Needing a purpose motivates you because purpose produces passion
The secret to achieving anything you want is to make it a necessity. The difference between wanting it and needing it is huge. Without that internal desire, reaching your goals will be difficult. When you need something, you put in the blood, sweat, and tears to make it manifest.
Though drowning someone to get a point across is quite extreme, the lesson in “Socrates on Success” is unequivocal. However, I must say I do not promote waterboarding or drowning anyone at any time. ?
A man once went to Socrates and asked him, “O, Wise One! Please teach me the secret to success. Socrates asked him to meet him the next morning at a riverbank for the answer. As they were wading into the water and the water got deep, Socrates caught hold of the man’s hair, pushed his head in the river, and held it underneath the water.
The man struggled for breath and tried to push Socrates away. But Socrates held him there a few moments longer and then pulled him out of the water. While the man gasped for breath, Socrates asked him, “What is it that you wanted the most when you were inside the water?” The man replied “Air.” Socrates said, “That’s the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted air, then you will reach it.
A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishments out there. Just like a small fire can’t produce much heat, a weak desire can’t birth great results. However, sometimes even recognizing a spark is important – it can grow to become the biggest fire you’ve ever seen!
To reach your life’s purpose, you need to:
- Find out what it is that you care about deeply,
- Connect with people who pursue the same passions,
- Find a mentor to help you find your way through defining the bigger picture – something you may want to achieve or develop. Your mentor or co-traveller could be someone who has already achieved their goals. They may help you work through obstacles that you’ll face along the way.
- Know that people around you may not understand or share the same pursuits. Even if that’s people you deeply care about, such as your family or special other, keep working on your goals no matter what,
- Realize that the more you care about something, the more energy you’ll dedicate to it. As a result, your chances of succeeding are higher as well,
- Sprinkle your life’s path with creativity and kindness. Creativity is the splash of color that sets us apart from everyone else. It can be both in our approach towards people and in the manner in which we achieve our objectives. It makes us special and hence lends a tiny spark to our final product. Similarly, show kindness. And not just to everyone around you, but yourself. Understand that in a life’s journey nobody is perfect, and it’s in these imperfections that we find are our true pride and glory. If we condition ourselves to be like somebody else because we perceive them as perfect, we’ll never reach our destiny and true potential.
Finally, the most important thing is that your life’s purpose should make you happy. Of course, this does not mean every aspect of it makes you “happy” or is enjoyable – making 300k a year as a banker or being the world-famous actor comes at a high price.
Even if you are doing everything perfectly right, there will still be lows right along with the highs. However, there will be an internal joy – and that’s what matters. This is what keeps you pushing through the lows.
Remember, it is in the journey that we spend our life, not in the destination.