Every time I take an action, make a decision or change, I ask myself the ever-pounding question: Why? At the core of everything we do, there is a reason. This reason forms our purpose.
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I have an analogy for the “why” and the human relationship. It’s the car with the driver. The answer to the “why” is the car and I am the individual behind the wheel, driving the car to the ultimate destination. Without the answer, I’d be aimlessly driving the car without any direction or a point to reach. I would keep running out of fuel because I wouldn’t know where I am going and why I am going there.
The Importance Of Having A Purpose
Without purpose, we’re a moving car without the final stop. We have no reason for conducting an action, and most importantly life is mundane. Having a purpose gives you fuel to move towards your goal even when you feel that you can’t keep going on.
It’s not the days when you are on top of your game that you need to remember your purpose; rather it is the days when you don’t have the energy to move. It’s when we’re feeling the most burned out, unable to carry on, struggling to move that we need to remember our purpose. Purpose gives life a reason. It gives you a reason to move forward and not just stay put. Without purpose, you are just completing a list of meaningless actions. Purpose is what gives it meaning.
As humans, we want to feel like we matter. We want our work to have value and we want to contribute to something bigger than ourselves. Psychologist Jacinta Jimenez says that, “As human beings, we’re wired to connect, and part of purpose is serving others or serving the greater good, something outside of us that allows us to feel more connected.”
When we know our work matters, when it’s valued or important to the greater good, we are more likely to work harder and achieve better results. Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American philosopher, said, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” I agree. My purpose is to inspire and challenge people to do incredible things. I want to push people to always be the best version of themselves and achieve great things. When I see people achieve great things and overcome adversity, I feel an incredible amount of pride for them.
If purpose is the driving force behind our lives – our work, family, relationships and more – then how do you find what it is?
Finding Your Purpose
Finding your purpose is perhaps the most valuable gift you can give yourself. Purpose doesn’t have to be stagnant, it can change as you grow and develop. It’s about finding the thing that burns you with passion, excites you and makes you want to not give up even when the going gets tough.
Finding your purpose doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and persistence. It takes failing, trying and then failing again. And during this process, when you find something where you aren’t scared of failing again and again until you win, take a minute to pause. That’s your purpose. The reason which drives you to not be afraid of failure because you see it as a stepping stone, is your purpose.
Steve Taylor, author of The Leap, says, “When we feel a sense of purpose – and this is particularly the case at higher levels of purpose – we’re really manifesting the creative urge of evolution, becoming its expression, which is possibly why it feels so right when we do it.” And, for many purposes, it isn’t just found once. It changes at different times of our lives. It grows and evolves with you.
I submit to you to go out there, find meaning behind your actions so you can have a reason to hustle and to win. Find the fire that burns you to be the best, because once you do that, there is nothing holding you back.
