Recently while on vacation, I was introduced to a new game called “Six Word Memoirs”. It’s based on the story that once Hemmingway was challenged to write a short story in only six words. The story goes that he responded with something like “Baby shoes for sale, never worn.” The Six Word Memoirs game is a little simpler – players are given several (five?) people, places or things, and are instructed to write down 6 words that they think describe the people, places or things. Then, players are given a short amount of time (1 minute, I think) to say those words to their teammate in an effort to get their teammate to guess the person, place or thing. I grew up watching $100,000 pyramid, and I love word games, so I bought it the first chance I got and plan to play it as much as my family and friends will tolerate it.
In our last PSEL training we were challenged to write a six word purpose statement for our team. Since I have a small ESP team and a larger Dutton team, I wrote two:
For ESP – deliver quality ESP-related education online
For Dutton – deliver innovative, engaging educational content online
While not perfect, I think these brief purpose statements convey a lot of information in an effective manner.
Once I had the purpose statements for ESP and Dutton crafted, I tried to do the same for my personal 6 words, but didn’t get far – outdoor loving, adventurous, caring, fun seeker. Sounds more like a personal ad than a personal purpose statement. It’s hard to write a personal purpose statement, let alone in 6 words.
Our speaker showed us a video about finding our “Why” and then the “What” will fall into place. I’m not sure I completely understood that little section of his presentation, but I think I get the gist. And I think that once I better define the “why” the purpose statement will be easier to write.
What’s your “why”?