Purpose Driven = Project Driven

Life expectancy in Okinawa, Japan is 81.2 years – the longest in the world. Okinawans’ longevity can be attributed to their diet, rich in grains and low in fat and sugar, perhaps….but I recently heard a study in which their longevity was attributed to a characteristic far less quantitative than a diet plan yet far more qualitative: their sense of purpose in life.

Simply put, longevity in Okinawa is defined not by living longer, but living better.

We all need to have a purpose. The human spirit thrives on it, will languish without it.

…Without purpose, life has no meaning.

Pastor Rick Warren, from The Purpose Driven Life.

In many ways, adopting a project-minded, project-driven life, if you will, can also contribute to your sense of purpose. Projects, big and small, abound in our lives although we may not always define them as such. Projects are often correlated with work-related objectives and in the context of “doing a job” or “meeting organizational milestones.” And, of course, there are hundreds of thousands of certified project managers around the world(PMP®) who would agree…but, like myself, my fellow PMP® colleagues could also tell tales about the impact project management has had on their day-to-day lives and the lives of those around them.

Let me wax academic for a moment:

By definition, a project must be finite – i.e., modeled with a defined beginning and end. Therefore, all projects will come to an end….and then you begin again with a new one. Perhaps my favorite part of project management, each project provides its project manager with the excitement and trepidation of a new beginning, the learning curve in the middle, and the satisfaction of finishing what we started at the end. You will learn new skills, and experience new perspectives while running the project, and then get to do it all over again when this project ends and a new one is assigned.

Every project will be different, and every project will make a difference. Project management is ready to undergo a paradigm shift: We are all project managers in our own right, and our projects affect our lives and those around us.

You may be planning your baby’s first birthday or your friend’s bridal shower, renovating your home, sitting on the board of your condo association and advising on how to implement a new digital cable system for the property, organizing a weekly Bible Study or book club, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and building homes for the less-fortunate, etc., etc., etc…

Regardless, each of these undertakings contributes to our personal sense of structure, daily rhythm and life’s purpose. You will find it amazing how — by projectizing even the smallest tasks in your life or business — teams around your project will form, your awareness of project milestones will surface, and you will stand back and observe that, for each project in your life, your mission and focus are clear.

Projects give us purpose: one person, one plan, one deliverable and deadline at a time.

And, as we approach the season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, let us all find a project that will contribute to the life of someone in need. There is no project too small

Wishing You Success,
Natalya