‘The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you figure out why.’ Mark Twain
Many moons back while visiting the NASA Space Centre, John F Kennedy saw a janitor carrying a broom and he walked over and asked what he was doing.
The janitor responded,
Mr. President, I’m helping to put a man on the moon
Wow.
When one puts the ‘the why ‘before ‘the what’ in one’s life, things certainly tend to look a little different ……..
Purpose is that sense that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that we are needed, that we have something better ahead to work for. Purpose is what creates true happiness : Mark Zuckerberg
When you have got purpose, everything becomes possible: Lewis Pugh
In this week’s module, we take a closer look at the ‘Power in Purpose’- and how it defines one’s destiny.
Let’s also define/redefine your very own personal purpose statement.
It’s STEP ONE to building a potent personal brand. Step one to moving beyond any need for motivation – to live in a world of inspiration.
Great companies and great individuals invest in clearly defined purpose statements.
They know why they exist.
They start with ‘the why’.
- Coca Cola’s purpose is “to create happiness.”
- Disney’s purpose is “to make children smile.”
- Face book’s purpose is “to connect people.”
- Microsoft’s purpose is “to empower people to do more.”
- Google’s purpose is “to organize and disseminate the world’s information.”
- Apple’s purpose is “to change the status quo.”
- Starbucks’ purpose is “to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, one neighbourhood at a time.”
It’s the same with great individuals:
- Nelson Mandela’s purpose was “to deliver freedom for all.”
- Winston Churchill’s purpose was “to inspire hope.”
- Bill Gates’ purpose is “to empower people to do more.”
- Elon Musk’s purpose is “to elevate humanity.”
- Mark Zuckerberg’s purpose is “to connect everybody.”
- Roger Federer’s purpose is “to entertain, to educate, and to enrich lives”
Purpose is the bigger picture in one’s life – the why in one’s life – and it becomes the key driver of Sustained Success and Significance in life.
You are not here to merely make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand – Woodrow Wilson
For Richard Branson it was never about student magazines, music, airlines and gyms – it was about finding new ways to :
help people to have a good time.
In one word , his brand stands for ”Experience”’. It’s Virgin’s ONE THING .
Purpose is about revealing YOUR OWN true inner greatness.
Which ONE WORD do you own ? Which ONE WORD does your personal brand stand for ? What is your ONE THING ?
EXERCISE MODULE TWO: Find your own emotionally compelling purpose.
Try to articulate it in one short sentence, knowing that your PURPOSE is found when your PASSION meets with the universe’s needs – and you get well rewarded for sharing it with others.
Here’s my one thing : POTENTIAL
To empower, to inspire and to help PEOPLE to achieve their own greatest POTENTIAL in life.
Drop me an email if you need any assistance.Here to help.
SOME WORTHWHILE FURTHER READING:
Simon Sinek’s book START WITH WHY is a great – sharing stories such as how Steve Jobs created one of the greatest companies in the world.
Steve Jobs started with why – and focused on ’’the why”.
He did not start a company that made great computers (the what) – he started a company, who wanted to think differently,
To change the status quo
And that’s a pretty powerful why – one that has recently taken Apple through the trillion dollar capitalisation mark – the first company to achieve as such – beating both Amazon and Alphabet (Google) to the magic number
Here’s this week’s inspirational video story :
It’s from one of my favourite scenes – from a movie called ”City Slickers” .
Take a quick view as its crammed full of cowboy wisdom about the secret to life ………..
Curly : Do you know what the secret to life is ?
Mitch : No ,What ?
Curly : This ( He holds up his one finger )
Mitch : Your finger ?
Curly : The One Thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else doesn’t mean sh*t !”
Mitch : That’s Great , but what is the one thing?
Curly : That’s what you have got to figure out.
Till next week when we delve into the second powerful ‘P’ which lies below the water in our Ice Berg model – namely PRIORITIES.
Getting one’s priorities right is without doubt one of the most important actions one can take in life.
As Bill Gates once said :
The most important thing I have learnt in life is to focus my energy on what is important in life
Go Great
Coach Rob
GET IN TOUCH: robopie@thegameplan.co.za
The Game Changers presents that everyone, every team can find the key to real achievement in life. Finding real purpose need not be random. It is an awesome proposal and one that must be investigated by anyone who fears being ordinary – John Robbie
GET IN TOUCH: robopie@thegameplan.co.za
Rob Opie is a Brand Expert, Speaker, Author and leading Performance Coach. He empowers, inspires and helps both teams and individuals to achieve their own greatest potential in life.
For more insights and inspiration, visit www.thegameplan.co.za- where you can also book Rob to talk to your team on his recently published book: THE GAME CHANGERS – how to achieve your own greatest potential in life.
GET IN TOUCH :robopie@thegameplan.co.za
