Forget passion. Focus on this instead.
Purpose eats passion for breakfast.
Welcome to my weekly newsletter! If you aren’t subscribed, you can join thousands of others by clicking the button below:
Hi friends,
When I was 12-years old, I was all about Spider-Man. Peter Parker was the often misunderstood, always underestimated, wise-crackin’ secret hero of the neighborhood.
And boy, did I want to be Peter Parker.
I would wait anxiously for the Doughty’s to pick me up at my house every Thursday at 4:45 PM to drive to the comic book store so I could pick up the latest issues of all the Spider-Man series. (This was the heyday of Spider-Man, when he, on top of having six of his own series going on, seemed to pop up in every other series from X-men to, yes, he even fought Superman.)
To say I was passionate about Spider-Man would be a massive understatement; obsessed would be more like it.
Throughout my childhood, I was passionate about a lot of things. Magic tricks were a favorite during this same period (I had a killer Svengali trick), and then around the age of fourteen I was forced by my mother to join a tennis team, and for the next dozen years, tennis was my #1 passion.
Passion is a great thing to have in your life.
But it’s far inferior to Purpose.
Purpose Eats Passion For Breakfast
Now, to be clear, I’m not knocking passion. Passion is amazing - it’s what pushes me to do what I’m doing right now! I love writing (and reading); they are two of the things I’m most passionate about today.
But my Purpose is what really gets me going.
I was talking to a friend the other day and he commented, after reading my last post, about the many things I have my hands in. “I need to eat what you eat for breakfast,” is what he said. After assuring him that the answer to his getting more done was likely not the combination of three eggs, some salt, and Avacado Oil, I asked him what his personal Purpose was.
Like most people, he didn’t have a personal Purpose defined. So I shared the simple formula I use to define Purpose:
{ Your Superpower + The Change You Want To Make In The World = Purpose }
See how that’s different and much more powerful than passion?
What are you truly GREAT at? Match that up to the things in this world that you want to impact; the wrongs that you want to right. And that is where you will find your Purpose.
The Point
I take Purpose very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that I always capitalize the word Purpose when I write it. (And I write about it A LOT.)
A person’s Purpose is their North Star, shining a light on how they should behave, how they should spend their time, and essentially how they measure their time on this planet.
My Purpose is to have an out-sized, positive impact on the world. I get fired up just typing it. And I can look at those things my friend mentioned that I’m involved in - Dragon Army, 48in48, Ripples of Hope, The A Pledge, my books, etc. - and weigh them against my Purpose statement.
Are those things helping me make an out-sized, positive impact on the world? Am I doing enough, and do they have the potential to make a big enough impact? Are my unique “superpowers” being leveraged to move those initiatives forward? These are the tough questions I ask myself all the time.
My Purpose gives me a true sense of meaning and creates clarity around how I spend my time (and with whom I spend it).
Find your Purpose. Share it with everyone (and me!) and start gauging your life against it. You’ll be happier and more fulfilled, I promise. Plus, you’ll still have time to read those Spider-Man comics if that’s where your passion lies.
I hope you’re happy,
Jeff
Recent podcasts
I produce a weekly podcast called, Begin the Begin. I hope you'll consider subscribing.
Creating a more inclusive world (with Jenn Graham of Civic Dinners): Spotify + Apple + Other
The irrepressible optimism of Atlanta (with Amir Farokhi, Atlanta City Council Member): Spotify + Apple + Other
Does your life needs a "hard reset"? (a conversation with Bobby Norwood): Spotify + Apple + Other
"What's your Gusto?" with founder and CEO of Gusto!, Nate Hybl: Spotify + Apple + Other
I'd love for you to check out either of my books: The 5-Day Turnaround + The Crisis Turnaround. They're a heck of a deal on Amazon right now ;)
And if you’re interested, here are the businesses that I’m a part of:
Dragon Army: a purpose-driven digital engagement company
48in48: building 48 nonprofit websites in 48 hours
Ripples of Hope: empowering nonprofit leaders to grow their business and do more good
The A Pledge: a racial equity nonprofit focused on the advertising and marketing industry
Thanks for reading, and please let me know if there are particular topics you'd like me to write about. Of course, if there is someone you think might enjoy this email newsletter, feel free to forward it over to them ;)
And remember, always lead with purpose!