Purpose - The Ultimate Fuel for a Meaningful Journey
For those of you who know me, you all know I am a HUGE Jon Gordon fan as well as a Certified Trainer for his Power of Positive Leadership program. I fell in love with his message reading his first book “The Energy Bus.” His story of George mirrored things happening in Jon’s personal life and the leadership and positivity he talks about is life changing.
With everything going on in the world around us, I have taken the opportunity to do some needed soul searching. Being under the “Safer at Home” order for 2 months (although I did go to work every day as my position is considered essential), I spent time at home and got to focus on what is important to me. I am by nature a social person, so being locked down was a challenge. My weekly (ok, sometimes daily) runs to go shopping, to get out and see people came to a standstill. The world as I had known it completely changed. And the scary part is, I didn’t really miss it. I started to rediscover the joy that was my home and my family. I had time to do things that I don’t normally get to do – like binge watch HGTV and more importantly spend time reflecting on what my purpose is.
Jon Gordon talks a lot about purpose and how our purpose fuels our journey. I sat in my home office and wrote a list of my goals for the remainder of 2020. I had been so fired up because I had presentations booked and was set to share positive leadership with others throughout the US and Canada. COVID-19 changed all that, so I had to refocus. I sat with a blank sheet of paper and I could put down my goals of what I wanted to accomplish. It was not an impressive list, but one I felt was manageable. Once it was completed, I promptly tore it up and threw it away. Why you may ask?
Because while we may all have goals, unless you have purpose, you will never accomplish your goals. Goals don’t drive people, people with purpose drive goals. Research shows that true motivation is driven by meaning and purpose rather than extrinsic rewards, numbers and goals. Goals may motivate you in the short term but they will not sustain you over time. Without a good reason – or purpose – to keep moving forward, during challenges you will quit or perform your tasks without passion and just go through the motions.
Instead of writing your goals, make a Purpose Statement. What drives you? What makes you tick? It’s the “why” you do what you do. Focus on your purpose, and your goals will become a reality.
Until next time,
Anne
