“It is not daily increase but daily decrease; hack away the unessential. The closer to the source, the less wastage there is.”
If you’ve read the quote that I love by martial artist Bruce Lee above, then you can appreciate the next three critical steps to living a life of purpose. They’re not only accessible, but they also bust the myths we’ve heard about purpose. If you complete these three steps, you’ll be that much closer to spending your life on what matters–what’s most essential in your life. As Lee puts it, hack away at what’s unessential.
1. Take an inventory of your values – Living a life of purpose starts with values, and we can ask ourselves what expressions of those values bring meaning to our lives. It’s important to check in with your values regularly, especially after a crisis. You don’t exit a crisis the way you enter it. You’re a different person for having lived through it. Hopefully stronger and wiser for it. Use that wisdom to reevaluate your priorities.
For instance, there are some great lists online that you can review, but try to choose one so you can begin by putting a dot next to each item that resonates on the list. Now narrow those dots by half. Now circle the values that really come through to you and try to narrow your list to ten. (I had twenty-two that I couldn’t let go of at one point, so be forgiving of yourself the first time.) If you HAD to choose only seven, what does that list look like? What behaviors surface? How does this list direct your attention?
Now vet your seven values by asking, “What does this value mean to me?” For instance, if the value is generosity, does that mean generous with your time, with money, with resources, with connections, at work, at home, in the community, etc.? Are you choosing values to please external circumstances? Consider nuances between seemingly similar words, such as guilt and shame. Guilt means “I did badly.” Shame means “I am bad.”
2. Get out of your own way – Our ability to hack out the unessential is also dependent on overcoming our limiting beliefs. Sometimes our limiting beliefs cause us to waste time and energy second-guessing ourselves and taking unnecessary detours when we could be drawing a straighter line between our abilities and our goals. Limiting beliefs typically fall into two categories: (1) I’m not “something” enough, or (2) Who am I to …?
You have to be diligent in your fight against the limiting narrative in your head that causes you to play smaller. Our lives are simply a physical manifestation of the narrative in our heads. What does turning our limiting beliefs into the positive look like? One of my colleagues once said, “For so long, I never felt safe to be myself at work. The impact was that I often felt unseen, and I was hustling to show my worth, which led to burnout. So I decided to believe that my real self and my gifts are what positively disrupt the status quo.”
My colleague focused on an empowering belief about what her differences brought to the table rather than limiting questions about her ability to contribute. You’ve heard the saying, “Sometimes you’ve got to fake it until you make it.” In this case, you need to say it until you make it. Make room for your aspiration that wants to take the front seat in your life.
3. Now give yourself a perfect day – Harvard-trained sociologist and bestselling author Dr. Martha Beck practices what she calls the “Perfect Day Visualization.”
- Prepare: Begin by ensuring you’re well-rested. Fatigue can diminish this exercise. Sit or lie down and close your eyes to minimize distractions.
- Engage your senses: Start by imagining waking up in the morning, feeling completely refreshed. Listen to the sounds around you in your visualization: birds chirping, the ocean, or any sounds that bring you feelings of freedom or joy.
- Think about details: Think of sensory details, such as the temperature, humidity in the air, and your surroundings. Visualize the environment, the room, the people around you, even pets.
- Allow, don’t force: Do not force your imagination. Let the ideal scenes emerge naturally as if you are observing them rather than creating them from scratch.
- Repeat and realize: Repeat this exercise multiple times. Over time, many people find that elements from their visualized perfect day start happening in their real lives. Keep in mind that this is not the Law of Attraction. This is different–it’s an unconstrained observational exercise.
When leaders clearly define their values and envision their ideal day, they align their actions with what truly matters, fostering authenticity and purpose in their leadership. This clarity helps them prioritize the essential over the merely urgent, making decisions that reflect their core beliefs.
As a result, their teams benefit from a consistent, value-driven approach that builds trust and inspires others to focus on meaningful work. By modeling discernment and intentional living, leaders create a culture where individuals are empowered to pursue what is essential, leading to greater fulfillment, resilience, and collective success.
How often do you pause to assess whether your daily actions reflect your deepest values? Are you leading in a way that inspires others to prioritize what truly matters? What would change if you spent more time focusing on what is essential rather than what is expected?
One of the principles in martial arts is a mind-and-body connection as well as discipline and flexibility—all great attributes of a leader who lives intentionally. Take the time to reflect on your expectations and check in with your values and roles so you can identify what might be holding you back. When you understand these three steps toward living a life of purpose, you’ll experience a greater physical and mental well-being and the ability to discern—no, hack away at—what’s getting in the way of your best life.
Bruce Lee mural by Luke Dragon at 857 Commercial Street, San Francisco, CA 94108
