Purpose: The Power of Purpose
The Power of Purpose
There is power in having and KNOWING your purpose. Whether you are making a DECISION or taking ACTION, knowing your purpose is vital. As Vince Lombardi once said, “Success demands singleness of purpose.” Couldn’t have said it better myself!
But what is purpose? How do we discover our own purpose? Why is it important? How does it impact our lives? Keep reading to find out.
For me, having and knowing my own purpose has been vital. When I reflect on the times of my life where I felt the happiest or most FULFILLED, it was almost always when I knew how WHAT I was doing fit into WHY I was doing it…
What is Purpose?
Words and their definitions matter. Below are some outside definitions of both Purpose and Mission along with a simplified definition of my own.
What is Purpose? A quick search on the internet will give you a few answers. Meriam-Webster defines purpose as: (noun) “something set up as an object or an end to be obtained”, and (verb) “to set as an aim, intention, or goal for oneself.” Another online dictionary states: (noun) “the reason for which something is done, created, or for which something exists”, and (verb) “have as one’s intention or objective.”
Some use Purpose and Mission interchangeably. Meriam-Webster defines Mission as: “a specific task with which a person or group is charged, a definite military or aerospace task”. Meriam-Webster also defines mission as: “a calling, vocation, a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry-on humanitarian work.”
For me, I look at Purpose as “My reason for being here” and Mission as “A specific task or objective.” As an example, my purpose for joining the military was to serve my country and do something challenging. While in the military, my mission, or specific task, could vary day-by-day or more often night-by-night.
Why have a Purpose?
“When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.” – Seneca
There are many reasons for me to HAVE a purpose and even more important reasons for me to KNOW my purpose. Here are a few:
1). Purpose helps me FOCCUS on what matters most. For me, it’s my faith, my family, and friends/co-workers (others), my health, and my career. It clarifies what’s most important.
2). Purpose helps me PRIORITIZE what I’m doing. I have limited resources (time, talent, treasure, etc.). It provides CLARITY on what I should be doing or NOT doing.
3). Purpose helps me stay MOTIVATED and DISCIPLINED when times get tough. When I’m going through adversity or just undertaking a hard product or task, it’s crucial for me to know my WHY (macro) or the reason why what I’m doing (micros) is important.
Why have a Purpose?
“When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.” – Seneca
There are many reasons for me to HAVE a purpose and even more important reasons for me to KNOW my purpose. Here are a few:
1). Purpose helps me FOCCUS on what matters most. For me, it’s my faith, my family, and friends/co-workers (others), my health, and my career. It clarifies what’s most important.
2). Purpose helps me PRIORITIZE what I’m doing. I have limited resources (time, talent, treasure, etc.). It provides CLARITY on what I should be doing or NOT doing.
3). Purpose helps me stay MOTIVATED and DISCIPLINED when times get tough. When I’m going through adversity or just undertaking a hard product or task, it’s crucial for me to know my WHY (macro) or the reason why what I’m doing (micros) is important.
Number one and two above are similar. In a world full of distractions, the ability to FOCCUS is the new super-power. When me know what matters most, it helps clarify DECISIONS you make and the ACTIONS you take. Purpose also helps me PRIORITIZE accordingly. It provides clarity on what I need to do and what is less important. With limited hours in the day and limited resources, I know I cannot do it all. As Lou Holtz said, to win you mask ask yourself “What’s Important Now?” Or “W.I.N?” If an opportunity presents itself that helps me pursue this purpose, I should do it. If not, I should NOT do it.
Number three is also important. Life is full of ups and downs, at least mine has been. There seems to be no linear path to the top of any mountain. Accomplishing anything worthwhile will be HARD. During those TRIALS and ADVERSITY, you better know your WHY!
There are mornings when I don’t feel like waking up early and getting the day started before everyone else. But knowing the reason I’m doing it helps me stay DISCIPLINED and MOTIVATED to do it. The same is true with being a husband and father. I’ve been married for over 20 years. My wife will agree, it’s not always easy. The same is true with raising kids. Being a father is one of my most important DUTIES. Knowing MY WHY helps me clarify what matters and helps me do the hard work of being a parent. My kids need me to be the best father I can be!
At work there are ups and downs as well. There are good months, great months, and challenging months. There are easy projects and tasks, and hard ones. Knowing WHY I am doing something and HOW it contributes to TEAM success helps keep me going when either times or tasks get challenging.
Purpose is even helpful with my health and fitness. I know why I (try to) eat healthy. I know why I make the time to train or work-out. I have an OBJECTIVE in mind. These GOALS inform what I’m doing. If I’m optimizing for strength, I lift weights. If I’m optimizing for endurance, I do some cardio. As much as I love ‘working out’, I don’t always have the energy or time to do it. I especially do not always have the MOTIVATION to do it! When I know WHY it’s important or WHAT I’m committed to achieving, I MAKE the time to do it.
My purpose helps with the big picture, or life in general. It also helps with the small picture, or the day-to-day habits, tasks, projects, and responsibilities.
A very ‘Purpose Driven’ season of life that stands out for me was when I had decided to join the military and become a Navy SEAL. There were not a lot of books, movies or TV shows about the SEAL Teams or SEAL training back then. From what little I did read; I knew it would be challenging. It seemed like anywhere from only 15-20% of trainees made it through the arduous training and earned the coveted SEAL Trident. I realized that EVERYTHING I did needed to contribute to my purpose. If I thought it would help me achieve this challenging GOAL, I would do it. I’d wake up early, run the gravel roads, do my bodyweight calisthenics (usually on the farm) and get to the pool put in my laps. If it didn’t help, or interfered with ANY of the above, my answer was NO! This PURPOSE gave me CLARITY and a very singular FOCUS!
Now, my purpose, like my identity (previous article) help shape my decisions and actions…even those habits that I know are important yet sometimes do not WANT to do or FEEL like doing!
As JFK famously said, “Efforts and courage alone are not enough without purpose and direction.”
Discovering your Purpose?
Now that we know what purpose is or means and why it’s important, how do we figure out our own purpose? That’s the real question.
As Ed Mylett, a top business leader, peak performance expert, and high-level keynote speaker recently said recently on his podcast, discovering or knowing your purpose “is the REAL WORK”. It takes some time and reflection. Couldn’t agree more.
Jordan Peterson, another favorite of mine, put it this way, “The purpose of life is finding the largest burden you can bear and bearing it.” That doesn’t sound like much FUN at all, but I now believe it does lead to a more meaningful life. As you contemplate your own purpose, don’t run away from what’s hard or challenging. For me, HARD things have ALWAYS been more rewarding!
There are many self-help and personal development gurus out there. Most of them talk about purpose and even provide a roadmap for discovering your so called ‘true calling’ or other such buzzword. This can be a good place to start.
For a long time, I wondered ‘what on earth am I here for’? What is ‘my reason’ for being? It couldn’t all be random. There had to be something! After SEVERAL close calls overseas, I realized that I am STILL HERE for a reason. Why else would I have survived? Sometimes near-death experiences give us additional perspective.
As I tried to figure this (my purpose) out and made a few mistakes along the way. The first mistake was being too specific. I thought my purpose in life was what I DID for a living. That served me well in the military, but it didn’t really work afterwards. It just didn’t sound right to say my purpose was to “Be a _____ (title/role) for ______ (organization/company).”
Another mistake I made was to focus on MYSELF. I looked at MY life and what I wanted to do with it. Then I read the “Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren, one of the best-selling books of all time. At one point, I had heard this book sold over 34 million copies. Wikipedia claims the total is now over 60 million. Success leaves clues, I guess. Regardless of the number, that’s a lot.
In his book, which I highly suggest reading, Pastor Rick Warren lays out what he believes our purpose should be. I won’t go into much detail here but will mention a couple of things that stood out to me.
One of his main points is “It’s not about you! The PURPOSE of life is far greater than you or your own PERSONAL fulfillment, peace of mind, or even happiness. Starting with YOURSELF is the WRONG place to start.” That hit me like a hammer. What if he is right? What if it really is NOT about me?
He also quotes a verse from the New Testament book of Matthew, “Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.” – Matthew 16: 25 (MSG). This also hit me hard. It runs counter to what you’ll read in most personal development or so called ‘self-help’ books on Amazon.
I also learned that you could spend TOO MUCH TIME trying to discover your WHY. At some point, you just must write something down and get going. Remember, action creates clarity. As you move forward with your new purpose, you’ll refine it over time, as you make DECISIONS and take ACTION, just as I did.
Regardless of whether you believe in God or not (I obviously do), and regardless of whether you have a faith or are even remotely spiritual, I do think that these two points are helpful in discovering what you are here for. “It’s not about me.” and “Self-help is no help at all.” Again, I couldn’t have said it better! Thank you, Pastor Rick Warren!.
When we had kids, this became much more obvious. I must SACRIFICE some of my SELFISH ambitions to be there for them. For a selfish and driven person, like me, that is a HARD thing to do! Maybe it really is not about me after all…
As I moved forward with this realization, I did realize that I could find more MEANING and FULFILLMENT in life by ‘being here for others’ than my selfish pursuits. It also gave me new MOTIVATION and MEANING for some of my GOALS. Example 1: Now I pursue WORK success not out of pride for an accomplishment, but to PROVIDE for my FAMILY and be a great TEAMMATE for my ORGANIZATION. Example 2: Now I pursue health and fitness not out of vanity for a physique, but to have a longer health-span and lifespan for my FAMILY. I’ve taken the previous selfish ambitions and re-framed them!
My Purpose?
What’s my purpose now? Why am I here? Is it ‘To be a Husband and Father’ or ‘To be the COO for Defy?’ Does it have to be that specific? No, it does NOT. My purpose, my WHY, is not about WHAT I do. It’s about WHY I do it. They WHY informs that WHAT, not the other way around.
My purpose now is to “Help others and Glorify God.” I can do that ANYWHERE, regardless of what I do for a living or where I live. It transcends my PROFESSION and my GEOGRAPHY. I will use my TIME, TALENTS, TREASURES, and even the TRIALS I’ve been through to HELP others and honor God in the process.
“Help others and Glorify God.”
Knowing my purpose gives me FOCUS, helps me PRIORITIZE, provides CLARITY, and most of all it keeps me GOING when I fall down, or times get tough.
At Defy, this motivates me to do my best to accomplish the MISSION (goals and objectives) and be the best TEAMMATE I can possibly be. What makes a good teammate? That’s another article!
When I’m doing a speech or presentation for another company, I used to get nervous. “What if I sound silly? What if I don’t know the answer to a question? What if I forget what I’m supposed to say.” Then, I realized I was focusing on ME. “What if I ______?” I was focusing on ME not them. That was the problem. Now, I don’t care as much about how I look or sound. What matters MOST is helping THEM. Success is not me being cool. Success is me giving them SOMETHING that helps them with a challenge they are facing.
Closing Motivation
As you can see, I am a huge fan of quotes. When I see or hear a quote that I like, I ‘capture’ it for later. Then, from time to time I review these quotes and see if they help. Sometimes, they are a nice little boost of motivation. Here is one of my favorites as it relates to purpose:
“This is the joy of life; being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clot of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy!” – George Bernard Shaw
I don’t really know who George Bernard Shaw is. I’m sure he’s written things I don’t agree with, but I couldn’t agree with him more in this instance. The real JOY of life is to be USED UP for a PURPOSE you recognize as MIGHTY and being singularly focused on pursuing this purpose rather than someone who whines and moans because the unfair world doesn’t make you happy.
Summary
There you go. That’s my own definition of purpose along with the reasons I think it’s important to have and know my purpose. It’s also how I discovered my purpose and why it’s important to me. I’m no expert on this stuff. I’m no self-help guru and I can’t tell you what will work for you. I can say that having and KNOWING my PURPOSE has been very helpful for me for all the reasons mentioned above.
What is your purpose?