Did you take any psych classes? I took a child psych class that left an impression on me. I had some startling revelations about myself and the nature of humanity. The software that runs on our hardware..abso-effin-lutely amazing. Cognitive development, language acquisition, acculturation…I studied all of it with gusto because of that stupid child psych class. One of the things I realized is that we are, on a daily basis, locked in an internal battle against biology. It is in many ways a literal fight between the human and the animal that make up our physical and cognitive being. You feel it, don’t you? You know what I’m talking about. Every single-dingle day. We strive to be something more than the naked apes that Desmond Morris revealed to us.
While doing biology homework the other day, my son came to the realization that we exist primarily as conduits for future generations. He told me that the whole point of life is to have babies so that the species doesn’t die out. It wasn’t a statement about his philosophy on life as much as it was a question. I think he wanted reassurance that this nascent concept developing in his mind couldn’t possible be true. “That’s correct,” I said. “We eat, sleep, and fight to stay alive just so we can create the next round of human beings.” He stared at me, obviously hoping for something more. And there was. “That’s the animal part of us,” I told him. “The human part, the magical thing that you can’t observe under a microscope or in a fancy machine…that part exists for another reason.” He was quiet for a moment. “Why?” he asked. “That’s the question, son,” was my response. “That’s the question. And you’ll spend the rest of your life exploring it.” I would have handed him my old copy of Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, but I’ll save that for another plane of development.
I believe purpose is at the center of everything. It drives everything we do, fuels all of our hopes and dreams, ignites our passions and ambitions. The only thing I concern myself with these days is articulating everything in terms of purpose. Companies offer many things to employees, but all of those things are cooked up by soft, squishy people just like me and you. “The Company” is a legal entity. In the end, people make the decisions.
We might not always see it or understand it, but everything that anyone builds, literal or figurative, is an outward manifestation of the inward. Take any corporate vision or purpose statement as an example. It’s as much about a CEO’s desire to make the company great as it is his or her desire to leave a great legacy. The CEO seeks meaning and purpose, and everything they do is colored by that. It’s the same for me, and it’s the same for you. You want to do great work, work at a great place, make great friends, eat great food, have a great time…all kinds of great things. How you define greatness and how you achieve it…that comes from your purpose. Purpose is at the center of everything.
So, in the corporate work I do, I aim to make sense of things like vision statements and leadership philosophies to discern where purpose manifests itself in each thing leaders are telling people is important. If I can find those pathways and illuminate them with the light of purpose, then perhaps I will have done something worthwhile with my time.
Illuminate Possibilities 