Spark Notes: Questioning Unlocks Purpose

Introducing Spark Notes, notes to spark conversation within ourselves and with others.  Join the purpose conversation.

Asking really big questions is a master key to unlocking purpose.  Yes, it’s true.  Now the big deal is who is answering.

One of my big ahas on my path to purpose is that purpose is a journey and not a destination .  If you read the book The Alchemist, the hero’s journey is the purpose journey to personal legend.  It takes a personal journey to arrive at purpose that we all hold and yet require life experiences to shift, to see and recognize it.

It was Santiago’s dreams under the sycamore tree that unlocked purpose.  His recurring dream left questions.  Questions unlock purpose.  The path to purpose requires curiosity and willingness to move in inspired action and have purposeful experiences.

In the story, one of the first questions that unlocked Santiago’s journey was from the daughter of the merchant, “why are you a shepherd when you can read?”  It is feeding  curiosity that serves people on the path to purpose.  It is a good question that sparks.

If the merchant’s daughter told Santiago, “you should discover what you can do with the thinking you’ve amassed,” or “why don’t you get a different job, shepherding is not for you?”  It could have been a completely different result and experience for Santiago.

One way that life taught me this truth was my experience during a strategy session.  We hired a great industry consultant to lead the session and yet the session shifted when he began to tell the team strategic answers rather than trusting them to find them.  The interesting thing is that his answers were good.  But it was the team that needed determine its own answers.

Sometimes we have the right answer for someone but the best result is for the person to journey to his or her answer.  The breakthrough may be one good question away.

I left this session questioning, how could this happen? We had the right resource, he was deep in knowledge and well liked by the team. The answer was in the approach.  An extractive approach unleashes the powerful answers because the facilitator trusts the person or team has the answer the question is how to support the path to the answer.

As you explore resources on your path to purpose, look for the ones that meet your big questions with tools and questions that support your inquiry.  They will give you space to have your version of purposeful experiences and determine your next best step.

XO,

Dena, Your Sister in Purpose

Dena Wiggins is a transformational author and consultant.  She takes an unwavering stand for your purpose. She supports individuals and systems of individuals in extracting insight, knowledge and purpose to leverage into Galvanized Results that spark, excite and move into action.  Stay connected, join the conversation, take inspired action.

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