How do you respond when you’re called out at work?
Two bricklayers are working alongside one another at a building site. A man walks by and asks one of them what they’re doing.
The first bricklayer replies, “I don’t know and I don’t care. All I do is slap this crummy mortar on these crummy bricks and pile them up in a crummy line.”
The other bricklayer smiles, proudly proclaiming, “I’m helping to build the new cathedral.”
We’ve all met people who focus on the “what” they’re doing instead of the “why” they’re doing it. It’s difficult to feel passionate about something when we’re missing the meaning behind what we’re doing and why we’re here.
So why are we here? What’s your purpose?
How a person defines purpose has as much to do with his or her mindset as it does with personal, philosophical, cultural, religious and scientific beliefs.
The Purpose of Knowing Your Purpose
Defining purpose in work, life and business is not about the daily tasks, it’s about the reason for the tasks in the first place – the why, not the what. Discovering purpose allows a person to create the vision behind the tasks, and knowing that vision can dramatically change results.
For example, a chef’s purpose is not to cook food – that’s a task. The reason for this task is…