The Purpose Challenge: How To Live Your Possible With Darrin Tulley

Embrace your purpose, ignite belief, and live your possible—where belief meets action, chances become realities. In this episode, our host Darrin Tulley invites us to take on a purpose challenge: finding a single word that inspires your journey to live authentically and fully. He discusses the beliefs that open doors, foster inclusivity, and inspire a vibrant, purposeful existence. Throughout the episode, Darrin mentions several guest speakers and their inspiring podcasts that center on the power of purpose-driven beliefs. Darrin also reveals the eight fundamental steps – the P.O.S.S.I.B.L.E. acronym – that form the backbone of a possible mindset. This episode isn’t just about theoretical concepts; it’s a practical action guide. Discover real stories that demonstrate how purpose, authenticity, resilience, and connection lead to meaningful changes, empowering listeners to apply these principles to their own lives. Tune in now and start living your possible!

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The Purpose Challenge: How To Live Your Possible With Darrin Tulley

Get Inspired By A Bonus Recap Of 2023 Live Your Possible Guests Living And Loving Their Possible

Our first episode in 2024 will be just you and me. My plan for this episode is to invite you to our Purpose Challenge to define your one-word purpose for the year and be inspired by the essential messages from our previous guests in 2023 to help you see what is possible when we live a purposeful life. I will guide you on how you can connect your heart to what lights you up and expand your world to the infinite possibilities that reside in you.

As you radiate and expand your circle in the world, you’ll be enlightening others to believe they, too, are possible. Chapter six of my book, Live Your Possible, guides how you can invite the world in with purpose-driven beliefs. It is the first step to lighting up your possible mindset to become vibrant and thrive. We’ll discuss pieces of it in this episode to help you begin down your path with purpose.

I am often asked, “What do you mean by beliefs?” I’m referring to the things that spark you and that open you to the world and invite you to see others in a positive light. I call these beliefs inviting beliefs because we open doors for them and do not shut people or possibilities out. The key is to understand what represents a bigger you and is worth sharing with others. That way, they can see where you are coming from and understand what you want and can build on positive interactions with others.

It is in us to believe and follow our hearts to a bigger and different path than people can see for each of us. Our subconscious minds often struggle with making decisions, choosing the right words to say, and knowing which actions to take or not. When we have better clarity around our beliefs and our purpose, we understand and build trusting relationships. As a result, knowing where you’re going or how you want to be remembered allows you to live it out loud in a way that is clear to the world.

Every interaction truly counts. Once we know who we are and who we want to be, we can begin to see all the things in the world in a different way. It is time to put all this in alignment with our purpose in life. Having this clarity and understanding simplifies our decisions and actions because we will build ourselves to align with our true selves.

Do you have a personal purpose statement that is written out that you follow and live every day? Do you have your North Star or blueprint to live out the actions or words that support how you want to be remembered in the eyes of others? Do you want people to get and understand you? Do you want to live out your legacy so it’s clear of your intentions? Let’s start by identifying one word that is your purpose word for the year 2024 or wherever you are. You can start this at any point of the year and keep it going as long as you can. All I ask is you practice focusing on this word for at least 30 days and see what happens.

On YouTube and here in this blog, I included a list of potential words to consider that might represent you. Think about those words that are important to you and that you hope to represent you when people look at you or think about you. Those are words like inspire, ignite, authentic, enlightenment, inclusion, happiness, connection, selfless, love, thrive, and many more.

What is this single word that represents your best self where you recall being your happiest, most passionate, or most fulfilled or you felt most a lot? Pause and take a minute to self-reflect on this. If you’re unsure, stop reading and come back to it later. In the meantime, go ask people that you trust and ask them to define you in one word to see what others think. You can then decide what you want your word to be for the year and how you want to show up.

Certainly, having words that have a higher meaning and connecting that to our actions will be how we show up and how we’re looked at every single day. I want you to find this. I truly want you to try it out for at least 30 days. Write it down so it’s something you read every morning. The first thing when you get up, please read it to yourself, and then start to live by it every day until it’s ingrained in you as part of your subconscious self and being.

Start your day with this word. Take notice of it throughout the day. Write something down when it shows up or how it’s connected to something meaningful to you. Reflect on it at the end of the day and see what you learn over 1 year or at least 30 days. It starts to appear and show up wherever you are. You may ask, “Did I manifest it or was it always there?” You decide.

Where you put your focused mind, the results will appear in time. It will happen time and time again when you allow your mind to focus and be set free and accept it when it shows up. For example, one year, I chose the word love. I felt squishy and uncomfortable using this word first with anybody I met, male or female. The more I became one with my purpose word, not only did I feel more comfortable sharing it but love became ubiquitous in my life with many showing up in ways I never could have imagined.

These words may change periodically as you expand your comfort level and learn more clearly what you want, what your purpose is, and the legacy you want to leave behind. When you are ready, you can form that word or words into a statement to read and live by each day until it goes from doing to being. When your purpose is understood, it becomes clearer every step you take. The words we say align with the greater purpose supported by our actions that inspire others to connect with us in different ways.

For additional support and to dive deeper into this concept, check out chapter six of my book, Live Your Possible. I’ll attach a free excerpt from my book from chapter six to my website to help you on your path to define what matters to you and live your legacy again out loud each day. As you move forward, pick up my book and see what steps are ahead on the path of possibilities.

As you look at the Live Your Possible book, it outlines these steps for you to create a possible mindset where you can thrive as your happy, authentic self. If you are looking for purpose words and additional inspiration, consider the stories and messages from the guests in 2023. These were aligned across the acronym that’s leading to the path of possibilities. I will outline key points to consider from each of the guests in alignment with the path of possibilities for you to consider on the rest of the show.

Before we get going any further, go stand in front of a mirror or use your reverse camera function on your phone as though you’re taking a selfie, but don’t take that selfie. Take a look at yourself in the reflection. Take this moment seriously. Don’t approach your reflection as though you’re taking a picture to put on social media. Resist any temptation to put yourself down. Don’t move by without noticing you are there. Be present with yourself. What do you see? Are you where you want to be? What do you wish was more abundant in your life?

Whether you are a success in life, have areas to improve, feel unworthy, or all these combined, I need you to know I believe in you. I need you to start to think this way too. I would like you to say something to yourself out loud as you’re looking into the phone or in the mirror, welcoming a special part of you to be present during our journey together, especially throughout the rest of 2024.

On the count of three, I want you to say something. I want you to say hi to your future with me by saying the phrase, “HI POSSIBLE.” Are you ready? 1-2-3, “HI POSSIBLE.” You’re saying that to yourself. You’re welcoming yourself, your uniqueness, your differences, and what’s ahead for you or your potential. Good news. Every human has the pieces within them to ignite change. Yet, they can be hard to see. Live Your Possible bonds these pieces together leading to an amazing life and many breakthroughs. We need to simply recode by bringing happiness into our daily routines and creating our future selves by saying and living our possible. Anything is possible once we acknowledge it and welcome the chance for it to become real.

The basis of this show is to help you see it and realize it because you are possible too. The core elements of the path of possibilities welcome your human spirit to come alive and inspire focus on what is right in front of you. This path to POSSIBLE will create curious minds to connect to a larger purpose and discover a world filled with an abundance of possibilities.

Let’s learn how our guests showed up and how they showed us how they lived across these steps to overcome challenges and break them wide open to turn lifelong desires into vibrant realities. Happiness is the foundation on the path of possibilities for living in the present, embracing what lights us up each day that is most meaningful to us. It is the H in HI as we represent HI POSSIBLE.

My friend, Richard Sheridan, kicked our show off in 2023. I call him Mr. Joy. He shared with us how to bring joy and love into all of our workplaces and communities along with our families. Another fun guest, Greg Kettner, the Happiness Architect, will help you discover the power of laughter and connecting with your happiness and mental well-being to improve your personal and professional life. Lastly, from Denmark, Alexander Kjerulf, wants people to start finding happiness within themselves and find value in spreading happiness in their workplace.

The other foundational component is inclusion. It is the other core element required to create possible mindsets where we all benefit and put each other on an equal playing field. Inclusion is an action where you actively welcome the world to see differences as strengths. When you do, you open your minds to explore and discover new possibilities that bring out the best authentic selves in all of us, including you. As we deeply explore ourselves and begin to practice inclusion, our brain will grow new skills and retrain our brain in new ways with intentional practices that enable new connections within ourselves and allow us to be vulnerable, connecting to what brings us the most joy.

Alecia Smith emphasized the impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion in creating a place where everyone including you has a voice. She encourages you to leave your fingerprints that can make a difference for the greater good. She is one of the leaders over at Otis Elevator that’s making a huge impact in the world and making sure that every voice is heard. Check that out. Brace yourself for a conversation with Julie Kratz that challenges you to open your mind and appreciate new perspectives regardless of where you are on your journey toward inclusivity. She’s challenging us to do better with inclusion.

Let’s shift gears. We talked about Happiness and Inclusion, which is the HI. It’s the welcoming part of what’s possible. Let’s shift gears to the eight steps to POSSIBLE. The word POSSIBLE is an acronym for eight fundamental steps and elements to building a possible mindset. Read the supporting episode that will inspire your purpose word to come alive and benefit around you, especially for yourself.

Step one, the P in POSSIBLE is Purpose or Purpose-Driven Beliefs. We are taking this step on this episode. It is time to connect with a personal purpose to bring the best out yourself and invite the world in to help each of us succeed and thrive. Bringing belief, trust, and purpose together will create a sense of clarity and belonging and become a lightning rod to spark intentional actions.

One of my favorite episodes was with the Regional Hospital where they made intentional changes in the medical industry that dramatically impacted quite the turnaround. The focus was turned from the patient to the caregiver with the purpose of helping people thrive and creating joy at work. Read about how their culture shift created incredible patient safety improvements while turning the volume up on all the business results too.

My friend, the former LA Chargers General Manager, Tom Telesco, talks about not only the behind-the-scenes look at the world of the NFL but also how to create a mission-driven organization, foster a vibrant culture, and embrace the power of positive change. Don’t miss out on the enriching conversation with Zach Mercurio covering why mattering is the secret to people making positive contributions throughout their day and so much more. It is all about purposeful leadership and making people matter.

As you’re defining Purpose or Purpose-driven beliefs, it connects to the next step, which is Open-Minded Curiosity (the letter “O” in Possible). Self-trust will help you part from the certainty of your ways and envision a new path. In particular, this step encourages you to stop giving up with an, “It is what it is,” mantra or rationalizing life away in a small bubble and embrace curiosity instead. Curiosity opens doors to new possibilities in a joyful life filled to the brim with opportunities.

It’s not about being the best in the world, it is about being the best FOR the world. Clint Pulver shares how you can be like Mr. Jensen in his life and look at differences as strengths to discover and realize anything is possible. Clint is an example of what happens when we open our hearts and minds to see the good in others. Garry Ridge from Australia leads with an intentional purpose of putting people first. People-first cultures deliver results where we create a culture of belonging, respect, and inspiration. It is here at the intersection we achieve true greatness in both work and life.

When we connect our Purpose with Open-Minded Curiosity, we start to invite the beliefs in and the world in. We start to build skillsets and new ways of living. The third step, which is the first S in POSSIBLE, is Skillset Unleashed. Invest in changing your life for the long haul by committing to a continuous learning mentality. This will help you live an inspired life. For that to happen, you need to consciously take control of your brain and re-tool your development mindset.

Tony Martignetti navigates you through change and a journey to an inspired life. He also shares how lighting up yourself helps illuminate the path for others because sparking change starts in you. You are worthy with the right mindset to believe in you as I do. Jeff Koziatek teaches us how to rebalance our self-worth with a champion mindset. Featuring Jeff as he draws from his own experiences and insights, he shares how you can unlock your authentic self and achieve a champion mindset.

Debbie Hampton proves that are brain never stops growing and changing which allows us to retrain better habits and ways of living. She also shares her science-based research to retrain our brains to beat depression and enhance happiness too.

Now all of these are skillsets that make you stronger. As we align ourselves to what we see as our purpose, we begin learning skills in new ways and we calm down. We slow down to let our minds be present and get clear about what we really want in life. The fourth step is the second letter “s” in possible which is Strong Resilience.

Through a reservoir of positive experiences and skills, we persevere forward on our path and away from what holds us down. Discover positive learning around every corner where you become comfortable learning from mistakes and differences.

Over time Yvonne Alston learned to take ownership of her shame, let go of what was not her shame, and live onward always. I love her purpose words here to “LIVE ONWARD ALWAYS” which she showcases how it overcomes shame and dismisses limiting beliefs.

My friend, Dr. Anthony Perkins, opens his heart and shares multiple stories to inspire us to not settle or give up in any situation to feed our mental hunger and be better.

Moving on to step five, which is one of my favorites, is the I in POSSIBLE. It is to Imagine with Wonderment. In this step, we re-awaken one of the skills that served us well as children to see things as opportunities to learn, explore, and wonder without assuming you know everything or that you know enough already. Here, we build up our conscious minds in order to boldly imagine the impossible and make dreams into reality. It brings discoveries with child-like excitement.

Wonder tends to fade as we become adults. There are two sides to the definition of wonder. One is to wonder with doubt or skepticism, and the other is to wonder with what could be or what is possible. Which side do you tend to sound like? I bet you can imagine the one that is required to live your possible. Take notice of that throughout your day. That will help you see where you’re looking at your life with that champion mindset or one that’s limited.

One of my favorite episodes is with Katie Wood. She shows us how to wonder again. Katie gives us some simple ideas from her journal to live with more gratitude and happiness that turn into a habit where we go out of our way to improve each other. Imagine starting your day thinking who you are going to be, who you’re going to make smile that day, and what you’re grateful for as it sends positive sparks through you when it happens later in that day. That’s why we ask folks to have gratitude. It reminds us that we’re grateful for what it is when it appears later in the day. One of my favorite sayings from Katie Wood is she said, “The more you change the story in your head, the more you’ll change the story of your life.”

Let’s also build on the positive vibes we got with Dr. Joey Faucette. There are these small hinges of positivity in your life. They swing open the doors to boundless possibilities. Dr. Joey explores the important role of small changes or small hinges in swinging and opening big doors of opportunities. Who doesn’t want to live more positively which leads to more opportunities in a fulfilling future? Read about Dr. Joey.

Step six is one of the hardest. It’s the B in POSSIBLE. It’s Brave Authenticity. In this step, we uncover the layers masking you from being your true self. We do this for vulnerability and to serve others authentically with heart. Yvonne Alston joins us again. She talks about being authentic as a gift because you’re all born with it. She’s back and is a living example of what is possible when we do. She’s unapologetically authentic and living her legacy out loud. Cultivating inclusive practices with Yvonne is all about connecting hearts and minds.

One of my favorite people that I’ve met this 2023 is Lisa Nichols where we can gain powerful insights on seeing beyond barriers and tapping into who we really are in the light and possibilities within ourselves and others. We all have something extra to give as she celebrates something extra every day. In Lisa’s podcast called Something Extra, she asks her guests to share one thing that is special in them that makes them unique and able to make a difference.

She’s also a fan of purpose statements, her phrases as a guide to success as we’re talking about in this episode. In 2021, Lisa’s phrase was “Love More.” In ‘22, she said, “Be still.” In 2023, she adopted a mantra. It’s the relentless and consistent focus on the things that matter most. “Be you and be different,” she says, “because we all have something extra to give.”

Words do matter. Kathryn Britton joined us as the midwife of words. We all have a unique voice that when heard has the power to change the world. Kathryn teaches us how writing is an avenue to do that, passing out our wisdom and stories to those who need them. She shows us how you tap into that authentic writing voice and start making an impact.

Step seven is Linking Connections, flipping our connections away from the past and into the present forward. Making connections in our current and conscious world can bring so much joy. Knowing we can find it wherever we go will be essential to sustaining happiness every single day.

Jeffrey Ma joined us to share what love means to him, why it is important in business, and how it highlights the value of building relationships with the right people on purpose. Love comes as a form of a business strategy and bringing humanity back to the workplace according to Jeff.

One of my favorite mentors in life is Jane Dutton. She’s one of the leaders in positivity in the movement that’s taken place over the years. She co-created the Positive Business Consortium at the University of Michigan Ross Business School. On our show, Jane shared tips to design a service for human flourishing at work through job crafting, building highly connected organizations, showing compassion and empathy, and creating positive meaning where people matter. Jane invites us to make the connections that will enable human flourishing and well-being.

The last step is so powerful. It’s when things start popping all the time. It’s Endless Possibilities, the E in POSSIBLE. Life’s possibilities have clearly been sitting there right in front of you all along. You’re able to understand how to harness this potential in newfound ways and happiness habits.

Mindi Cox joined us. She talked about leading with love. When we get to this place, we love our possible. Everything starts popping with a different ring. Mindi Cox courageously displays how genuinely she cares for people and how to lead with love and heart. Mindi’s actions are heartfelt connections that make others feel part of something bigger. It has inspired them to bring their best selves to do amazing work. It is the phase where sparking possibilities becomes our true realities.

One of the stars of the show, Donna Skillman, didn’t believe in the path at first until she began taking one step after another and began to feel worthy of happiness. Donna shares her journey to how she managed to stay lit with joyful hope and possibilities. She found her happiness reset button and learned to create more good in the world despite dark moments in her life. As her belief grew, she inspired me and many others to do the same. The episode is Look for Joy and Possibilities to Break Through Dark Times and Create More Good in the World with Donna Skillman.

When you love your possible, living it becomes your norm. Thank you to all our courageous guests in 2023. Thank you for taking this Purpose Challenge in 2024 with me. I appreciate all the wisdom and love shared with all of you. I am forever grateful. My heart is overflowing with joy.

Never forget this quote, “Having direction and trust is knowing where you’re going without knowing exactly where you’ll end up. Have faith and believe.” I believe in you. Make the days ahead the best ones yet. I wish you an abundance of love, happiness, and good health each day. Enjoy the Purpose Challenge and reconnect back with your happy, authentic self to live and love your possible. I’ll see you next time.

Important Links

• Live Your Possible
• YouTube – Ignite Happy
• Joyful Cultures Thrive: Filling the Workplace With Camaraderie, Human Energy, Creativity, And Productivity, With Richard Sheridan, Menlo Innovations
• The Happiness Architect: Designing a Fulfilling Life through Laughter with Greg Kettner
• Arbejdsglaede: How to Create More Happiness at Work with Alexander Kjerulf
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Place Where Everyone Has a Voice with Alecia Smith
• A Challenge to Do Better: On Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with Julie Kratz
• Helping People Thrive Creating Joy at Work with R.D. Williams and Dakota Redd
• Leading a Football Organization Towards a Common Purpose with Tom Telesco
• Purposeful Leadership: Making People Matter with Zach Mercurio
• It’s Not About Being the Best in the World… It’s About Being The Best FOR the World with Clint Pulver
• People First Cultures Deliver Results Where People Belong and Matter with Garry Ridge
• Climb the Right Mountain with Tony Martignetti
• Rebalance Self-Worth with A Champion Mindset Featuring Jeff Koziatek
• Feed Your Mental Hunger and Be Better with Dr. Anthony Perkins
• A Simple Seed: Preparing Children and Rewiring Adults for Life’s Curveballs with Katie Wood
• The Art of Positivity: How Life’s Small Hinges Swing Open Doors of Opportunities with Dr. Joey Faucette
• Cultivating Inclusive Practices with Yvonne Alston
• Be You, Be Different: We All Have Something Extra to Give with Lisa Nichols
• Sit Write Share: How to Find Your Authentic Writing Voice with Kathryn Britton
• Love as a Business Strategy: Bringing Humanity Back to the Workplace with Jeffrey Ma
• Human Flourishing and Wellbeing with Jane Dutton
• Leading with Love and Heart: The Compass to Purposeful Leadership with Mindi Cox
• Look for Joy and Possibilities to Break Through Dark Times and Create More Good in the World with Donna Skillman
• Overcoming Shame and Dismissing Limiting Beliefs with Yvonne Alston
• Retrain Your Brain to Change Your Life with Debbie Hampton
• Live Your Possible: Setting the Stage with Darrin Tulley

About Darrin Tulley

Darrin Tulley is the Founder and Chief of Possibilities at Ignite Happy. He is also a bestselling author, culture coach, keynote speaker, podcast host, and leader of experiential learning workshops for his original platform, Live Your Possible. A Business Executive with 25+ years of leadership and coaching experience in Corporate America. Darrin is known for guiding businesses to transform their cultures to fully experience the power of possibilities by shifting to a focus on its people rooted in happiness, inclusion, and mattering.