Patrice Tanaka, Founder & Chief Joy Officer,  Joyful Planet LLC

I love the question at the heart of International Day of Peace 2021 on Tuesday, Sept. 21, about “…how to help everyone recover better, build resilience and transform our world into one that is more equal, more just, equitable, inclusive, sustainable and healthier.”  This is the heart of living our “life purpose” and leveraging our talents, expertise and passion in service of other people and our planet.

If more of our 7.7 billion people do this, together, we can create a more joyful planet.  This is the vision I hold and it is the name of my consultancy, Joyful Planet, which is focused on helping individuals and organizations discover and live or “operationalize” purpose to unleash greater success, fulfillment and joy in their personal lives, workplaces and communities.

As the Dalai Lama explains, “In fact, taking care of others, helping others, ultimately is the way to discover your own joy and to have a happy life.”  

Desmond Tutu, his dear friend and co-author of The Book of Joy:  Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, says, “Do your little bit of joy, where you are. It’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”  If each of us does our “little bit of good,” we can, together, create a more just, equitable, inclusive, sustainable and healthier world.

“Actively living” our purpose is a self-sustaining, renewable and endless source of resilience, fulfillment and joy.

Consider these inspiring, life purpose statements clients have embraced and are actively living and, in the process, building their own resilience and transforming the world:

• “My purpose in life is to build on the conversation of equity, inclusion and belonging to help create systemic change and the opportunity for everyone, especially diverse people to achieve our biggest goals and dreams.” 
• “My purpose in life is to make well-being at work a basic, global human right.”
• “My purpose in life is to help myself and others flourish and, specifically, to help disadvantaged communities bloom through sustainable economic growth.”
• “My purpose in life is to create systemic change to improve the health of children.”
• “My purpose in life is to connect women to their power to help them succeed and invest in their ability to build businesses that positively impact the world.”
• “My purpose in life is to communicate the exciting stories of transformation taking place in Africa to challenge and inspire Africans to work together to create a brighter future for our continent.”
• “My purpose in life is to love and to be loved.”

These life purpose statements are from students, young professionals and C-Suite executives from for-profits and non-profits who have all achieved greater clarity about how they will leverage their talents, expertise and passion to create a better world for themselves and others. By making time to discover and actively live our life purpose, we can equip ourselves with a “competitive advantage” that will focus and drive us to accomplish what matters most AND better equip us to make the positive impact we seek to make in the world. 

Clearly and succinctly articulating how we plan to use the brief and precious time we have on earth and then “actively living” this purpose is the most powerful, sustainable and cost-efficient approach to “Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world,” this year’s theme of International Day of Peace.

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About the Author: After an award-winning PR & Marketing career and co-founding three agencies, Patrice Tanaka started Joyful Planet, working with individuals and organizations to discover and actively live or “operationalize” purpose and unleash greater success, fulfillment and joy in their personal lives, workplaces, and communities. Joyful Planet is Patrice’s vision of 7.7 billion people living their purpose and leveraging their talent, expertise and passion in service of others. Life and organizational purpose are the subjects of Patrice’s best-selling books, Beat the Curve and Performance360. She has been honored by PRWeek (Hall of Fame inductee), PRSA Foundation (Paladin Award), PRSA (Paul M. Lund Award for Public Service), New York Women in Communications (Matrix Award), among others. Patrice is Immediate Past Co-Chair and Executive Board member of the Diversity Action Alliance, a PR industry-wide coalition of 15 influential organizations committed to action on diversity, equity and inclusion. She has also served as a trustee for many organizations supporting women and girls. Reach Patrice via LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.