Focus on Purpose Gaps

Ever feel like you’re rushing around, getting loads done, yet somehow not moving forward? You’re not alone. Most people I coach aren’t stuck because they lack motivation or talent. It’s because, somewhere along the way, they’ve drifted away from their purpose.

That quiet feeling of restlessness, burnout or the sense that ‘something’s missing’? That’s what I call a purpose gap. It’s the space between your intention and your actual impact. The difference between what really matters to you and how you’re spending your time.

Purpose gaps don’t just show up personally; they exist in the workplace too. Where there’s a disconnect between an organisation’s values and behaviours, or between strategy and day-to-day action, productivity drops, turnover rises and trust erodes both internally and with clients.

Anyone call create a purpose gap. Often it’s a slow creep especially as life gets busier, expectations build and before you realise it, you’re existing on autopilot instead of living in alignment. I know because I’ve been there.

Back in 2016, my husband Jon and I were both working long hours in London, chasing a lifestyle that didn’t truly fit us. One night, Jon came home completely burnt out and it dawned on me that our 'way of life' was no longer sustainable. We weren’t living, we were merely existing. We had become prisoners of our own limiting beliefs, misaligned values and other people’s definitions of success.

So we switched off the autopilot. We redesigned our lives around what mattered most–our family, our wellbeing and our purpose. Closing your purpose gap begins with awareness. Once you can see how far you’ve drifted, you can begin to realign.

In my book, Focus on Why, I share the story of my grandfather George, who spent five years as a prisoner of war during WW2. While others plotted physical escape, George found freedom through learning, creativity and reflection. He studied, wrote poems, short stories and plays and painted watercolours. His purpose journey illustrates how you hold the power to set yourself free through mental liberation.

So, where might your purpose gap be right now? Are you holding yourself prisoner? If so, what’s keeping you there?

Purpose without a plan is just a dream. Reflection without action is daydreaming. Action without reflection leads to chaos. However, if you combine purpose with a plan and a Focus on Why, you create the potential for transformation to occur which closes your purpose gaps.

When you align your actions with your values and your energy supports your intentions, life feels lighter, work feels meaningful and success starts to ensue naturally.  

Focus on Purpose Gaps. Focus on Why.

REFLECTION WITH ACTION: To close a purpose gap, what’s one change you can make this week to realign how you spend your time with what truly matters?