Finding your life mission in 5 minutes… It seems terribly unrealistic. If it were so simple, why would there be over 10,000 books devoted to the subject on Amazon? However, it’s all the more playable because you just need to ask yourself the right questions.
What happy people know better than others…
The American Adam Leipzigbestselling author and documentary producer, explains that the key to discovering your life’s mission is finding the answers to five essential questions, three of which have nothing to do with yourself.
At the origin of his method, he tells the story of a class reunion with his former classmates from Yale University. It was a privileged group, people with an excellent education, a big network and professional opportunities galore. However, Adam realized that 80% of them lacked confidence and were unhappy in life.
Leipzig explains: “ In talking to the happiest 20%, I discovered the main thing that set them apart from the rest. Each of them knew their life’s purpose, because they knew five things: who they were, what they were doing, who they were doing it for, what those people wanted or needed, and the benefit what these people got out of it (or how it impacted their lives)“.
Let’s replace these five elements by explaining them…
5 questions to find your life mission in 5 minutes
- Who are you? It’s simple: what is your first name?
- Now what do you do?
What do you like to do? Do you like reading, cooking, designing, creating apps, writing code, doing math, speaking, teaching? If lots of things come to mind, be selective and only remember one by asking yourself the question: what is the thing that you feel capable of learning and passing on to others? Find an idea (a word or group of words) and keep it in your head.
- Now who are you doing it for?
What is your target? Who are you speaking to? Who is your audience? Who are your customers?
- What do these people want?
What do they expect from you? Why do they come to you? What are their real needs?
- And the 1000 point question: how does what you do transform them?
How do these people change after you give them your help, your contribution, your service or your product? What benefit do they get from it?
Now, to determine your life mission in 5 minutes, all you need to do is construct a sentence that includes all of these elements. Then, you will look for a simple formula to summarize it.
I’ll give you three telling examples so that you understand the approach and find a little inspiration:
- “I’m Anna and I write books for children, so they can fall asleep and have wonderful dreams. » could give “I am Anna and I give dreams to children. »
- “I’m Paul and I invent fitness equipment for men and women who have limited means, so they can get in better shape. » “ I am Paul and j‘helps people feel healthier,’
- “I am Fabrice and I train entrepreneurs to make important decisions so that they can succeed in the project of their dreams. » could give “ I am Fabrice and I‘helps entrepreneurs achieve their goals. »
Why does this formulation work so well?
Of the five questions formulated to find your life mission in 5 minutes, there are only two that talk about yourself. The other three concern those you are speaking to: who they are, what they want, and how it transforms them. This approach requires looking outwards, that is to say towards others. All successful people clearly know who they are addressing and how they can be of service to others and even… make them happy.
This little exercise may not seem like much, but it can bring you a lot because it is a natural and spontaneous response to a question you are regularly asked: “ And you, what do you do for a living?“
Adam Leipzig’s method will allow you to create a catchphrase to start a conversation with anyone, anytime and anywhere.
Such a presentation formula will inevitably arouse curiosity in your interlocutor: “So like that, you offer dreams to children ? But still? » or “ How do you do itur help entrepreneurs achieve their goals? Have you set up an incubator? ».
From there, the exchange can really begin…
It’s up to you to do the exercise… You have five minutes 🙂
