There’s a world of incredible possibilities out there but what you see, starts with WHO YOU ARE!

Who are you? Really. What’s your answer? Take a moment, before you continue reading, and write down whatever comes to mind.

I attended a workshop last week on Identity Leadership, which resonated as completely aligned with our approach with leaders at PurposeFused on living and leading with Purpose.

Firstly, there’s no right or wrong answer to your question as whatever you perceive yourself to be is your reality. However, it may not be your truth.

Too often, we define our identity from the outside-in. For example: I am a father, a leader, a husband, a kids’ sports coach, a social enterprise founder, a former international rugby player. While all these things are real, none of them are my identity. They are roles I have chosen over time as vehicles through which I have activated my identity.

Why does this matter?

Because if we perceive our identity to be defined by our roles, our business, our family, our community – all things external to us – we can never experience freedom. That’s the hedonic treadmill, folks! We will always be seeking validation and happiness from these externalities, but after a quick peak or rush of feeling good, we soon come back to where we were before. So we run faster, harder, in search of the next validation.

This is one reason transitions can become so incredibly hard, as we’re wrapped up in our former titles, roles, companies, etc. Without knowing who we truly are, we start running in search of the next thing, and if it doesn’t materialize, we find ourselves lost!

While of course, all these externalities are important in life, our freedom comes from inside-out, and it involves designing, building, and living your ideal life based FIRST upon who you are on the inside. Then pursuing and realizing your purpose.

So, depending upon how you answered the original question, consider these additional questions to answer who you truly are:

• What do you care about in life?
• What do you believe in?
• What energizes you?
• What brings you joy?
• What meaningful difference would you be proud to make in 10+ years’ time, across the different areas of your life?
• What characteristics do you most authentically exhibit that encompass the above?

If helpful, you can consider the opposites of these too (sometimes it’s easier).

Unsurprisingly, these would be the types of questions we would reflect upon, explore, and discuss to discover our purpose. Because once we know who we truly are, we can define our purpose as our inside-out manifestation of our identity.

So for me, my purpose is: “Creating opportunities that inspire people to go forward as the ultimate version of themselves.”

Knowing this, I can be intentional about designing, building, and living my best possible life. I won’t always succeed, but I am very clear on where I’m headed, and it’s a journey grounded in my wellbeing, driven by performance, and inspired by impact. That makes it fulfilling, joyful, exciting, and sustainable because it’s from inside-out.

I am then able to bring my purpose to life for myself and externally for friends and family, through my work, with my community, and (hopefully eventually) through my money! This journey is authentic and unique to me, it’s my choice, it’s on my terms, and perhaps most importantly, it positively impacts others.

Now that’s freedom, and it’s awesome!

So if you want to be free, the one big question to start with is “Who am I?”