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Purpose comes in many shapes and sizes. As we have discussed in other blogs, there are no limitations on what form purpose takes or how you may find it.

There is something that can be broadly said about purpose. When we have a sense of purpose, that means that we have a big strategic advantage.  I like to think of this as our purpose flow chart, which has two key drivers – intrinsic motivation and persistence. 

Here’s how it works:

1. We discover what our purpose is.  Remember that your purpose lives in the overlap of three things – what you are good at, what you love to do, and what the world needs.  (Need help figuring out these three areas?  Check out our online class.)
2. Purpose naturally leads to intrinsic motivation.  More on this below, but nutshell is that you do something because you want to. 
3. Intrinsic motivation means that you are going to work harder than other people.  Maybe they are doing it for the paycheck or the grades.  You are doing it because you love it.
4. This hard work is going to add up to better performance. (That only makes sense, right?)
5. Lastly, when you are living your purpose, you are more likely to be persistent because you are fueled from within.

Carrots and Sticks

Take a second to think about the key ways that we motivate people and you will notice something.  Most motivation used in the world is extrinsic – meaning that the motivation comes from outside of us as either a reward or a punishment.  You can also think carrot and stick here. 

Here are some common examples:

You study.  The carrot?  Good grades.  The stick?  Failing the class. 

You work at a job.  The carrot?  The paycheck.  The stick?  The risk of getting fired. 

You work on a project.  The carrot?  Praise.  The stick?  Criticism.

It makes sense that the motivation we use in society is mainly extrinsic, right?  It’s the most efficient, broad-brush way to influence behavior. 

Intrinsic motivation is much trickier.  What lights one person up might leave the next person cold.  It takes time, effort and introspection for each person to understand what fuels them.  That’s why it’s harder to use in large settings like work or school. 

Staying Fueled Up
Here’s the rub with extrinsic motivation.  It requires more self-discipline.  To have this make sense, think of yourself getting up every morning to go to a job just for a paycheck (extrinsic motivation) vs. going to a job that you really love (intrinsic motivation).  Which one do you think would be easier to do over time?

Relying on extrinsic motivation can run you down, especially when you keep getting the same kind of feedback over and over. With the same praise, you build up a tolerance and it doesn’t provide the same level of motivation.  

In an article by Harvard Business Review titled “Does Money Really Affect Motivation? A Review of the Research,” they state, “if we want an engaged workforce, money is clearly not the answer.”  

How’s this for interesting?  The article goes on to say, “There is a natural tension between extrinsic and intrinsic motives…. financial rewards can ultimately depress or ‘crowd out’ intrinsic goals (e.g., enjoyment, sheer curiosity, learning or personal challenge).”

Motivation: Making It an Inside Job
This is where we tie back to purpose being our strategic advantage.  When we figure out what we love to do, are good at and what the world needs, we have primed the pump for intrinsic motivation. 

What does intrinsic motivation look like?  Here are some examples:

• Reading a book because you are curious about the topic
• Making music because you love to play
• Running hard because you want to beat your fastest time
• Helping others because it feels good and/or right
• Working at something (art, science, literature, cooking, fashion) that comes from a vision you have

When you find your intrinsic motivation, it’s as if you have plugged into a well-spring of energy within you. 

Driver #2: Powered by Persistence
Persistence is another way that purpose serves as our strategic advantage.

Napoleon Hill, a pioneer in personal self-development, broke down persistence into eight different components.  The first one on the list and something he thinks is one of the most important?  A “definite purpose.”  Hill goes on to say, “A strong motive forces one to surmount many difficulties.”

Not sure about “forces” – I would go with “compels” or “inspires” - but I love the general sentiment.  

What is it about purpose that fires up our persistence?  We are called to do this thing, right?  And we love it. 

When we get knocked down, we get up and try again because our purpose becomes enmeshed with our identity.  It’s who we are.  And that makes us persist.  (We talk more about the role of purpose and identity in the blog here.)

Studies have proven that people with purpose are grittier.  (Angela Duckworth, expert on grit, defines grit as passion and perseverance for long-term goals.) 

The Success Iceberg
Here’s something to help build your persistence.  Let's imagine that you think of a person who inspires you, someone you would like to emulate.  To be like them, you put in hard work and are disciplined. You sacrifice and are dedicated.  And what happens?  You fail.

At this point, you may begin to think, “I don’t have what it takes.”

This is where we need to look at the Success Iceberg.  That person who inspires us?  You have probably heard about all the things that they have done right.  That’s the stuff above the water line.

Their failures, disappointments, and sacrifices?  That stuff is often out-of-sight or ignored.  Isn't that ironic?  How many people would go to a movie that shows this person's life with no set-backs, no disappointments and no face-plants?  That's pretty boring.  Their challenges are just as much a part of their story as their successes. In this same way, our challenges are just as much a part of our story as our successes.  We need to remember this when we stumble or fall.  This will help us keep plugging.

As Harvard-trained psychologist Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar says, "Learn to fail or fail to learn."

Adding It All Up
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you probably can tell that I really love purpose. 

It’s almost magical, the incredible power of it.  We will talk in a future blog about more of its benefits.  They range from emotional to physical to mental. 

With our purpose, we get to do something that we love and are good at. 

Plus when we do this, we benefit ourselves and the world. 

PLUS purpose is naturally embedded with intrinsic motivation and persistence, which means that we are more likely to succeed at it. 

That’s a win-win all around.

Are you excited about purpose but need help figuring out yours?  We can help.  Bonus!  Every class purchased allows Discovering My Purpose to provide this same education to an at-risk youth. 

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