It has been a little over a year since I founded Encore Tampa Bay and began the mission of accelerating the encore movement in our community. There have been many important lessons I have learned along the way.
At the heart, the concept of discovering your encore boils down to one thing, finding your purpose. There are two incredible books that I am currently reading that have made a tremendous impact on my thinking and shaped my mission for Encore Tampa Bay. (This does not trump the ultimate life changing book for me, “Encore”, written by Marc Freedman!).
In Richard Leider’s book, “The Power of Purpose”, he writes, “Purpose is fundamental to human life. Purpose gives us the reason to get up in the morning. It gives us courage.”
We all have a purpose, whether we know it or not.
Discovering your purpose is at the core of what we are doing at the Encore Academy, through our workshops and discussion groups. Discovering purpose is extremely important for those entering the second half of life when values, roles and situations change dramatically. In a time when people have lost their jobs or have experienced some kind of loss, it is our identity and purpose that centers us and gives us courage to consider living a life that is of purpose. Encore.org has put purpose at the top of their focus as they created the prestigious and inspirational Purpose Prize Awards. Richard Leider’s book does an incredible job of looking at the many benefits of finding purpose from an emotional, physical and psychological point of view. I plan on writing another blog post specifically on the nuggets in this book.
As I began crafting my vision for Encore Tampa Bay, I knew that finding purpose and helping people discover their encore was more than just helping individuals. Aaron Hurst has just written a powerful new book, “The Purpose Economy”that takes the concept of purpose and expands its impact and framework beyond the notion of individual purpose.
In the Purpose Economy, Hurst suggests that we are moving beyond the Industrial and Information Economies to an economy that serves the people and the planet. Hurst writes,
“The Purpose Economy is defined by the quest for people to have more purpose in their lives. An economy where value lies in establishing purpose for employees and customers through serving the needs greater than their own, enabling personal growth and building community”.
Hurst talks about the three types of purpose that are transforming the economy:
- Personal purpose
- Social purpose (relationships and connections), and
- Societal purpose (this is not just philanthropy and non-profits, but includes corporate products and services).
In a recent interview with Hurst, he talks about the myths and misperception about finding purpose at work or in life. There is a misconception that people think to have an encore career they need to move to Africa or start a non profit to make that shift. The reality is there are a lot of incremental changes that can be made at work. People can find purpose in any kind of job. It all has to do with attitude and approach. Purpose is a choice. Marc Freedman, the founder of Encore.org, reminds us that you don’t have to reinvent yourself to find your purpose or encore but simply reintegrate who you are. The important message from “The Purpose Economy”; pathways to purpose are not only the individual’s choice but the organization’s as well. That is the bigger picture.
I will be writing additional blog posts focusing on the many aspects of purpose and content from this book.
Are you wondering about your purpose?
Here is a great diagnostic tool that might help you get started on your Purpose Journey. Go to the Purpose Journey website and find your purpose patterns.. Want to join in the “Purpose” conversation?
The Encore Academy is hosting a free discussion group on June 24 at the St. Petersburg Greenhouse, from 10:30-12pm, “Purpose: Finding Meaning and Happiness in the Encore Years”