Defining your Purpose: the individual compass to motivate action and trigger change
Purpose is the engine that fuels the motivation of everyone within an organization. Everyone possesses a deep "reason for being" that, when aligned with corporate strategy, transforms uncertainty into a drive toward a desired future. The My Purpose Canvas adopts a Western reinterpretation of the Japanese Ikigai philosophy to help you clarify this personal compass.
While the original Ikigai is an intimate concept tied to the meaning of daily life, its application in this tool proposes bringing to light the meaning that drives your actions across various fields, including the professional one.
Without a clear sense of individual direction, it is impossible to design desirable futures together. Use this canvas to express the unique skills and value each person provides, turning individual motivation into the driving force of the entire strategy.
The future begins with a why. Find your purpose to give a new meaning to your every strategic choice.
How to use the My Purpose Canvas
Exploration
Start by analyzing the four fundamental pillars of your professional and personal identity. This phase requires honesty and listening to map the foundations of your potential.
Step 1: What you are good at.
Define what you do well, that is, what you are good at and what others also recognize as key competencies. Which talents do you have? Be as honest as possible.
Step 2: What the world needs.
Observe the ecosystem: what are the real needs and external challenges waiting for a solution?
Step 3: What you love to do.
Reflect on what gives you energy and what you experience with pleasure and ease.
Step 4: What you can be paid for.
Investigate what professional value the ecosystem is willing to recognize, in economic or reputational terms.
Synthesis
Once the more introspective phase is complete, work on the intersections between the pillars to define areas of impact. Pay attention to the elements closest to the center of the diagram; they will be fundamental in defining your Purpose.
Step 5: Define your Passion.
Determine your Passion, that is what you are good at and what you love doing.
6. Sixth Step
Combine what you love with the world's needs to give your action a sense of impact.
7. Seventh step
Identify the area where market needs meet your professional sustainability.
8. Eighth step
Determine your Vocation, that is what you could be paid for and what the world (or the people in it) needs according to you.
9. Nineth step
At the heart of the canvas, synthesize these balances: the contact point between your identity and the collective strategy.
