The search for meaning is a lifelong journey. I’m convinced of this because to date I continue to look for opportunities to use my time and effort towards actions that are synonymous with what I believe is my purpose. As I've stepped out to live my purpose, I’ve learnt four steps to accomplishing a sense of purpose or what I’d like to coin “meaningful outcomes” which you may find useful on your entrepreneurial journey.
1. Openness to Learning
Learning is an ongoing part of life, only if we allow it. As long as you and I are breathing we will always have an opportunity to learn. However, the emphasis settles on the word opportunity. Learning from our environment, failures, victories, inexperience, all play a significant part in reaching the meaningful outcomes that inspire us to continue on our journey towards our enough. Time-scape back to the days when you wished you were an adult because you wanted to make independent decisions and how your parents laughed at your thoughts. With the knowledge that you have now what have you learnt? They weren’t lying when they said “hindsight is 20-20,” because wisdom is only learnt through experience, and experience is often gained through trial. Note that I used the word “often” as opposed to “only” where experience is concerned. Why? Well, you and I will always have the opportunity to learn from other people’s experiences. Being open enough to learn from those experiences gives you a cheat code towards avoiding the unnecessary in order to better reach meaning. Meaningful outcomes cannot be reached until you adopt the next step.
2. Focused Discipline
Over the years I’ve seen my focus bring about outcomes I never thought possible when I penciled my ideas down. It seems counterintuitive to write something down and not expect it to come to fruition but this is a reality too many of us experience where our dreams are concerned. You dream it, write it down, and then find all the answers why it’s impossible. While this is a reality for some of us, me included, I’ve found that focus and discipline quickly open opportunities that align with meaningful outcomes.
Let me paint the picture. Let’s rewind to that aspirational dream you wrote down many years ago that has since collected dust or been buried alive. When you first penned it down there was a level of conviction that got you to describe this dream. Day one of documenting this vision was followed by day two of stepping out to start putting the work in. However, day three, came with countless rejections and a world of disappointment that you weren’t ready to receive. What happened next? You shelved or buried it and affirmed yourself that you were right about it not working out. Why did things turn out that way? Simply put, the focus and discipline required to reach meaningful outcomes starts with a commitment to yourself that what you are writing down you will wholeheartedly pursue.
It is with this knowledge that I challenge you to be disciplined enough to follow through on what you write down. The hardest part of any meaningful work is starting followed closely by remaining focused to reach the next step.
3. Commitment to your Vision
Commitment is easier said than done. Staying the course notwithstanding the resistance that comes with the pursuit is the second most difficult step to incremental success. Why? There are a considerable number of distractions in the world we live in today and it’s bound to get worse. So how do you stay committed to the vision? The analogy I would use for this question is “marriage.” When people get married there are a number of reasons why they choose to do so. Some do it because they are “in love,” others may be arranged into the institution, still others may do it because they feel it’s the right thing to do. Whatever the case, the decision to marry is a commitment to realize a vision both parties have for a relationship. Whether the relationship succeeds or not it becomes the responsibility of the participants to stay the course and realize the vision. The same applies to incrementally taking steps to meaningful outcomes. Your commitment will always outlast your environment. The consistent willingness to learn with a focused discipline will edge you closer to reaching your vision. I think of it this way when I say I love you to my wife or children, what I’m saying to them is that I’m committed to the journey of being patient, kind, selfless, faithful, forgiving, present, and such notwithstanding changes of environment the journey will present. As the journey continues the vision will be realized one situation after the other. While the plans may change on the journey the vision remains the same. You don’t marry the plan you marry the vision.
4. Agility in Bravery
Your truest showing of bravery is in your agility when taking the leap. I remember a time in my childhood when I was taught how to swim by a schoolmate. Every so often we would go to his house to swim after school as a form of extracurricular activity. The first days of those adventures for me were filled with anxiety because of my fear of water and worse still the deep end. But one day I decided I was tired of seeing my friends have so much fun without me and had to take a shot at the deep-end. So, I headed straight to the edge of the deep-end and dived right in. I didn’t overthink it; I simply took a leap as quickly as possible. As soon as my body hit the water I swam as fast as I could to the shallow end. I must’ve looked extremely goofy as I freestyled to safety but I did it. I faced my fear, didn’t think about it, and took the leap. When I was in the water, I used all the knowledge and skills I had learnt in the shallow to get myself through my fears. The outcome? Confidence to do it again because I had overcome when I tried. That’s what meaningful outcomes require, the willingness to learn through other people’s experiences, remain focused and grow in discipline to realize the vision, and move quickly on what you commit to.
So, you are looking for meaningful outcomes in your pursuit of success? Be open to learning and absorbing from those that have insights to offer, stay focused through the process, commit to what you write down, and don’t overthink the leap because you’ve already got what it takes to incrementally reach that meaningful outcome.
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