I was recently asked, “Why do you do what you do?”I stumbled when trying to summarize an answer. Had I been asked, “What do I do?”or “How do I do it?” or “Whom do I do it for?” I could have easily answered those questions. But I was asked, “Why do you do what you do?”

Shortly after I was asked that question, the Pastor of my church sent me an email with a link to watch Simon Sinek speak about how great leaders inspire action. A week or so after that video, a colleague and friend sent me a video by Daniel Pink on what truly motivates us.

I felt I was being called to address this question so that I could confidently answer it. And as our firm continues to grow, I knew I needed to create a culture around this “Why.” Why is really why we get out of bed in the morning. This is the essence of what excites us and inspires us to be better and do more.

After much study and contemplation our team implemented the following purpose statement for our firm:

We are faithful stewards who educate and inspire retiree’s to take action to achieve clarity, confidence and freedom so that when we stand before God we will be greeted with, “Well done good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:21

As our team sat down to address this question, we started by identifying key words that came to mind. We wanted to share these ideas and concepts that ultimately fashioned our purpose statement so you can understand the complete depth of its meaning to us.

Faithful: Defined by dictionary.com as being true to one’s word, promises, vows. Reliable, trusted, believed. Steady in allegiance or affection, loyal constant. This is one of the seven fruits of the Spirit.

Stewardship: Defined by dictionary.com as the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving. The position and duties of a steward, a person who acts as the surrogate of another or others especially by managing property, financial affairs, an estate, etc. The Parable of the Bags of Gold Matthew 25: 14-30

Educate and Inspire Action: I’ve heard it said that the aim of education is action not knowledge so we want to provide quality education to our communtiy so the people we serve will have all of the information needed to take action to make their life better.

Clarity:
Defined by dictionary.com as clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity. We want to help our clients realize clarity of purpose to begin with the end in mind and to truly understand what it is they are looking to achieve.

Confidence: Once we understand personal clarity we need to have the knowledge and plan that we are moving in the right direction. Confidence defined by dictionary.com is full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing.

Freedom: Defined by dictionary.com as the power to determine action without restraint. A plan creates freedom: freedom from worry, freedom from greed, freedom to pursue the relationships and interests that are most important.

What ultimately is our motivation: A friend of mine walked me through a values conversation once about what is truly most important in my life. Every time I gave him an answer he would repeat back to me what I just said and then ask me why is that important to you. By the end of our conversation my ultimate why was answered with the following.

So that when I stand before God, I will be greeted with, “Well done good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:21

What is your purpose statement? What is it that you want to accomplish? And why do you do what you do? Post a reply or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.