Stop Overthinking Your Purpose

by Rick White, President 180BIZ                                                         (Estimated Read Time 5 minutes)

Purpose is one of those things that we understand the word conceptually, but have a hard time implementing. So, what I wanted to do today is break away from what we've been talking about and talk about the concept for purpose. The first thing I want to tell you is that you're overthinking it. You’re making it too permanent or you're not thinking about it at all. And neither one of them is good because the result is the same.

Ultimately, purpose is a destination.

Ultimately, purpose is a destination. Purpose is getting a group of people to head down the same road. That's all it is.

1. Don't overcomplicate it.
2. Don't make the mistake of thinking your purpose has to be this grand, big, lifelong thing that you must do.  That's too much pressure.

Your purpose is going to change as your business progresses and as life changes for you.

Achievement illusion is surprisingly common.

The mistake we're all making, and I just figured this out recently, is that we keep looking for fulfillment in what we get. I'm going to get a new car. I'm going to get a new building. I'm going to get to a million dollars. What you get creates excitement, but the excitement is short-lived. There's a psychological term, I think it's called achievement illusion or something like that. It’s when you achieve a goal it feels really good for a little bit and then you're disappointed. I think it's because we were looking for something to fulfill us. We were looking to feel fulfilled.  

But you never get fulfilled by achieving. You never get fulfilled by getting something. Getting something creates excitement. When you're getting something you are focused on you.

Fulfillment is found in who you serve.

Fulfillment is not found in what you get. Fulfillment is found in what you do and who you serve. Understand how that makes a difference. Who can you serve today? Who is going to be the focus for this month, this year? Maybe the focus is if you're just starting, to provide for your family. That is an amazing destination. You're going to feel best when you can tie your purpose or destination to something you do or something you give. Providing for your family is an amazing destination to go after. It's fulfilling. It gives us a sense of purpose. Then maybe you escalate to creating a great environment for your team. That is a great sense of purpose and destination.

A clear destination influences how you show up.

The clearer you are and setting that destination every year makes a huge difference in how you show up.  That’s because you're not coming in to do another digital inspection. You're coming in to help create the destination, to achieve the destination. And now when you are doing something, but realizing you're going for your purpose the steps make it much easier.

Your destination is not meant to be all-encompassing.

Your destination is never meant to be one all-encompassing thing. I want you to think about who you serve. There's a lot of pride and fulfillment that can come out of doing a job well, doing your best. That is fulfilling. Doing it best and helping someone takes it to another level. Think about what you want to achieve this year. Who do you want to serve this year?

Here at 180BIZ, our destination is to help the world become a better place, one shop at a time. That's what we're here to do.  That is my legacy. That is what Brenda has joined up with, and now we're sharing that destination not only together, but with our team. Our entire team is amazing. Shannon will see one of our client’s texts or emails looking for a link to a meeting. She isn’t on the clock working, but she'll send them the link. That's the level of engagement we get because everyone knows where we're going and what our crusade is.

What is your purpose, destination, or crusade for this year?

So, what's your purpose, destination, or crusade for this year? Is it to provide for your family? Is it to turn the business around and create a stable environment for your team? Is it to create an environment that goes head and shoulders above everyone else? Is it to serve a community outside of your shop? Maybe it's the SPCA or something like that? Find something that lights you up, something that you would be proud to call your magnificent obsession.

Champion a cause or right a wrong.

Typically, an easy way to figure out what you're going for is either to champion a cause or to right a wrong. Those are great things to look at when you're thinking about your destination. Stop making it so big. Stop making it so complicated and stop making it so scary. It's just creating something that matters to you. It's not creating, it's defining. It's defining something that matters to you that can become your magnificent obsession. And then getting your team excited about it too. So where are you heading? That's the question for the week.

If this video resonates with you, if you think this could help someone, please share it. Let others in, because there are so many shops out there paying eight hours a day for a tech and they're getting three, four hours a day and it can get fixed. So please share this video.

Also, join me in our next Shop Owner’s Round Table.  It’s the second Thursday of every month at 7:00 PM Eastern time.  Check out my Pocket Business Genius webinar series you’ll find helpful webinars and webinar recordings there. It’ll be a game changer for a lot of shops.

God bless. stay safe, have some fun, and go make some money.

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