Last week I covered the essence of Service on our journey to SPARK success on the SPARK Arc. This week, I will dive a little deeper into the importance of the second element: Purpose.

If you close your eyes; ease your mind, and listen very closely, you will hear the beautifully composed echoes of your life’s memories, experiences and emotions. This tapestry of events and moments shapes your identity and defines who you are. I call this symphony your inner SPARK, and it serves as a guiding force that propels your self-discovery and meaningful existence.

Yet, our SPARK burns brightest when we learn how to mine, refine and fuel it with a deeper Purpose.

As many of you are aware, the SPARK concept encompasses five crucial elements – Service, Purpose, Attraction, Resilience, and Knowing. I delve into this concept extensively in my book, SPARK: Journey from Success to Significance, as well as through many blog posts, videos and podcasts.

In Part 2 of the book, Steve, our main protagonist, while on a pit stop at a fast food restaurant, crosses paths with two young women – Ananya and Shruti. Lost at the time, Steve was desperately trying to find his way to his final destination. Upon being recipients of Steve’s beautiful act of kindness, the two girls offer him a lift to his next port of call.

What was to be a short car ride turned into a longer journey, during which the three travellers embarked on many discussions and deliberations. After being deeply inspired by Ananya and Shruti’s experiences, Steve is left to grapple with the stark realization of how far he has strayed from his Purpose. At worst, even if he felt he had a calling in life, he wondered if it was really his own.

He realized that although he could navigate to any outer location he was searching for with the power of Google Maps, he wondered whether he was correctly manoeuvring his inner calling to reach his destined destination?

Had he been running from, rather than to it for so long?

The abrupt revelation of being purposeless and adrift thrusts him into an unsettling vortex of self-doubt and lack of meaning in his life.

For you see, you can’t sail the seas of life joyfully without aligning them with a clear Purpose. And when navigating through its many storms, it is our Purpose which steers us away from or out of them.

So let’s talk about how your inner purpose can help create a life you are excited and passionate about. A life that fills you up with joy, meaning and gratitude.

Purpose plays a defining role in igniting your SPARK and navigating the journey of life to attain your fullest potential. Harnessing this innate purpose often involves first the conscious exploration of our Purpose Quotient—an intricate blend of discovering one’s unique gifts, harmonising one’s strengths and opportunities, and learning to seamlessly navigate the rhythm of daily existence to actualise one’s promise.

Let’s explore 3 practices that can help you realize purposeful gains:

1. Find and Deploy Your Birth-day Gift or Magic:

You are born with a Birth-day Gift. A gift that ensures there is no one else like you in this world. No one else can match your smile, style, or DNA. No one can think like you or speak like you. You are unique, gifted, and special. Thus, any life journey you take should always be embarked upon by acknowledging and optimizing this distinctive gift. Furthermore, all your innate gifts are ubiquitously tied to your Purpose. It is crucial you discover these gifts and use them purposefully. For instance, when you act, do so by optimizing your unique set of talents, which will unlock the potential for 360-degree impact. Whether it’s a skill, passion, natural talent or inclination – consistently recognizing and utilizing your Birth-day Gift becomes a powerful catalyst for personal growth and professional success, as well as a highly fulfilling life experience.

2. Articulate Your Very Own Ultimate Purpose Credo (UPC):

Living your Purpose often requires a solid personal compass or guidepost that is unwavering. One approach to illuminating this way of being is to craft a well-articulated Ultimate Purpose Credo or UPC. Your UPC should align every facet of your life with your ultimate ambition. By articulating and adhering to the essence of your philosophy (values, principles and beliefs) through your credo, you will spark clarity, direction and trust in yourself, as well as those you lead. Such an alignment, between intention and action, can transform your daily endeavours into meaningful, purpose-driven results.

3. Function in a Fluid Flow State:

You’ve likely heard of the phrase, “being in the zone” or “being in the flow”? Similarly, the phenomenon known as the ‘flow state’ describes a person who is completely and utterly absorbed in a particular task or activity. So much so that they are immune to any distractions or detours. In the SPARK realm, we want to aim for this to be a fluid process – one that flows in harmony with body, soul and mind. This type of fluidity heightens your senses and seamlessly merges task, time and tenacity into a single pursuit for purposeful productivity. In a Fluid Flow State, you are at your peak!

In summary, implement a purpose-driven approach by first finding and optimizing your Birth-day Gift. Then, power that gift by pairing it with an Ultimate Purpose Credo (UPC) that aligns intention and action. And third, build a harmonious process that functions at its peak in a Fluid Flow State. Together, these steps will help you further ignite, fuel and energize your journey from success to significance.

If you want to learn more secrets about how to function at your peak using all 5 of the SPARK elements in full flow, come and join me at my FREE Live Webinar + Q&A on February 28th, 2024 at 10 AM EST / 830 PM IST, where I’ll cover these and other concepts in more depth.

Hope to see you there!