Succeeding on Purpose
Strategizing Your Success Through Finding and Living Your Purpose
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
In a quiet moment during the cattle drive in the movie City Slickers, Curly, feeling vulnerable, opened up to Mitch and told him about his most unforgettable memory. It was the day he saw the most beautiful woman ever. One that seared his heart and soul. She was a redhead whose hair, while pinning clothes on a line, glistened in the sun. He instantly fell in love. When Mitch asked him what happened, Curly told him, “Nothing, that was it.” When asked why, Curly replied, “I figured it wouldn’t ever get any better than that.” Mitch pushed the moment and questioned Curly about how he knew that and if he ever wondered what would have happened. Curly just looked at him and asked, “Do you know what the secret to life is?” Feeling confused, Mitch replied, “What?” Curly held up one finger. Being even more confused by the entire conversation, Mitch, to lighten the moment, asked, “What, your finger?” Determined to teach Mitch a valuable lesson while stressing his point, Curly replied, “It’s one thing.” Mitch’s attention being captured, he asked, “What’s the one thing?” Curly stopped the horse, looked intensely at Mitch and replied, “That’s what you have to figure out.”1
Mitch and his friends had left the big city and traveled to the open country to experience a cattle drive hoping, that by some chance, they could find meaning in their lives. Later, Mitch Robbins would revisit Curly’s words as he risked his life to save another, a calf he had befriended, and would learn that he had been looking in the wrong place for his meaning in life. He had been searching for it in things instead of within himself.
FOUNDATIONS OF PURPOSE
Purpose is a term that can be difficult to define. It can mean different things to different people. To whatever definition you ascribe, the concept remains the same - purpose is the most essential part of you. It is your deepest dimension, settled at your inner core, and waiting to be fed by you. Your purpose is your contribution to the world around you. The realization that you were created for a specific purpose is sobering and seeking it will set your life in motion to help you discover new perspectives. Your purpose will create direction and harness a life-force energy that will help guide you. It’s not about optimism. It’s not about emotions. It’s about finding and pursuing the call.
As I take you through the process of finding and living your purpose, you need a point of origin to help provide a foundational perspective. You will read many times that your purpose is very close to you. As finding your purpose is a process, grasping the concept of purpose is also a process that requires you to think differently about a variety of areas. To begin your journey, I’ve listed five questions for you to answer, or at least begin pondering that will help you begin the cognitive processes of helping you narrow your focus on areas where your purpose may exist. Although not inclusive, they will provide you with a place to begin. At the end of this chapter, you can write down your answers. Referring back to them as you read the other chapters will help you focus on the reality of your purpose and eliminate those areas for which you are not suited.
The other sections in this chapter are not necessarily application based but will help you understand the concepts of what purpose does and does not entail. You will learn that the inner voice is an intricate part of guidance. It is not the only mechanism of decision-making but is a part of the process. You will read about the differences in combining success and significance as part of pursuing and applying your purpose. The courage to chase your dreams and maintaining the passion of the pursuit are critical components that will keep you going when nothing seems to go right, when you face roadblocks at every intersection of your journey.
Your destiny is waiting. Your purpose will direct you; your passion will fuel you; your performance will secure you.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Dr. Tony Daniel had a realization in mid-life that changed the course of everything that came after: He had failed to live to the fullest, and it was time for a change..
By studying great individuals, he came to realize that having a sense of purpose is not enough. One must be fueled by passion to achieve extraordinary results..
In this book, you’ll learn why “purpose” is so hard to define and why it means different things to different people. However, no matter how you define it, purpose is the most essential part of you?.
As you read, you’ll learn how to:.
• set your life in motion to discover new perspectives;.
• find and pursue what you were really meant to do;.
• think differently to achieve different results..
You’ll begin your journey by answering – or at least pondering – five questions that will help you define your purpose. Referring back to your answers as you continue to read will help you discover where you can make the most impact..
Combine success with significance, chase dreams, and overcome roadblocks with the strategies and insights in Succeeding on Purpose.
About the Author
.
Dr. Tony Daniel is a professor, speaker, management consultant, and author who focuses on leadership and how it applies to personal and professional life. He found his purpose in mid-life after a career change. As a management development consultant, his mission is to develop leaders who can effectively lead others, shape their world, and create value for organizations and communities. He earned a doctorate in management and is a Professor of Management at Reinhardt University in Georgia. He is also a senior certified professional in human resource management from the Society of Human Resource Management..