't said. Well, if we were to think about it, then it would be to explore the universe, because that is one aspect. The mission is one aspect of ultimately again coming back to one place Right Now. How does purpose get into that?

Speaker 2: 23:11

Well, one of the things that you said is people think that their why is their vision? Well, first of all, why and purpose are two different things. You know, why is a reason? Purpose is more just like a label to determine what brings us a sense of fulfillment. Right, and there's a confusion there, right? So why is the reason? That's the choice you can, you can make any reason up, and the thing is that vision has to really be strong enough that what? What enables you, what I define as purpose? It's our enabler, we enable. It's like a switch on and off. The challenge presents itself. You're aware, you take action, you're on, you're enabled, we're enabled towards that vision, not because of it, because the challenge could present itself right now, but have nothing to do with the vision. Does that make sense? Right, because of the way it's defined the challenge, the purposefulness. But now, if we're talking about that vision in terms of a business, well, that vision is only relative to what invigorates the person, the founder, the person who's doing the business. Right, do you follow?

Speaker 1: 24:35

Yes, it's forward-looking, it combines your purpose, but it doesn't necessarily tell you the direction of the company at the point.

Speaker 2: 24:44

It enables you to get into that direction. Perfect.

Speaker 1: 24:48

Perfect. That's what I was thinking in terms of like, when you said we're misled, we're misdirected or we're misaligned. Not necessarily misdirected, we're misaligned. We're misaligned because they are misled by a challenge that it's not really a challenge, it's a superficial challenge.

Speaker 2: 25:20

Let's just go into that for a second, just to solidify this understanding. Anyone who knows Scott Harrison's story. He went through a difficult childhood with his mom. He went off on a tangent a little bit youthfully, lived up to all the night the, the nightclubs, women, sex, drugs, all that sort of stuff and then he completely changed his life around.

Speaker 2: 25:35

That doesn't necessarily mean for him to be purposeful he had to start a charity. No, it's just that he was unconsciously unaware that opportunities, what he was providing all along, even when he was getting people into the club to have a good night, he was providing a sense of opportunity, creating a better life, a better experience. He was doing that. He wasn't purposeful just because he started a charity. Do you understand what I'm saying? So his purpose has been there. It's just he was unaware of the challenge. The challenge was how do I create a sense of opportunity? Let's say, for example, I've not done any work with Scott Harrison, but just as an example, perspective here is when, if his challenge was opportunity, well, he was doing that ever since, up until the point where he realized he wants to start this or he's made to do something more impactful. Now we talk about why. At that point, if you spoke to him just before the charity, why are you doing this? Why did you go on the boat to take pictures in other countries? And because now you would have an answer.

Speaker 1: 26:50

So that's interesting because if you look at the pattern of any founder who has built something substantial right, who has, who has built something substantial right, who has the longevity of what they're doing is still continuing, like Tony's Chocolate. I know you love that brand.

Speaker 2: 27:11

Tony Chocolony.

Speaker 1: 27:13

Chocolody yeah, that's a wicked name, okay, and I didn't know about that brand until you told me, right. So I started researching that. What went into that? How did that happen, right? Why is this different than all the other chocolate factory and candy that are being sold? Packaging looks different, everything looks different, the website looks different. It's not your usual candy store, right? What's interesting to me is that there's a pattern in these stories. If you look at it. There's a pattern in these stories how the challenge has continued to present itself. Went to Ghana, or I can't remember which country, and found how the chocolate was made, where it came from, and please forgive me if I'm not getting the story right here, but basically the challenge presented when he found that the chocolate that were made in the world, it came from a source where it's completely unethical, and that triggered him.

Speaker 2: 28:30

Yes.

Speaker 1: 28:31

That triggered him to completely change his business model and make sure that chocolate is made in a place where employees are treated fairly and we're not using child labor and all that kind of stuff. It goes back to what you said in the beginning, that the challenge has to present itself and then you're called upon on it. Until then, it's a subconscious act.

Speaker 2: 28:57

Here's the thing the chocolate's got nothing to do with it. And someone might you know, just to give you a bit of reassurance, really whoever's listening to this is we get too focused on the product, the business, the selling of the item or whatever it's irrelevant at this stage talking about. If, unconsciously, the challenge, the purposefulness, was there at some point, whoever that founder was would have been exposed to that challenge plenty of times. But it might not have been chocolate, because that is the formation of the things moving around in their mind, their experiences, their reality, to the point where he came. Probably he is it, probably he Is it he, yeah, the founder it is. So he probably came to a realization that the most impactful place that he could help, in terms of whatever that challenge is, is through chocolate, because maybe he was exposed to that environment where he's seen that, where he's. But who said okay then at that point, if you think about it, the product, the chocolate, the idea of Tony Cioccolone all of that is a second thought.

Speaker 2: 30:14

The first thought is well, what is the real problem that I'm trying to solve? And how amazing is that really? To capture you on the idea of let me sweeten your mouth, but remember where this sweetness comes from through the hard labor. Does that make sense? So the challenge, even the challenge right now, is presenting itself. Every single day we pick up a bar of chocolate that isn't, let's say, fair trade or that is a challenge in itself. We're eating, so it's a constant reminder, there's a constant.

Speaker 2: 30:46

Now, I don't know how those kind of pieces put together, because I've never spoken to the founder, but with that in mind, this is why it's truly important to get a real understanding of the challenge that consistently presents itself to us, because the formation and the manifestation of that, if we want to start a business or something that comes afterwards, that is the how to solve it. The reason that the way he's going to do it is. He said well, listen, we're going to start a chocolate company and the best way and their marketing is amazing. Even the bar of chocolate. I don't know if you've bought one tomorrow, but even the pieces inside the chocolate are uneven, yes, and so when you break a piece and give it to someone, they might say oh, I got an unfair piece, you had a bigger piece. That is the whole. This kind of it's amazing because it's the active essence of the challenge, right?

Speaker 1: 31:47

It's so carefully thought out this brand. It's unbelievable because this guy clearly knows, you know, and I'm reading you know, as I popped up you know, if you don't have the correct reference, I just want to tell you, like, how it came up. So he went to all these cocoa farms and noticed how it was being made Right the sourcing, the beans, the fair trade. Conversation came up to how all these chocolate that was being produced that were not rooted in the principles until he realized that there's an opportunity for a chocolate that's made differently. In reality, we only have a core problem, that there's one challenge. There's a core challenge that we continue to feel emotionally connected and 100% charged to solve it. All the other challenges in our life doesn't feel so big that you can't comprehend how to solve it, but it has to be challenging enough, triggering enough, where you say I'm excited to actually get after that. I'm excited to reach that vision, even though it may feel impossible.

Speaker 2: 33:10

You've answered it. There is only one true challenge. The challenge is linked to your purposefulness. What brings us a sense of purpose? A sense of purpose not this is my purpose Just to rein in and kind of just close that gap. And I want to just come to another example to help solidify this understanding Tony's Chocoloni. The chocolate isn't even that important, Right? But anyone starting a business or in the business or you know where you're reflecting on the thing that you serve in your business is think about it. If he went through all of that process, who says that he had to start a chocolate company?

Speaker 2: 34:00

I think I once mentioned this before, but there's a podcast with Brian Chesky, who's the founder of Airbnb, and he's on Jay Shetty's podcast On Purpose. You know, funny, it's On Purpose, right? And if you haven't watched that, I urge you to go and just watch that video. It's quite long but the backstory will kind of pump you into this. But long story short, the challenge he's solving isn't airbnb. The challenge he's solving is loneliness, and we have to understand this purpose. Unconsciously, like we said from the very beginning, is has been there, just manifested in many different ways until you've come to some sort of conclusion like, ah, this is really what I'm, like you said, emotionally triggered by, and that's where your energizing vision comes into it. And so Brian Chesky talks about this idea of combating loneliness, and Airbnb is, if you will, is just one aspect of that. It's like the tagline is belong anywhere, Now if you were to, yeah it doesn't say it doesn't come to this beautiful mansion and five star.

Speaker 1: 35:14

It doesn't do that Like. The main core message is around the challenge.

Speaker 2: 35:22

Yes. So now think about it. If he wanted to go and invest his time in another business where he wants to start something else, what would be unintentional and I'm not telling him what to do, but what would be unintentional is swerving, completely pivoting and moving away from loneliness because you haven't sold it just because you've got one amazing company. Now think about loneliness in the mind, loneliness in the environment, loneliness there's so many bridges there to solve.

Speaker 2: 35:51

On loneliness, now, if you really wanted to be intentional, if he starts another five businesses, each business is going to challenge the ultimate challenge. That's what brings in a sense of purposefulness, right, and so a lot of the times to in today's world and you know, is we've done strategy before is we're trying to be hooked on this idea, and I think that is the quick answer. Going back to the beginning of the question is why are we here? Is we're just trying to get a quick answer, we're trying to get a quick solution to us so I can make some quick sense of money. And even to the point where there are strategists out there saying, well, what do you do beyond money? That is a question which has no relevance because they actually do nothing with it.

Speaker 2: 36:47

When you say they do nothing with it with the money or the question with the understanding and the connection of why they're here to exist? That question is redundant. I'm just going back on that is, if they're not willing to do anything with it so what's the question that we should be asking instead?

Speaker 2: 37:02

What makes me purposeful? There you go. What makes me purposeful. Understand that challenge. That's here.

Speaker 2: 37:12

We're not talking about business or anything yet. We're talking about a business, a career, a job, this clothing we wear, these are all. I call them expressions. We're only expressing ourselves in the moment because we're trying to seek something, and that's what all humans are trying to do seek something. So let me give an example In a job, if you feel as if you're not valued or this, or you hate your boss and you move to another company, that's not because you hate those things, that's how you've expressed it and you move on because you didn't fulfill the thing that you're trying to really ultimately gain.

Speaker 2: 37:47

Now you could be in a dead-end job, but really, truly fulfills you. You'd be there long enough. Sure, all of these things are expressions, but before the expression, before airbnb, before charity war, before all of this, if we can get to the core sense of what makes me purposeful, what is the challenge? I'm here truly, and how do we do that? Well, look at your biggest data source. You have a bigger data source is your past. We don't look back and say, hey, that didn't happen, bingo, yeah. Look at it and analyze it, because nobody's taught you how to analyze it. That's the problem. Right, we're supposed to look back and say, hmm, what are the things that keep consistently, keep coming up Consistently? Define the challenge and see if it consistently falls under that umbrella. The thing that consistently falls under the umbrella, you might write, is the challenge you're here ultimately to serve.

Speaker 2: 38:42

Now, that is just your individual, the personal you know. Kyle once told us we did a facilitation with Kyle. Remember, kyle once said I love your approach, how it's personal to professional. We are trying to establish the core, inner purposefulness. Only then, when we understand how do I express it? The expression Well, do I want to go in a career? That's about that. Do I want to go into a job? That's about that. Do I want to collaborate? About that. Do I want to start a podcast? That's about that.

Speaker 1: 39:14

Until you don't know this, all of this and this is where we stop here on the expressions we stop on the expressions, here's something that you said and I'm going to wrap this up with a bow here Connection to your fulfillment by understanding yourself better. Then you can worry about expression.

Speaker 2: 39:38

Yes.

Speaker 1: 39:43

What people does is the opposite. They worry about the expression first and then look for fulfillment, which trips you up. Obviously it does Absolutely, because you're going to question yourself, doubt yourself more often than anything else, right? Because doubt is one of those things we always doubt ourselves, right? I don't think we could ever run away from the human complexities that we all face, right? Fear, doubt, anger, resentment, jealousies you know all these emotions that we feel as human. We can't completely run away from it. Every founder goes through these challenges, whether you're talking about procrastination, imposter syndrome, all those things. But you know what? There's always a way to find yourself back. You can find your way back if you understand the core challenge you're solving, can I?

Speaker 2: 40:38

add something here, please, because I think that was a really important note that you made. There is, you can always reel yourself back by going back to the challenge that you're ultimately here to face, and that is so on point. Here's the thing. Ask anyone and I always do, I always have deep conversations, or try to anyway, but where those people can't maintain that level of deep conversation, that's a very good signal that they are absolutely disconnected. We no longer have to, and I think it's such a redundant thing.

Speaker 2: 41:13

This is how we've been taught and we kind of go on. This is for our purpose. Our website nobody needs to know, because we seem to want to define it in such tight definition where that becomes limited now, because then you're saying well, I only want to live life in that one specific way. You know, when I turn 40 or whenever that question pops up why do I exist? It doesn't make sense to me. It's counterintuitive. We don't need to define it in such a detailed way and we don't have to put it up on the website, because nobody really cares. No one cares. I don't have any purpose in your purpose, humaro.

Speaker 2: 41:58

That hurts, but what I have is conviction in your vision, the energizing vision you're talking about. Right, because all of those purposes defined in such a way, it's a collective thing at the end of the day. Loneliness opportunity, in the examples that we use, loneliness opportunity we can all be purposeful in very different ways, in very different capable and competent ways that will come to align to the same thing. That's why we have so many people coming together for the energizing vision, because for that world that we're trying to create, but yeah, so really get to and I did that challenge.

Speaker 1: 42:41

This is where we align right like because, absolutely, I think that one of the things that we kept running into when we did the facilitation workshops together is people trying to look at it from such a business perspective that they forget that. You know what and this is where I saw the opportunity right that people aren't taking their personal growth seriously. Yes, you're not. You know, you're so worried, you're so concerned about looking the par on social media when you haven't even realized how you're connected to yourself All those things are. They become secondary. At that point, it is important for you to have a presence that portrays and reflects the accurate version of you, but you don't worry about performing at that point. You know what I mean. It's not a performance.

Speaker 2: 43:52

You know what I just want to add here before you finish up. I just want to add here before you finish up, there's this little framework I talk about called the serve curve, and the serve curve goes around. And if there's any benefit here for anybody is when you understand the challenge. If we start at 12 o'clock at the top in that serve curve, when you understand that challenge, when you understand yourself what you're talking about, when you understand yourself, when you're self-aware, when you truly understand, you forget your business, forget anything you're doing right now it's irrelevant. When you truly understand that challenge. That challenge dictates who you're going to be serving.

Speaker 2: 44:31

We get too fixated on who at the very beginning. It doesn't matter. At that point, understand the challenge. That challenge dictates who you're serving. And when you understood that, that's at three o'clock, then we move down through that serve curve. What are we serving? We're serving the challenge. We move across. We're saying, well, who are we serving it to? And then, when we know who we're serving it to, we move to six o'clock. We say what are we serving Right To that person, to that who? What are we serving? And then from six o'clock we go to nine o'clock. We say how are we serving Right and that fulfills why we originally solving that challenge in the first place Challenge who, what, how? We get too fixated on the how, like you said.

Speaker 1: 45:19

Go back to the challenge that will tell you who, that will tell you what and that will tell you how you simplified it. I think there are ways to complicate that. There are tons of ways to complicate that, but it really isn't that complicated. I think it's very easy for us to get complicated because we make this so fancy when that's how simple it should be. Well, this was fun. I appreciate it. Good conversation. Well, this was fun, I appreciate it. Good conversation. Sometimes you have to tear apart and talk about it in a way like we're having a conversation here. So thanks, aang. And yeah, if you are interested in learning more about this, I'll drop Aang's information down here so you can check him out. Check out his Peoplepreneur, for sure, and don't forget to connect with us and leave a review and rate and tell us what you think. All right, take care.

Speaker 1: 46:33

And that's a wrap for today's episode of the Self-Aware Solopreneur Uncover your Genius Blueprint. My friend, I hope you're feeling as energized as I am, because that was epic. Before we part ways, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you for tuning in and if today's episode sparked something, anything for you, don't be a stranger and make sure to connect with me at Homira Akhtar. Again at Homira Akhtar. Better yet, take a screenshot of this episode and tell us what is the one takeaway or insight that you can see yourself putting into action. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review, especially if it's a positive one, because, let's face it, everyone loves a positive review. Right Until next time, stay self-aware and remember your genius blueprint is waiting to be unlocked. Let's keep that momentum going. This is Myra signing off with love.