We’re all familiar with the importance of our computers having a
dependable operating system, if for no other reason than we may have
experienced the contrast of NOT having one. Operating systems are
foundational to building a strong practice and life on purpose. While
this article is about building such a system in your practice, don’t
forget that it’s also vitally important to take the time and invest the
energy into building and maintaining a similar personal foundation.
Here’s a skeletal framework that can be used for building a dependable
operating system that will help assure your practice stays on purpose.
PURPOSE PRINCIPLES
Purpose principles are standards or guidelines you intend to adhere to
that will maintain the practice staying true to its vision and your
personal life purpose.
For example, one of Life On Purpose Institute, Inc.’s (LOPI) Purpose Principles is:
We add value to people’s lives for the pure joy of it.
For me this practice is consistent with our vision of a World On Purpose
as well as an expression of a "life of mindful abundance balanced with
simplicity" portion of my life purpose statement.
Here are a couple more:
* The people who work and play at Life On Purpose Institute are crystal
clear that their involvement is a full expression of their own life
purpose and that as the vision of LOPI is realized, their life purpose is
also being realized.
* At LOPI, people not only work in their jobs and their accountabilities,
they also work on them, continuing to improve, innovate and implement.
* At LOPI we realize that anything and everything can be resolved through
communication and we’d rather ere on the side of over-communicating than
under-communicating.
PURPOSE PRACTICES
Purpose Practices are ways of implementing and operating consistently
with the Purpose Principles. Here are a few examples:
* We’ve started providing each fr.ee teleclass a complete set of notes
and with a follow up ‘purposeful present’ for those who attend. These
practices are consistent with adding value to people’s lives for the pure
joy of it.
* Everyone who joins the Life On Purpose Team goes through the Life On
Purpose Process to clarify their true life purpose and learn the tools
for living true to it. This practice is consistent with the principle
that all people at our enterprise be crystal clear about our life
purpose.
* And consistent with our commitment to both work in our business and on
our business, I’ve set aside two half days to work on the business which
includes a weekly Team-LOPI phone meeting for that purpose.
PURPOSE PROJECTS
In one sense a business is what I refer to as a " Meta
that they are usually an amalgam of several smaller Purpose Projects.
The key point to remember is that for a project to be a Purpose Project
it needs to be consistent with and an expression of the vision of the
business (which, since the vision arises from the owner’s life purpose,
the projects of the business will be consistent with that as well.)
Again, as an example, Life On Purpose Institute, Inc. is a Meta Purpose
Project of my life purpose, and the business is made up of several other
Purpose Projects such as:
* Speaking On Purpose Project – This includes our fr.ee teleclasses, live
presentations, and soon will include offering our services to radio talk
shows, and also developing speaking opportunities to the Spanish speaking
world. (See personal reflection on more about this).
* Practice On Purpose – our subsidiary is its own Purpose Project and
personal coaching practice where I work with burned out boomer
professional and business owners.
* Visionary Writers On Purpose Team – Our growing team of writers
committed that the Power of Words can shape our world and create a World
On Purpose.
The list goes on and on, but I won’t. I think you get the point.
SUPPORT STRUCTURES
These are the physical structures that you may need to maintain your
principles, practices and projects and could include:
* Weekly team meetings
* Displays of your principles and practices
* Notebook where you keep your list of Purpose Projects, etc.
Building such an operating system in your business and in your personal
life takes time, which is why it’s important to carve out ‘working-on-
your-business (and on your life)’ time for such activities. In the
process of forging such a system you are bringing a level of integrity to
your business and life that will serve you well in the long run.
