Why do you do what you do? It’s a fair question and one that we don’t often ask.

Yet, asking that question and having a solid answer will pull you through the biggest difficulties and hurdles.

A client was going through a relaunch of their business. They knew it was time to do things their way and were unsure what their way looked like.

As we dug deep into who they are, it became clear that they want the world to operate more from a heart-center. Therefore, any business would need to be run in congruence. The idea of a “heart-centered” approach to business can be a little scary. Heart-centered things are loving, yet not always the most successful in business.

So, the conundrum was starting a business with an approach that runs counter to a thriving business, yet felt integrated into who they are.

As they got into action and ensured everything met their criteria of heart-centeredness, they realized that they could push to far-reaching goals. They soared past their initial goals for the year, making more money than they initially thought was probable. All because they were inspired to bring their purpose alive.

That’s the beauty of living a purpose in your business.

To understand how a purpose translates to business and the direction you take your career, start with your “who.”

Understanding the characteristics of your ideal Self is where I start. It’s a fun game to ask, “who do I want to be in 10 years time?” and putting that on paper for all of you holistically. It includes a spiritual self, mental self, emotional self and physical self.

Your purpose will allow this person – the ideal you – to fully express themselves.

Find the north star for someone with all those ideal characteristics. What direction is that and what action is taken to move along that path? When you can understand how that ideal would show up in business and the direction that they would most want to go, that’s the direction to take to follow a purpose.

The direction you set provides a framework or guardrails for how you operate a business. A litmus test to put something up against and ask if it’s the direction to your purpose.

That alignment pushes you from the inside out. It creates intrinsic motivation because you are fired up to live into the person that you want to be.

As we venture into this new year, if you haven’t aligned your career with a greater purpose in support of the ideal you that you wish to become, take a step back and do the work to integrate that.

Then, when it gets tough, you’ll have the answer to “why do I do what I do?”