We Are One, But We Are Not The Same

By Robin Fisher Roffer

Each of us is born for a specific purpose. Now is the time to uncover your calling to give your life and career real meaning.

The other day I was surfing the web looking for inspiration when I came across Simon Sinek’s TED Talk entitled “How Great Leaders Inspire Action.” Sinek’s premise is that organizations and their leaders create emotional connections and galvanize loyalty when they start with “WHY” they do what they do, rather than drone on about “WHAT” they do or “HOW” they do it.

Think about it. You’re most likely to be loyal to brands that have clearly articulated a larger meaning for their existence. Maybe they are on a mission, perhaps even leading a cause or movement. Knowing that a brand wants you to think different (Apple) or just do it (Nike) or experience magic (Disney) draws you in and inspires you.

How often do you start a conversation with WHAT you do, rather than WHY you do it?

Starting with WHY is the key to immediate attraction and engagement. When I tell people that my mission is to “Inspire professionals and their companies to fearlessly achieve their highest potential,” they want to know more. My mission serves as a North Star to guide my life and my work – inspiring others and informing everything I do.

If you’re wondering why you’re not getting the projects or clients you desire, maybe it’s because you haven’t clearly articulated WHY you do what you do. You haven’t given your work a deeper meaning that would inspire action and loyalty.

To uncover your WHY, you have to step back from your life, go inside yourself and quietly ask the question, “Why am I here?” The answer that comes back to you will help you declare your mission and shape how you move forward in your career.

A friend of mine, the great poet and Pakistani businesswoman Syeda Henna Babar Ali, recently shared with me the importance of self-reflection. She said, “The fundamental thing is to know ourselves, to understand ourselves, to be ourselves and to learn to live with ourselves.” Those that can do this to optimum capacity thrive because they effortlessly start with WHY.

I believe that we are all one – deeply connected to each other’s actions and reactions, but we are not the same. Each one of us has a job to do in his or her lifetime that entails more than punching a clock, putting food on the table and chauffeuring kids. The journey, and what has been the real joy in my life, is to finally find my mission and harness all my energy to it.

Surrender to who you are and WHY you are here. It will be a beautiful and powerful experience to discover the purpose of your life.