A Guide to Writing Your Purpose Statement
On gaining a grounded, mycelial approach to your purpose
I used to feel like my multi-facetedness made my purpose seem too complex to even begin to engage my community around it.
But I realized multifacetedness actually makes your purpose more impactful, and this is something you can communicate through a clear purpose statement/s.
As multi-hyphenates, we have to get comfortable with breaking the “marketing norms” because we will likely have multiple purpose statements for different types of projects and roles.
With that, we should also see past present-day business techniques like niching down, because purpose is an ancient concept that bypasses any present-day limitations.
“In ancient times, Dharma meant the universal laws of nature, which are applicable to everyone”(Vipassana Research Institute). One way of conceptualizing this is through Ikigai, a structure that has been deeply embedded in Japan’s cultural tapestry for centuries. It translates to “reason to live”(Ikigai Living).
These ancient ideals can be revived through our practices and work. They can also influence us to follow what we know to be our purpose, even if it might seem like there’s no clear marketing strategy for it.
You don’t have to abandon your multifacetedness to claim your purpose; you just have to see the mycelial connection between it all!
In social justice, all movements intersect in ways that support each other and nurture a collective movement towards liberation. Similarity, our various passions and interests can intersect to support our core purpose.
When you elaborate on your purpose through writing, content, and storytelling, you express it as the driving force of your work, and it affirms the value and impact of your work. So, below is a guide on writing your unique purpose statement. I highly encourage you to answer these questions in your notes app or journal!
What should your Purpose Statement include?
Your purpose statement should cover who you are, what your work is informed by, what you are achieving through your work, and how.
1. Who you are: identities, archetypes you embody, roles you fulfill…
2. What your work is informed by: education, frameworks, history, practices, philosophies, your own identities and lived experiences…
3. What you are achieving through your work: the overarching impact that your work makes
4. How you’re achieving this: artforms, lines of work, practices, your offerings
How does it feel to get clear on these points? If you’d like further support with telling the story of your purpose, I have offerings just for you.
My Story Coaching is for you if you are ready to be a more vocal storyteller. Through Story Coaching, you get a mycelial understanding of how your offerings are interconnected. We will cultivate language that affirms your impact, approach, intentions, values and lived experiences that are embedded into your work.
P.S. Why call it a purpose rather than a mission?
The word “Mission” was first used by colonizers and conquistadores regarding “misiones”, which were establishments run by the christian state on a literal mission to assimilate Indigenous peoples into christianity and whiteness.
Instead, try: Purpose, Ultimate Goal, Scope [of the project / of my work], Intention, Projected Outcome
Thank you for being here!
♡, Gí Tenamá