A simple framework grounded in purpose, to build mental wealth:

It’s a rewarding process to go through to discover and articulate your purpose – certainly something in and of itself that builds your mental wealth (see part 1). However, there’s a lot more value in doing that if you then act upon it! So, what’s next?

If helpful to capture your ‘whole’ self, consider the following questions for each of the elements of your overall wellbeing: physical, mental, social, emotional, spiritual. Clearly, your mental health is part of this inter-connected system which makes up how you show up in the world.

There are conveniently 5 areas of wellbeing here so that’s one for each day of the week. So, try this for 5 days, take one element and fill in the blanks below.

A quick note: if you’re not 100% sure of your purpose and haven’t yet been through a full purpose discovery program, don’t fret. You can still do this exercise and use some of the answers to help discover your purpose (for example, does it uncover any passions or impact you might like to have)? Do first read part 1, flick through some of our other insights, and try a couple of the exercises.

Use the following question:

“Because my purpose is to [XYZ]; [insert wellbeing element]; I believe….and therefore I will…”

• Where, “I believe” is something you fundamentally believe to be true and represents an underlying philosophy for you, for this area of your life. For example:
  • Physical wellbeing: healthy body, healthy mind
  • Mental wellbeing: focus on what matters
  • Social wellbeing: meaningful relationships build happiness, etc, etc
• Where, “I will” are commitments to yourself, best practices you think would enable you to consistently show up at your best in this domain of your life.

Day 1 example:

Because my purpose is to create opportunities that inspire people to go forward as the ultimate version of themselves;

physically, I believe in the power of healthy body, healthy mind;

so I will: [make the following commitments….]

· engage in regular physical activity

· eat healthy foods

· be aware of and intentional about my breathing

· commit time to rest and relaxation

· give myself the opportunity to get 8 hours sleep]

Then, consider these 3 steps for each element to move it forward:

1. Evaluate: on a scale of 1 – 10 how well am I doing against these commitments? What are my actions to change (aiming to get us to >8/10 on everything)?
2. Engage: who can I engage with in my commitments that would advance my purpose, who should I share my commitments with, who can I support, who can support me, what does my support team look like?
3. Embed: consider, how can I practice this area to improve? What rituals and routines can I create? What can I do more / do less / stop doing? How can I hold myself accountable?

If you prefer a more structured format, you can create a table like the one below. Day 1 has been completed for purposes of an example, using “physical”. For the other elements, I have simply listed out some considerations as you go through the exercise.

Try this for a week and see how you feel. Then, start nudging each area forward.

For me, breaking each area down into different segments just helps me identify the best opportunities to keep on building my mental health, even though they are all very clearly connected, as part me being my whole self.

My purpose helps provide the foundation and fuel to build these practices, and the game plan (part 1) guides the application of the various components to align them towards my ambitions, as I go-forward to deliver my desired impact.

To learn more about how we support you in living and leading with purpose, please get in touch!