How to Live With Intentionality and Purpose

A senior manager I’ve been coaching recently asked: How do I define my purpose and ensure it aligns with my company's mission? It's a common question and a critical one. The first step is clarity—understanding what drives you. What gets you excited to jump out of bed in the morning? That’s where your personal purpose begins. Here are the questions I walked them through to help clarify their individual purpose: > What do you care about most deeply? What brings you fulfillment whenever you engage with it? > What strengths or skills do you naturally bring to the table? How do these make you effective? > Reflect on your proudest achievements. What common themes emerge? > What motivates you to keep pushing forward, even when challenges arise? > When you think about your legacy, what do you hope people will say about your impact? > If you could focus your energy on one global problem or opportunity that aligns with your strengths and values, what would it be? > What unique perspective do you bring? How does it set you apart? > If you had to distill all of this into one mission, what change would you want to create? > On a personal level, why does this matter to you? What deeper fulfillment does it bring? If you haven’t explored these questions before, I highly recommend taking the time to do so. The answers will not only help you find your purpose—they’ll also guide you in aligning that purpose with your company’s goals. Once you’re clear on what drives you, opportunities to align with company objectives will appear naturally, often in the most unexpected places. For me, it's all about growth. It’s a value I hold deeply. And as a result, I constantly encounter opportunities to support growth—whether at an individual, team, or company level. Take the time to reflect. The clarity you gain will empower you to make more intentional, impactful decisions.

Ever have that moment where you look up from your laptop and think, This is not what I signed up for. You’ve had your head down, working hard, just trying to make it through the days and weeks. Then you stop. Blink. And start saying thinking: How did I end up here? This isn’t what I thought it was going to be. Is this as good as it gets? Is this even what I want? I don’t have any other options. I’ve been there for sure. That line of thinking can make you feel powerless and trapped. Which often leads to not making any changes. To burnout, dread, anxiety, and overwhelm. You end up abdicating your autonomy to your job. There are so many ways you can start making small shifts that add up to a completely different day-to-day emotional experience. Change in the right direction. Some ideas: 1️⃣ Reconnect with your values and goals: Take some time to reflect on what's important to you and what you hope to achieve in your career. It may not be the same as it was when you started out. Once you’ve done that, what needs to change to get in alignment with those values and goals? Start making changes one by one. 2️⃣ Focus on what you can control: It's easy to feel overwhelmed or frustrated by the things that are outside of your control, such as organizational policies and politics, supervisors, colleagues, clients, trends in your industry, or the job market. Instead of focusing on these external factors, focus on the things that you can control, such as your own mindset, work habits, and actions. 3️⃣ Identify areas for growth: It’s possible that you aren’t being challenged enough or that your professional growth has stalled or that you are bored with what you are currently doing. Where can you add or take advantage of some opportunities for growth and development? 4️⃣ Build in time for rest: It’s hard to get unstuck when you are going full speed all. the. time. Start building in some intentional slow downs. Create the space you need to assess your life. 5️⃣ Build relationships and community: When we are overworking, we neglect our need for human connection. Where can you build in more meaningful connection? 6️⃣ Ask yourself this → If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your current job, what would it be? Then, answer this → How can I make that happen without a magic wand? 7️⃣ Get coached. I know what it is like to look up and feel lost about where you are and how you got there. Getting coached helped me make significant changes to the way my life looked and felt (and those tools are still helping me do that every single day). ❔How are you feeling about your job and your life right now?

I know you’re busy, that not everything is 🌈 and 🧁, or 🦄 with glittery horns. As a single entrepreneurial mom of 3, I won’t water it down—it’s a struggle to maintain, build business, be present with the fam, make the appointments, clean house, do the daily workout + pray. I know you get it. Life is sometimes hard to sustain. Even within the busy stack of daily life, negativity pokes + prods. Maybe it’s an unkind word, self-doubt, imposter syndrome, or fear. We feel happy or sad, on edge or blah. But those are feelings—transient, present like the ebb and flow of the tides. They can change with a conversation, a scroll, or thought. This is why finding that blanket of joy + purpose is important— not just a “feeling” but something deeper, transcending the good, and bad. God-driven. This balance of life reminds me of a quote by Tim Cook. "If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. That is not true at all. You will work harder than you ever thought possible, but the tools will feel light in your hands." It’s important to realize that work + life don’t get easier with passion and purpose—the weight just becomes bearable. That original myth is misleading + could imply that “work” is effortless. But “work” requires challenge for growth... perseverance, consistency, discipline + no comfort zones. Fueled by passion + a “why” that can’t be taken away by a fleeting feeling. It’s climbing the mountain of rocks + tricky steps to claim your KINGdom—except there’s no peak; you just start climbing another elevation. That fulfillment is what makes the “tools feel lighter.” Finding the joy through your unique purpose, which overrides circumstantial feelings. How can you keep that in focus? 🟢Recalibrate Daily: Morning routine that works + aligns with your purpose. Include intentions. Evening routine that includes planning your next day, ensuring what you’re spending time on (appointments, tasks, priorities, time-blocking, etc.) is worthy. Reflect, journal, gratitude. 🟢Mindset Resets: If you struggle with negative self-talk or similar challenges, set reminders to refocus. Set intentions, boldness, reset your physiological stance and eye contact. 🟢Goal Setting Break down your short- and long-term goals into daily action steps (aligned) 🟢Reframe All those hard challenges that are daunting + stressful? Reframe them as opportunities to climb higher. 🟢Find a Mentor / Be a Mentor / Lead Well / Provide Value 🟢Pay Attention to Who and What You Surround Yourself With: You know the deal here. Surround yourself with people and situations that will propel and energize you, not drag you down or drain you. 🟢Rest + Rewards: Remember to give yourself rest and recognize your efforts with rewards that matter. Now, back to Tim Cook’s quote… ✅Do you have an overall foundation of joy and purpose that transcends daily life and all it brings? ✅What can you do to work even harder while making the tools feel even lighter?

The space between an event or situation and our reaction to it is where transformation happens. Victor Frankl once wrote: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” That “space” he describes is a gift—one we often overlook in our busy, reactive lives. Yet, how we use it shapes our relationships, our leadership, and even our sense of self. As I reflect on my own journey, I’ve realized that learning to pause in that space has been so important. It’s where clarity, curiosity, and care live. It’s where we reclaim our power to act thoughtfully instead of react impulsively. Here are three ways we can make the most of that space: (1) Pause with Purpose In moments of tension or uncertainty, resist the urge to act immediately. Take a breath. Ask yourself: What outcome do I truly want here? The pause allows you to respond intentionally, rather than reactively. (2) Get Curious About Your Reaction When you feel triggered, dig deeper. Why does this bother you? What assumptions are you making? Curiosity in that space not only helps you understand yourself but also creates opportunities for growth and connection. (3) Choose Your Response with Care Once you’ve paused and reflected, act in a way that aligns with your values. This alignment builds trust with others and strengthens your own sense of purpose. Each of us has the power to turn that space into a place of possibility. How we use it determines the transformation we create in our lives and others’. #reaction #learning #growth #change #reflection #intentionality #selfReflection

As humans in development, leaders wanting to be better, co-workers wanting to add more value, people changing careers for something more meaningful, we all look for resources to help us find our path. What we forget is: We are our best resource! Before any step in our life, we should make this introspection and be able to answer the following questions: 1. Who am I? 2. What do I believe in? 3. What do I do best? 4. When am I at my best version? 5. What is my purpose in life? When we understand much more about ourselves, many MANY of the questions we have, when we are at a crossroad in our lives, are automatically answered! Talking to many mentees, the moment they see their #purpose phrase and they start to connect it to different areas of their lives, many #insights start to emerge. One example was a mentee who figured out her purpose as being a constant learner and strong supporter of visualizing solutions and possibilities to support others to grow. When this was unfolded, she automatically understood her lack of patience with people who took too much time to make decisions or who didn't want to do their best and learn from each new challenge. She also understood how to deal more with these situations and then meet these people at their moment. Even more - how do I learn from the moment this person is in? Knowing your purpose will allow you to find faster answers and to help other people, also learning from people who are different from you or are at a different moment of life than yours! ___ #LaraBezerra #WorkCoherence #LaraReflections #SelfDiscovery #LeadershipDevelopment #FindYourPurpose