This past week I had the opportunity to attend the Leading on Purpose seminar with the dynamic Lynette Lewis, author of Climbing the Ladder in Stilettos. Lynette has years of experience in the corporate world, and now works full-time as a professional speaker, inspiring and motivating others to live their dream. When she is not speaking, she and her husband, Ron Lewis, pastor Every Nation Church based in NYC. A well-rounded woman indeed. This is the second time I've had the pleasure of meeting Lynette, and she is so pleasant, inviting and full of energy. I first learned about Lynette when I went to one of her Love Your Life workshops this past November. She started Love Your Life out of a passion for bringing (NYC) women together to inspire and uplift one another on their journey to achieving their dreams. One of the highlights of the workshops are the amazing female guests, all of whom share their story of how they overcame obstacles to reach success. Jen Ramos of Made By Girl was the featured guest in November. She had such a great story to share with us.

There is no question that Lynette's Leading on Purpose Seminar made my week. She spoke wholeheartedly about the challenges she faced as she searched for purpose in her career, and waited to realize her dream of being a wife and mother. But despite the sweat and tears, she assured that her life turned out so much better than she imagined. It was a heart-warming conviction. One that ignited my desire to see "so much better" in my own life.

Lynette spoke to us about how we too can find our purpose and live the life God destined for us. She taught us several valuable exercises, including how to write a purpose statement. A purpose statement is like a compass designed to guide us as we make important decisions about our career and personal life. Although the key words in our purpose statement shouldn't change, the statement evolves over time, and helps us clarify why it is we do what we do.

One of the things Lynette said that resonated with me is our dream job or dream life is not somewhere out there waiting to come to us. Rather, when we understand our purpose we can start living our dream right where we're at, tired job and all. This concept may be counter intuitive for a lot of women who feel trapped in their day job, and spend much of their time wanting to quit or trying to find something "better." But Lynette challenged us to consider the elements of our job that align with our purpose. And if we align to our purpose wherever we find ourselves along our journey, opportunities will come to us.

The seminar was very interactive, and Lynette talked a lot about building relationships as a way to hold each other accountable. We each partnered up, and our partner helped us hone our purpose statement based upon what we shared with them about ourselves. We then told our partner what steps we would take within the next few weeks to further our purpose-driven goals.

The seminar really compelled me to write my purpose statement and I've been writing and re-writing it since. Writing a purpose statement is a process and may take time to write. So I consider mine a work in progress. Here's what I have so far: "To create beauty and knowledge that enhances emotional well-being and inspires purpose and passion." Create, enhance, and inspire are my key words, and whether I'm teaching, providing therapy, writing, or decorating, it all fits because it falls in line with these key words.

So what happens after you write your purpose statement? Lynette talked about the importance of establishing our very own personal board of directors to leverage resources and push us further towards our goals.

For instance, let's say I want to break into the children's book market. I'll search out and connect with one or two people who have experience with publishing or writing children's books, ask them the questions I need to know, and voila, this person or persons is on my very own personal board of directors! I love the idea of making things happen and not waiting for the right people or the opportunity, don't you?

Lynette said so many impactful things, and since I cannot share them all, I've written down 6 power packed quotes from Lynette that resonated with me, and may resonate with you too. Here they are:

1. "Power comes from knowing your purpose and owning it."

2. "If you desire it, then it's supposed to happen."

3. "Following purpose is a process. You can have it all, not all at the same time."

4. "Dreams come in surprise packages."

5. "Widen your lense and embrace what you have, and when the rest comes, it's icing on the cake."

6. "We lead through our strengths, but connect through our weaknesses."

Powerful, right? So here's the challenge-- try writing a purpose statement of your own if you haven't done it already. Lynette's book includes a list of key action words you can use to write your statement. You may be surprised at how enlightening the process is. Once you write it, feel free to share it with us. I'd love to read them.

To learn more about Lynette Lewis and her events, visit her Facebook page.

Made My Week...Leading on Purpose Seminar With Lynette Lewis

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