After being in business for so many years, it has always struck me how people would like to do certain things. They even appear to have a passion and love for the event or task. Unfortunately, sometimes having these things is not enough. We get into the “head game” of knowing, for sure, that we would be great at something until it gets down to the want to. I’m not talking about a “need to” but rather the inner voice and action that drives you to absolutely want to accomplish this or that.
I have, for example, had people tell me that they would like to become a manager. I know exactly where they are going with this and I can see it in their eyes whether they have a want to or they “need to.” Why would someone need to be a manager? Easy, more money, power, flexibility, benefits, development, etc. So, why don’t these people have the want to? Simply put, it is because they lack the critical qualities of motivation, focus, determination, effort and, probably most importantly, it does not fit into their “life purpose.”
Motivation, focus, determination and effort are all very recognizable terms in respect to the building blocks of success. The last point, life purpose, is probably a bit head scratching for some people but is the most important of all these descriptors. Why do we do the things we do and what keeps us going to accomplish everything that needs to be done? As in many activities, there needs to be a foundation. To determine if you will excel in an activity, you have to see how it fits into your life purpose. If it doesn’t fit, there is very little likelihood, even with all the other factors in play, that success will be achieved.
Again, life purpose is the foundation of what we do. Unfortunately, most people do not know, nor are they seeking, their purpose. At this point, we need to find our life purpose and determine what we will do with the rest of our life. Or, do we first determine what is important in our life and then determine from there where we want to take our purpose. For example, when I was growing up, I wanted to be a doctor. I knew this was going to be my life purpose, but I lacked the focus and determination to achieve that result. Aspects of being a doctor captured me and helped me to this day in my pursuit of my life passion. In other words, I couldn’t be a medical doctor, but I deeply care about coaching and counseling people toward success in their own life. This was the aspect that I saw in my father, who was a doctor, and now I have followed in those footsteps.
When you start thinking about your life purpose, think about:
- What is important to you?
- What you dreamt about growing up?
- Where you are now?
These three questions are the starting points of determining life purpose. Remember, although right now you may not see what your life purpose may be, you are living it.
Once you have a foundation (life purpose) and you wake up with the drive, motivation, focus and determination, nothing can stop you. Once you have these qualities, you have inside you the want to. When you have the want to, everything else blurs into the background and you approach your life with the clarity that you never knew existed.
I hope you take these suggestions and spend some quiet time pondering the three questions. Take some time no matter what your situation and know that if you’re at rock bottom, you will drive to the top quickly. If you’re just going through the motions every day, take the steps mentioned and excel in the field of your choice.
Taking the first step is always difficult, but find like-minded people and talk about the qualities of focus, determination, motivation and life purpose. I guarantee it will be an exhilarating conversation.
After being in business for so many years, it has always struck me how people would like to do certain things. They even appear to have a passion and love for the particular event or task. Unfortunately, sometimes having these things is not enough. We get into the “headgame” of knowing, for sure, that we would be great at something until it gets down to the “Want to”. Now, I’m not talking about a “need to” but rather the inner voice and action that drives you to absolutely “want to” accomplish this or that.
I have, for example, had people tell me that they would like to become a manager. I know exactly where they are going with this and I can see it in their eyes whether they have a “want to” or they “need to”. Why would someone need to be a manager. Easy, more money, power, flexibility, benefits, development, etc. So, why don’t these people have the “want to”? Simply put, it is because they lack the critical qualities of motivation, focus, determination, effort and, probably most important, it does not fit into their “life purpose”!
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