You Hear it All the Time in Different Development Circles.
From the Self-Starting Solopreneur...
To the Leaders of Fortune 500 Organizations...
It sounds like these...
Just Follow Your Purpose!
When You Know Why, You Can Do Anything!
If you Follow Your Purpose, You'll Never Work A Day In Your Life!
Here at "XYZ Company", Our Purpose Drives Our Employees!
But here's the Truth.
I have seen it so many times...
I have seen it with so many people...
They had a Why...
They had a Purpose...
They were All In...
But they Still Failed.
Despite having a Why and Purpose, They Could Not Succeed.
Businesses Crumble...
Entrepreneurs Give Up...
Leaders Fail...
Despite having an Amazing Why and Purpose.
How could that be?
Over time, I have seen it play out in a few different ways.
First, I have seen that "Why" and "Purpose" are Not Consistent.
At least, Not throughout our Entire Lives.
So many Factors can Change Our Why and Purpose.
You see this Frequently when people have Children.
Suddenly, their Why and Purpose revolve around their Child.
In Organizations, I have Watched People who were Dedicated to the Business's Purpose Suddenly Change their Purpose to Survival at All Costs.
This has become More Prevalent in the Past Decade.
Leaders make Decisions that Employees Despise.
Living Conditions Make it Harder to Care about the Business' Purpose or Why.
Health becomes more Important than Work.
Threats of Massive Layoffs Turn the Office into a Battleground.
All as the Purpose and Why become Irrelevant.
Just look at all the Businesses that have become a Battleground over the Return-To-Office "Mandates" instead of "Anything" that the Business is Supposed to Represent.
Over time, our Purpose and Why Change.
When that Happens, our Previous Why and Purpose No Longer Provide Fuel.
We Could Care Less.
But there are Other Ways the Why and Purpose Fail to Create Success.
For Instance, You can "Have" a Purpose and Why...
But do you have a Plan?
This is Another One I See Frequently.
It plays out in a Few Ways.
Lip-Service and Greenwashing is One.
We "Say" We Care About "XYZ" Why or Purpose...
But what are we Doing?
Nothing.
There is No Plan, just Words.
Now, sometimes the Reason is Not Nefarious.
It could be that there is No Plan because the Purpose or Why is Simply Too Large.
It is a Multifaceted Issue without Simple Solutions.
The Size of the Purpose or Why actually "Is" the Impediment.
Why?
Psychophysiology.
Our Brains are what Design the Plans around these Purposes or Whys.
But when the Plans get Too Large?
Our Brains Shut Down.
Literally.
It's a Survival Mechanism.
The Larger the Purpose or Why, the More Brainpower is Needed to Create a Plan of Action.
But if More Brainpower is Needed than Energy (Mg-ATP) is Available, then by Human Design, We Run.
It is Too Large, so we Retreat.
Maybe we Really "Do" Care about it, but our Bodies are Working Against Us because of the Massive Size of the Problem.
But at the End of the Day, it Does Not Matter How Much We Care...
There is No Plan, So It Never Gets Done.
Which brings us to the Next Issue.
Energy (Mg-ATP).
This is what our Bodies Use as Fuel.
Without Fuel, we Accomplish Nothing.
Now, why is this such a Problem Today?
Burnout.
This is Impacting 80%+ of People Currently.
Burnout is when our Bodies have So Little Energy (Mg-ATP) that they begin to Strip "Non-Essential" Systems for Parts.
It's a Survival Mechanism.
The Problem?
The "Non-Essential" Systems for Survival "Are" Necessary for Peak Performance.
See, Burnout drops our Productivity Potential to 5%.
What can we "Really" do with only 5% of our Productivity Potential?
Very Little.
Much Less than is Required for any Significant Purpose or Why.
So, without Energy (Mg-ATP), our Purpose and Why really Do Not Matter.
They might make us "Feel Good", but they Will Not Motivate Us to Achieve Anything.
Simply because We "Can't" Attain Anything without Energy (Mg-ATP).
It would be like saying that to Achieve Your Purpose, you must Swim from South Africa to Canada, all in a Regular Bathing Suit and without Stops or Vehicles.
Do you think You'll Succeed?
Of course not!
Trying to Attain a Purpose or Why while in Burnout is No Different.
Look, I'm not saying it is Wrong to "Have" a Purpose or Why.
They can be Wonderful forms of Motivation.
But they Will Not Determine Your Success by themselves.
So what is Needed Instead?
You Need a Wayset.
A Way of Being in the World.
It must be something you can Consistently Rely On.
Something that Creates Action and Progress Forward.
Something that Allows You to Follow "Any" Purpose or Why.
Even when they Change.
This becomes the Path to Success.
You can think of it like this.
Your Wayset is what Allows You to Move Forward in Life.
If you Decide on a Why and Purpose, they Act as a North Star.
But Your Wayset is what Moves You North.
If you Purpose and Why Change, it is Not a Problem.
Your Wayset keeps You Moving.
Progress Earned following One Purpose or Why can be Quickly be Adjusted to Any Other Purpose or Why as Needed.
But here's where it becomes Interesting...
Success is "Also" Not One Thing.
When you Find One Success, you can Build More Success.
So, each "Success" becomes like a Milemarker on a Highway.
Indicators that You are Making Progress, but not the Destination.
Eventually, the Wayset becomes the Purpose or Why that takes you to Any and All Purposes or Whys you Desire.
The Journey that is Created by the Wayset is what Matters Most.
You may Discover that a Path is Blocked to a Destination.
It Doesn't Matter.
Your Wayset simply Finds a Different Path.
You may Discover a Destination is not What You Hoped.
It Doesn't Matter.
Your Wayset simply Picks a New Destination.
This becomes the Power of a Wayset.
Your Wayset becomes the Success.
Are You Ready to Go Beyond Leadership?
Tired of Broken Algorithms and AI Slop?
Excited to Dive Deeper into Psychophysiological Mastery?
Want to Change The World?