My husband was in the emergency room last week, he had internal bleeding all day and we both were scared to find out what the cause was - was it cancer? Was it an infection? Events like this made both of us think of all the things we haven't done yet. Which leads me to ask you - if you died tomorrow, would you be satisfied with how you lived your life? (BTW, my husband is ok!)

According to the CDC, 4 out of 10 Americans have not discovered their life purpose. I've found my life purpose. I've spent the last several years identifying my life purpose - working with a life coach, an executive coach, an artist, and volunteering and switching from managing software products for teams to inspiring kids to be their best selves through technology, education and creative experiences.

I'm here to tell you why it's worthwhile to discover your life purpose and how to get started.

Simon Sinek did a famous talk about starting with the Why? I had a hard time with this. When I was working with my executive coach to become a better exec, he asked me for my current plan for my team - I gave him a whole list of what my team was doing and what they were going to do next. He stopped me, and said why do I do it? Why does my team care? Why? Why? Why? Why drives meaning and motivation, it can clarify what you need to be doing when you understand why.

Understanding your life purpose helps you make better decisions. My executive coach asked me to detail the work I did during the week and categorize that work, and then he asked me to set categories of what I want to work on that fits my purpose and compare my time spent. To this day, I review what I'm spending my time on to ensure it fits my purpose and intent.

Meaningful success is one of the very best feelings I've ever experienced. And, I've experienced it once. It wasn't when I made Director of Product Management or VP of Product Management. It was when I set a goal to raise $75K for the girls education program for Room to Read in Cambodia via creative experiences. I held a talent show, a painting for adults experience, and an art auction that raised $35K in one night. I achieved my goal that night and it was the happiest moment in my life. I highlighted the artists that were my friends while raising money for a cause that mattered to me. That's when I knew my life purpose.

how do you find your why? Ask yourself these questions - what do I love? What makes me come alive? When you were a kid, what did you love doing? What are you good at? What makes you so engaged and focused that you forget about eating or going to the bathroom?
Dig deep and answer those questions from your gut.

Travel. Visit Museums. Read anything of interest. Talk to people about what you love. Seek new people to guide you. Take classes. Take notes on your reflections.

make a plan and write it down. I've read that when you write your wishes down, they come true. It works for me. When I write down what I want - it happens.

Here's my 2016 plan - it is written for me - what matters to me. My purpose, my relationships, how I want to balance my life, and what I want to work on in growing my skills and learning.

Make your own plan - use the map on the flip side to start thinking through your plan. Read the Crossroads of Should & Must.

What I ask you to do right now - is write down the one action you can do today to start on your journey in finding your purpose.