In his book Noble Purpose, William Donovan reminds us that living for something beyond yourself is the key to real fulfillment and strength.
He says that self-centered living leads to emptiness. Chasing only personal success or pleasure leaves people restless and unsatisfied.
Purpose fuels resilience. When things get tough, a higher purpose keeps you grounded and moving forward.
I have found this to be true. When there is a cause you believe in, you keep “fighting” and moving forward even when it is tough.
When you commit to a purpose, it can transform your life. Dedicating yourself to a cause, community, or mission provides deep meaning and energy to your days.
We will talk more about purpose tomorrow. But tell me in the comments – what purpose, cause or goal beyond your own pleasure have you dedicated yourself to – if any (yet)?
As a retired teacher, I volunteer at the local elementary school in their fabulous Mentor Program. I have just begun my third year of mentoring the same young girl whose relationship has become very meaningful to me. Our goal is to stay together until she graduates from high school.
I agree with you that having a purpose beyond yourself is so important to having real meaning, fulfillment and resilience in your life. The problem I see is that too many people are using politics and political issues as the ’cause’ they are deeply fighting for. Politicians are more than happy to exploit that search for purpose and meaning by gaslighting us into hero vs villain narratives. Vote for me and you are fighting for or against ‘X’. They even get us to act against our values; against society trying to promote peace and prosperity. Politics has become the cause that is greater than ourselves and its destroying us.
Ruth House in Shelton Connecticut is a place where single moms can come and get back on track with their life. This is a wonderful place and a wonderful mission.
Purpose has been a big focus for me over the last 3 months, both personally and professionally. I committed to clearly defining the purpose for Keystone Basement Systems and for myself. The purpose of KBS is to “Restore Pride” in the homes we fix, the contractor experience, the blue collar opportunities we provide and the communities we touch. This concept was rigorously thought about and made clear. I was written down and created in booklet form. It was paired with our mission, as purpose + mission = clarity for the organization. It was launched to the team and we are using it as our North Star. It is a people focus purpose, where profit is the result, not the driver. It is noble and inspiring purpose. It is exciting and worthy of the time it demands from me and my team to become a reality.
I also decided to codify my own personal purpose. This also required rigor to make clear. that purpose is “To forge strength and excellence in myself and others — creating a tribe of disciplined, capable, and proud individuals who rise to their potential and stand as peers in a world shaped by courage, integrity, and mastery.” I needed to get clarity on this and now that I have I can tell you the difference is profound. I know what I am fighting for. But make no mistake, the hard work isn’t creating this, it is applying it daily and compounding results through consistent action…which is what I am prepared to do.
“To become who you want to be, you must sacrifice who you are.” ~ Miyamoto Musashi
Too many people with too much power in this world think only of themselves and what they can gain. Hopefully, Karma gets them in the end.
Too many people with too much power think only of themselves and what they can gain. It will lead us to destruction.
“Be a man for others.” This is a fundamental element of the Catholic faith. Easier said than done, but I continue working on this as my purpose.
Go, Connor @ DryZone!
We support NDF (the Nickolay Dodov Foundation) to educate youth in snow safety. The parents lost their son Nick to an Avalanche in 2012 and we lost my brother Marty Schmidt and his son Denali to an avalanche on K2 on 7/27/13 while attempting to summit as the first father/son team. All lost loved ones are in our hearts for eternity and live on in the beauty of nature that surrounds us with daily moments of inspiration with their spirits.
I have been given amazing grace. Our would is surrounded with broken people just like me. My purpose is to be light in a very dark world. I fail at this a ton I am doing my best everyday to show the grace I have been given.
At 70 years old I became an Infusion Buddy at a cancer center.It is a volunteer position. Best and most difficult position that I have ever held, and I love what can be accomplished!
I’m dedicated to raising my children to be the best and most productive people possible. I’m also dedicated to leaving the world better than I found it and helping others become better versions of their self. I believe we must work hard every generation to make sure that we make meaningful progress as humans in this world. If we don’t we won’t just stay stagnant but will actually degrade.
At the moment I am passionate about my latest invention, I call it the emergency power outlet, it is going to help the most vulnerable people survive during major catastsrophic events when the power goes out. Stayed tuned.
learn, grow and get better each day professionally and personally so I can be fully present and helpful to my children, family, customers, colleagues, company, friends and those I meet.
Soil, water, living organisms, natural habitat—the biotic community under siege from ever-so-clever primates pursuing “progress.”