“So whatâs your purpose?â
It was the end of a long offsite and the boss asked this of each of the leadership staff round the table a couple of months back.
Hmmm, Itâs a tough one actually and most folk at the first instance mix up âpassionâ with âpurposeâ, however knowing the subtle difference between the two is key to making critical life and career decisions, and so Iâll try and deconstruct it here.
Letâs start with a confession- most of us parents at some point encouraged our kids to âfollow your passion betaâ, so they wouldnât have to âworkâ a single day. Great advise right? Hmmm. Not actually…. Infact itâs probably a shitty career advise to give a pimply teenager- unless youâre setting your kids up for short- term happiness, and not for long-term success exactly.
Firstly, not everyone is an enlightened being who knows his/ her âtrueâ passion- which unfortunately ebbs and flows for us mere mortals at different points in life, and so probably not a valid parameter to make a career decision on … also it doesnât always guarantee a vocation or decent livelihood. Iâve seen a lot of brilliant musicians, artists who pursued a passion they loved doing and deeply enjoyed, only to end up leading a life of compromise, and heartache trying to make a decent living.
Okay let me explain with some biking analogies.
There are two key elements in creating energy in a bike or any motor vehicle for that matter – âignitionâ and âcombustionâ. When the spark that ignites you comes from within you and motivates you to drop everything and pursue this dream selfishly- itâs âpassionâ. If however that spark comes from an external source, like a persona, or a life changing event, etc, itâs called âinspirationâ
One thing we all can agree on- Life is dull without passions and it is an emotion that lights you up like a Christmas tree, gives you goosebumps, and makes you feel alive when you find it. It could be anything – music, sport, art, etc. Passion however is focussed inward on the individual, and like a spark – is temporary, directionless, selfish, full of emotion and if left unattended can actually be âeffing dangerous.
If you are a biker – youâll get the subtle difference – âPassionâ is ignited at the spark plug, and âPurposeâ happens at the carburetor.
Hold that thought for a moment …
So then, when your âlittle munchkinâ says âI loooooove playing cricketâ while stuffing his face with another slice of cheese pizza- it doesnât actually qualify as âpassionâ.
Remember that the little spark that ignited at the spark plug on the engine side needs to be powerful enough to take that âleap of faithâ across the firing ends and make contact with the air and fuel mixture, to really matter. If it doesnât- itâs just âinfatuationâ., and the role of parents and teachers is to provide the kid enough space to explore his interests and gauge which one of those is powerful enough to do that âleap of faithâ….
Donât get me wrong- Passion is important and ignites big things in life…. but to make things happen continuously over a prolonged period, a âcontrolled combustionâ is critical, and THATs where âPurposeâ comes in.
(TA-DA) ….. The carburetor …The role of a carburetor on a vehicle is simple- control the air and the fuel mixture to ensure a âcontrolled combustionâ and this is all done within the confines of whatâs called a carburetor and in this context – Purpose.
When you ensure you have the right motivations, talent and skill and put in the effort required- with a little patience, the magic happens and the engine purrs to life.
Exactly how much fuel and air an engine needs varies from moment to moment, depending on how long it’s been running, how fast you’re going, and a variety of other factors.
So what is âPurposeâ and how do we know what our purpose in life is?
A laymanâs guide to understanding his/ her âpurposeâ in life is finding a convincing answer to the simple question – what would I rather be doing to change the world in a small way and bring meaning to my life, if I had no need to earn a living? Mere Mortals often chase after âpassionsâ, super heroes however are motivated by a larger than life âpurposeâ.
So then, understanding the underlying âwhyâ we want to do the things we want to do is probably a great starting point to analyze the inner motivations, unconscious needs and purpose we aim to fulfil in pursuit of happiness.
Sure your kid is passionate about cricket and wants to drop out of school (atta-boy) and join a cricket academy after watching the latest edition of the cricket league. However before you sell off your home and pull âbetaâ out of school, try asking the important questions. Does this cheetos-eating, coke-drinking, CSK- tee-shirt-wearing, chubby guy REALLY have the skills and staying power to compete at the highest level – Or are his motivations only driven by the desire to sport âblingâ and be entertained by fan girls ? Iâd suggest you seriously consider a plan B if youâre blinking at this point ….
… and finally, life is all about balance – and following your passion within the context of your purpose is probably the right direction to take to ensure fulfilment of your true potential, becoming a success in any career you choose to pursue and living a fulfilled life.
Now …. donât quote me in on any of the above, Its not like Iâve attained nirvana- Iâm just another traveller on the open road
Ride hard. Ride safe!