My relationship with water

Children smiling at a water well

One of my earliest memories is as a toddler. I was sitting in a large metal basin not quite half full of water. We were outside and my mother was bathing me. I don’t know why or how I remember this, but I remember it like a photograph even though there were no such pictures.…

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1840 Hours

A monkey silhouetted by the sun

Those of us that work a full time job of 40 or more hours a week, spend almost a third of lives at work. For years now, I’ve been driven by passion and purpose. Yet, despite enjoying my work and being proud of the positive change it makes in the world, I find myself weary…

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Live on Purpose – Day 10

Sheryle at Queen Esther Orphanage in India

Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 10 – Resolve to Live on Purpose We’ve made it to the end! Days 8 and 9 were like making New Year’s Resolutions. Some of your answers may have included “I will eat healthier” or “I will watch less…

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Live on Purpose – Day 9

Overhead view of people walking in a city square

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 9 – Remove Your Threats Yesterday we thought about the activities that would make our lives more purposeful. Now it’s time to make a list of things that you should remove so that…

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Live on Purpose – Day 8

Peace

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 8 – Do More of What You Love What things should you maximize to achieve your purpose? Look at your answers to the questions on Day 1 if you need help finding which…

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Live on Purpose – Day 7

A message in a bottle on a sandy beach.

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 7 – Define Your Purpose If you’re seeing this for the first time, I would not recommend starting with Day 7 of this challenge. Hopefully, you’ve worked your way through each daily exercise…

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Live on Purpose – Day 6

A fence with wooden posts and a starry night sky

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 6 – List Your Core Values Hopefully you’ve done this at least once before. If you haven’t, this is where you might struggle with word selection. It might even take you all day…

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Live on Purpose – Day 5

A chess set

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 5 – List Your Threats We’re half way through our 10-day challenge. We’re on the final step of our personal SWOT analysis. Threats are different from weaknesses. They are the things that may…

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Live on Purpose – Day 4

Brainstorming with Sticky Notes

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 4 – List Your Opportunities Yes, we are doing a SWOT analysis on ourselves! Don’t skip ahead though. Focus on your opportunities for now and pick up to five. Write these down. You’ll…

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Live on Purpose – Day 3

Wood paneling

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 3 – List Your Weaknesses The title speaks for itself. Consider them your blind spots, we all have them. Evaluate each one on your list and pick up to five and write them down. You’ll…

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Live on Purpose – Day 2

Happy Man with arms stretched upward in celebration

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 2 – List Your Strengths I think the title speaks for itself. Don’t limit yourself as you think about your strengths, but as you wrap up your list, start to evaluate each one…

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Live on Purpose – Day 1

Creating Story Boards

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 1: Ask The Right Questions Happy New Year! It’s time to do some self-reflection. Ponder and answer the following questions to the best of your ability. What gets you out of bed…

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Live on Purpose

Bright Sparklers

Several people have asked me why I call myself a Purpose Ambassador. It was a title given to me by Aaron Hurst, author of The Purpose Economy. At first, I used it because it is a pretty cool title, isn’t it? Like most titles, they’re just words that we paste into our signatures and the…

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10 Lessons I Learned in 2014

To do list

I did a lot of reading, learning and changing in 2014. There are a few things that definitely worked and other things that I know will work, but take more effort an will power on my part to make a true positive change. Some things were lessons learned through experience and conversations with my family,…

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How I’ve Come to Love Sales

High Fives

A couple months ago, I gave a presentation on the topic sales despite my aversion to sales. I cringe at the sound of the word and yet, in June of 2014 I found myself promoted to Director of Partnerships at CauseLabs, managing all of our relationships and, that’s right, sales. What I’ve learned in the…

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Our Relationship to Poverty

Flying over Mexico city.

Last week I was asked to share my relationship to poverty. I spoke about my childhood, one deeply impacted by economic hardship. Though truth be told, this was my mother’s story of poverty, not mine because as a baby, I didn’t recognize our suffering; I felt only her immense love for me. As we were sharing,…

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Taking a Leap of Faith

Person jumping into the lake

Interview by Frances Nguyen. What I found most admirable about Sheryle’s story was her bravery by the mere act of letting go. It’s hard to come to terms with the hard truth that something isn’t working, even when, in theory, it’s perfect. She had a great job, and because she was good at it, she…

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Productivity Towards Purpose

Collaborating at a board with sticky notes

To be truly productive, you must be selective. Which tasks are most important on your list? Reasons may vary, but focus on the task that accomplishes the most towards your goals. If several tasks are equally important, tackle the hardest one first and don’t move on until it is done. Despite how daunting it may…

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An Interview on Changing Careers

Sheryle Gillihan reading Start Something That Matters

I have a varied skill set due to the twists and turns in my career path. I started off in the U.S. Army as an Arabic linguistic specialist, then worked (mostly as a volunteer or board member) in the non-profit realm as I raised my children. When I was ready to re-enter the business world,…

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