When I was young I wanted to be an artist. Everybody from my friends to my family to my teachers told me that I’m talented. I went to art summer camps, organized art nights, won prizes, and I loved doing it. Why wouldn’t I become an artist?

But my parents told me that “Artist” isn’t a job title. It’s a great hobby, but nothing to choose as a career. I had no idea what I wanted to do after I was done with school. There wasn’t really anything else I was that passionate about.

By sheer luck, I ended up getting an apprenticeship in an advertising agency, precisely because of my art portfolio. They thought it showed that I had an eye for design. I started out training in a sales position – the middleman between the client and the designer. But I ended up spending most of my time right next to the designer, watching her while I was doing my boring paperwork. I asked lots of questions, helped assemble presentations, and just watched.

After my first year, my boss came to me and said that they had just opened up a brand-new position – an apprenticeship in print design. He said that it was obvious that that’s what I was meant to do and asked me if I wanted to switch. And so I did.

Unfortunately, none of the credit I had earned that year could be applied to my new apprenticeship, so I basically had to start over. But I loved it so much and was so good at it that I ended up graduating 6 months before everybody else.

And that’s what started my career as a graphic designer almost 25 years ago.

But here’s the rub: Even though I loved being a designer, it always was just my job. It always was the thing I did to make money and pay rent – the thing I did because I couldn’t be an artist.

Even though I loved being a designer, I wasn’t PASSIONATE about it. In my free time, I would do art.

But everything changed when I discovered my PURPOSE. Everything changed when I discovered that the thing that drives me to create art, as well as any great design, is communication. Art and design are VISUAL communication.

It took me two decades to realize what a gift I was given. Through my designs, I can help others communicate better.

Art is for ME. Design is for OTHERS.

Finding your purpose isn’t an easy task. But it’s the YOU piece that’s missing from what we’re passionate about. Passion is something you do for yourself because it lights you up. Purpose is about others. It’s your impact, the mark you leave on the world, your legacy.

Do you have a purpose statement for your business? How did it come about? 

While your purpose is very much about others and the impact you hope to have on their lives, it’s also about you.

What’s the purpose of your business beyond making money? Making money is an obvious purpose for any business. If you don’t make money, you won’t have a business for very long.

But WHY do you do what you do? What’s your story? What drives you?

Another part of Purpose has to do with your beliefs. What industry-internal beliefs do you stand upon, and which ones do you push back against? Especially in the chiropractic industry, there is a lot of inner turmoil. You need to figure out where you stand. And then, own it.

After all these years, I believe brand strategy is my calling. I see myself as a messenger of meaning – a communicator of ideas, whether it’s through art or design or any of the other ways I’m expressing myself.

I see my purpose in empowering and inspiring people to share their best ideas with each other so that they can fulfill their highest purpose – especially those people who’ve always been told they’re not enough to be successful.

Brand authenticity is HUGE these days. If you’re passionate and proud of what you do, your patients and your team members can feel it. And if their beliefs align with yours, you will have life-long, passionate fans and employees.

Simon Sinek said: “People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” It’s a catchy simplistic statement, but there’s a lot of truth in it as well. Studies have shown that consumers are willing to pay more for brands with aligned values.

And the same is true for employees. Especially the newer generations entering the workforce want to have a purpose and want to work on something that’s bigger than themselves. They’re even willing to take a pay cut for it!

Without the dialog and connection between you, your patients, and your team, there is no ‘us’. And the ‘us’ is the area of your business where the magic happens. Don’t leave it up to chance.

Define your purpose and share it with the world. You’d be surprised what a difference it can make.