Wednesday, April 3, 1996

Purpose

A man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder.
--Thomas Carlyle

There are two kinds of people in the world: people who live life on purpose and people who seem to have no purpose. Purpose is what will keep you going when all else fails. It is necessary to have goals, a a purpose is what enables you to reach your goals.

Your purpose is your vision. It is a goal that’s bigger than you are. It is the basis for your motivation.

How do you find your purpose? Start with things you value. Don’t be critical, just think of the first things that come to mind. Say you value money. That’s a fairly common answer. OK, now ask yourself this. Why do you value money? What do you want it for? What will the money bring you? Let’s say your answer is “a new car.” Then ask yourself what the new car will bring you. The answer could be, depending on the car, “prestige” or “dependable transportation.” So ask yourself what that would bring you.

Eventually, if you follow this line of reasoning seriously and thoughtfully, you will arrive at your very basic values and your purpose in life. All of your desires stem from your deep-down, fundamental values and purpose. And the way to discover and understand them is simply to work backwards until they are revealed.

Knowing your purpose will help you to stay motivated and focused on all of life’s wonderful possibilities.

— Ralph Marston

Stimulation       What do you expect?