There are few things more rewarding than raising a child. When you become a parent, your identity changes. You have a new priority, and your life now revolves around another person.
Some parents lean into this new identity as Mom or Dad, meaning being a parent has fulfilled them and they feel like they’re on their ideal path. Others struggle with finding a balance between their identity as a parent and as an individual. If you identify with the latter, it doesn’t mean you love your child any less. It simply means you need to find the right balance between being the best parent you can be and pursuing other meaningful endeavors. It all comes down to figuring out and living on your purpose.
That being said, life happens, and things don’t always work out the way you hope.
Perhaps you want to dedicate yourself fully to raising your child, but you have to work to provide for your family. Maybe you’d love to pursue a new career, business or passion project, but it feels too risky to make a change. Or you could be in a position where you had to give up something you loved, as your child is now the priority.
Whatever your unique situation is, finding your purpose is the first step in living your best life.
There’s a common misconception around purpose. Many people believe to be on their purpose they have to be doing something specific, as in a specific vocation or role in the family. But your purpose is not WHAT you do. It is what you bring to whatever role you choose.
Purpose is your WHY. And sometimes your WHY can be fulfilled in unexpected ways.
This is good news for parents. Because our children are our priorities, we can’t make changes that would impact their well-being. We have to provide and do what’s best for them, but with purpose, you never stop living it. You can’t not do it. Whether it is at home, from home, in the office or on the field, you live your purpose.
At Succeed On Purpose, we teach individuals to define their purpose using a two-word statement. It seems simple, but the words matter because it will give you a new level of clarity.
Once you know your purpose, you can reframe your mindset around what you’re already doing and more easily identify where to focus your time. For example, my purpose is to “bring joy.” Once I discovered this, I was able to frame the things I was already doing by how they bring joy to others, so I found more meaning in them. I now make a point to invest my time in things that will fulfill my purpose.
Finding your purpose is like a light turning on. It provides a sense of clarity around what you’re doing and where you should go next.
To discover your purpose, take our course, Get Clarity.
Once you find your purpose, it brings clarity and a whole new meaning behind everything you do.
And as parents, we have an opportunity to be an example for our children. How we live and how we encourage and appreciate our children developing their own uniqueness is incredible!
We don’t have to put life on pause as a parent to live on our purpose. There are endless possibilities to to live your why because your purpose and the path to fulfillment are completely personal to you.
If you’re a parent ready to find a new path, or simply find more meaning in what you’re already doing, take the Get Clarity course. It’s time to succeed on purpose!
