Passion - the X Factor

There are a lot of aspects to consider when hiring a candidate for an open position – skill set, years of experience, ability to fit into the company culture, etc. The list goes on and on. However, there’s one factor that many companies completely overlook, and it can often come back to haunt
them.

That factor is passion.

A candidate’s passion for what they do could be considered the “X Factor” of any hire. That’s because when a person has passion for their job, they are compelled and they are driven to not only carry out the duties of the position, but also to do so extraordinarily well. For people with passion, going through the motions is not an option. In fact, it’s not even a consideration.

Here are three reasons why employers should hire people with passion over people who lack it:
1. They are more productive – People with passion don’t leave at 5 p.m. on the dot, and they often work through lunch. They love what they do, so they do as much of it as they can. That translates into more productivity... a lot more. 

2. They are more engaged – You don’t have to make sure they are engaged in their job and with the company. If they have passion for what they are doing, they are practically self-engaging. This makes it far easier to retain the person over the long haul.

3. They are intrinsically motivated – You don’t need to throw huge amounts of money or a slew of perks at these candidates in order to make them happy. Verbal compliments and other forms of recognition for a job well done go a long way. Once again, this increases the chances of retaining their services.

As you can see, passion has a distinctly important role in the hiring process. Failure to identify which candidates possess it and which ones do not can have a negative impact on that process. In fact, it could even result in hiring the wrong person for the position.

Ethical Behavior Coupled with Integrity

Continuing on the topic of Integrity from last week, let us look at how ethical processes support a leader's integrity in driving the business success.

A recent study performed by the Institute of Business Ethics (IBE) found that companies displaying a ‘clear commitment to ethical conduct’ consistently outperform companies that do not display ethical conduct. The director of IBE, Philippa Foster Black stated, “Not only is ethical behavior in business the right thing to do in principle, it also pays off in financial returns.”

Part of your commitment as a business leader is to create and maintain the processes and a culture that dictates ethical behavior. Ethical behavior is not an easy path, nor is it a path taken without thought and consideration. As a leader, decision with value connections will be presented frequently. Examples could include employees stealing from the company, doing personal business on company time, modifying accounting records, or extending a customer discount that was not earned, etc.

Clearly defined organizational goals and clearly stated organizational values are integral to your ability to make the best decisions and take the right actions. As you deal with different types of situations you are being evaluated very closely by your team. As you lead by example, you become a champion for the organization’s commitment to ethical behavior. As you look to enhance the ethical policies and processes within your company, here are some principles to take into consideration:

·         Be trustful: Recognize that customers and employees want to do business with an organization they can trust. When trust is at the core of an organization, it is easy to recognize.

·         Meet obligations: Regardless of the circumstances, do everything in your power to keep commitments and obligations to employees and customers. An incredible amount of trust is built when an organization honors its commitments. If unforeseen events stand in the way of meeting an obligation, immediately communicate the challenges and work together to find resolution.

·         Reevaluate all documents and materials: Make sure all department and organizational documents and literature are clear and precise. Make sure they don’t misinterpret or misrepresent.

·         Have documented processes: Every organization is structured differently. However, having documented processes and policies on how your organization interacts with customers and employees is critical. If processes are properly documented there is no question what a product or service should be or whether a customer exception falls within the acceptable guidelines. Take a hands-on approach to all accounting and record keeping as it will allow you to end an inappropriate action in a timely fashion.

·         Be respectful: Treat employees and customers with respect regardless of differences, positions, titles, ages, or diversity. Always treat others with respect and courtesy even if you agree to disagree.

Successful implementation of these five principles becomes a leader’s daily commitment and responsibility.

Oprah Winfrey said it quite simply, “Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to ever know whether you did it or not.”

Integrity Really Matters

When preparing future leaders to take on greater responsibility, organizations are looking for integrity and excellent communication skills.

In a recent study conducted by Robert Half Management Resources, it was concluded that beyond technical and functional expertise, the following traits were high on an organization’s list of leadership requirements. The survey included 1,400 CFO’s from a random sample of US companies with 20 or more employees.

• Integrity – 33%
• Interpersonal/Communication Skills – 28%
• Initiative – 15%
• Ability to Motivate Others – 12%
• Business Savvy – 10%

Pay attention to any form of business news and it will quickly confirm that integrity in business is becoming a lost art. Companies want quick fixes, fast money, and magic bullets. Companies are not spending the necessary time to create and maintain cultures of integrity, values, and processes, or making the right decisions for the right reasons. Lack of corporate integrity has been the documented cause of organizational demise, severe embarrassment, and financial loss many times within the last fifteen years.

The examples start with the avalanche of accounting scandals in 2001 and 2002, which included the Enron debacle and companies such as Tyco, Arthur Anderson, and Kmart. Forbes magazine created a Corporate Scandal Sheet listing just accounting imbroglios like the companies listed above. The list was published on August 26, 2002 and sadly is quite long. In the last few years, we have seen similar challenges in the financial and mortgage world with AIG, Goldman Sachs, Freddie, and Fannie.

Corporate integrity is not a choice, nor should it be implemented for shear convenience. Integrity is the concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the quality of having a sense of honesty and truthfulness.

Fast Company conducted a study with the objective being to gather perceptions about specific characteristics of leaders. 95% of respondents said “yes” or “absolutely” when asked. Do the ethics of the CEO play a meaningful role in the way business gets done? Respondents go on to say “Good ethics is also good business. It builds the brand, draws customers, and saves money in the long run.” (Fast Track Leadership Survey August 2005)

Organizations must take the time to define their core values. Clearly defined core values create a sense of unity and help the company steer all of their resources in a focused and meaningful direction. It is the spirit that drives the company regardless of its industry or size and helps the organization make appropriate decisions in tough times. Core values provide answers to tough questions and act as a guiding light in situations of conflict. Leaders with integrity must have an unwavering commitment to the organization’s core values and they must be willing to defend them.

There are no quick fixes, or magic bullets. Money needs to be earned. Show your external and internal customers, as well as all of your stakeholders, that your organization stands for something and that it has self-imposed rules that guide all decisions.

Leading with integrity sends a powerful message to employees.

Your leadership by example is critical to creating an environment and culture of integrity throughout the entire organization.

Integrity really does matter!

How to Determine and Improve the Performance Gaps?

Human capital is a top priority in today’s global economy.

In fact many businesses are faced with the reality that they need to get more results through smaller and perhaps more fragmented teams. As your employees have added and shifted roles, positions, and responsibilities, how do you know you have the right people in the right positions in order to maximize your business efforts and outcomes?

The reality is, in some cases you do have the right team members in right places, and in some cases you probably guessed wrong, as we all have. Companies forced to reorganize made quick decisions resulting in people landing in the wrong roles.

Likewise, companies that have experienced intense growth have ended up with similar results. Diagnostic assessments can help you to determine performance gaps and help your company to effectively understand and align the talents, behaviors, and motivators of every employee. Having the right employee in the right position is as critical to the individual’s success as it is to the success of the company.

The first step in bridging performance gaps is for management to be committed to a people development process for employees. It should be based on the skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary to do their jobs successfully. If the size of the organization is large enough it can be HR implemented, but the objectives and strategies of developing employees and how those employees are going to help drive results needs to be driven by management.

After the commitment is in place and the objectives have been identified, diagnostic assessments can help specifically and individually determine performance gaps, as developmental issues will be employee specific. Assessments can also be the secret tool for creating skill development as well attitudinal and behavioral improvement while eliminating resistance to change.

When working with clients, we focus diagnostically on the whole person as defined by these three key areas:

§  WHAT natural talents do your employees possess? How do they make decisions and interact with the world around them, as well as how do they perceive themselves?

§  WHY are your employees motivated to use their natural talents, based on their personal motivators and drivers? Everyone has their own unique mix of personal drivers and motivators that help guide them toward success. Understanding what really drives a person is a crucial part of success.

§  HOW do your employees prefer to use their natural talents, based on their preferred behavioral style? Since each individual has their own unique preferences and habits for how they like to behave, this understanding is crucial when working with team members, as a leader or manager, or in an environment that requires conflict resolution.

Establishing new behaviors requires the employee feel able to adopt the behavior and feel comfortable doing so. A well-designed people development process focused on objectives using diagnostic assessments drives long-term change. We consistently see 80-100% in adaptable change after the completion of a development process with sustainable results that remain a year later.

Recognizing Perfectionism - Do You Think You Are A Perfectionist?

What does a perfectionist look like? Bo Derek in the movie “10” will always epitomize a man’s vision of what a perfect woman should look like. Movies and television are great ways for us to explore the physical boundaries of fantasy.

The pursuit of perfect physical attributes will continue to keep plastic surgeons wealthy. But what about those of us who live with the personality of a perfectionist? There are no plastic surgeons to reshape the way we think, or react with others.

However, there are ways we can learn to cope.

Telltale Traits of A Perfectionist

The Iron Lady - Watch Meryl Streep play former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the movie, “Iron Lady.” Thatcher earned the moniker “iron lady” because she had a strong moral compass of what was right—and wrong—in the world. She was a perfectionist who stuck by her strict standards and took hard lines against policies she felt did not work toward the greater good.

The movie, is an intimate portrait of Great Britain’s first and only female Prime Minister. Thatcher ran a tight ship and was one of the 20^th century’s most famous and influential women.

Margaret Thatcher is an example of a principled leader who places a great deal of worth on integrity. Perfectionists are orderly, want the job done right, and pursue a vision of perfection. They have a strong sense of right and wrong, and in pursuit of perfection, their worst nightmare is that they might get it wrong.

What is A Perfectionist?

I am the sort of person who believes that mistakes can provide a great learning experience, but perfectionists have a difficult time giving themselves permission to be wrong. They look around and see everything that isn’t done right—and they resent it. This can turn into self-loathing and self-mutilation if it gets too far out of hand.

Remember Natalie Portman’s descent in the movie “Black Swan.” A perfectionist can feel anger when things don’t turn out as well as they feel they should.

This is an extreme reaction. Most perfectionists are merely content to point out the incompetence and disorganization they see around them. Because of this, they can be very judgmental—on themselves and those that work with them.

How Does A Perfectionist Think?

Perfectionists see themselves as just trying to do the right thing with as few errors as possible. They are attracted to things that work for the greater good and projects that will help them become better people. That’s why they get critical when they see lax standards in either themselves or others.

Here’s how to tell if you work or live with a perfectionist: They...

• Don’t look for shortcuts; they want the job done right.
• Like schedules and lists.
• Have a relentless eye for details—like bad grammar and spelling.
• Do not have warm people skills.
• Take great pains, and then give them to others.
• Want work done to a standard, and will tell you what it is.
• Notice incompetence and this BUGS them.

Stephen Covey of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People writes, “Our security comes from knowing that correct principles do not change. We can depend on them. Principles don’t react to anything. They don’t get mad and treat us differently. Principles are deep, fundamental truths... they are rightly woven threads running with exactness, consistency, beauty, and strength throughout the fabric of life.”

Do you notice how many times the word “principle” comes up? Stephen Covey cares about quality and he loves a good plan. He is a perfectionist.

How To Spot A Perfectionist

Behavior may be the same for a variety of people; it’s the reason for the behavior that distinguishes us.

Let’s use an example. Leaders and thinkers always prepare for a meeting. Why do they want to be prepared? There are several reasons, and they depend on our personality types:

• Achiever—want to look good.
• Risk-adverse—reduce fear of failure.
• Domineering—in control
• Analytical—have all the information.
• A perfectionist, however, would want to be prepared so everything runs according to plan.

I am analytical and I need all the information that I need to making a decision because I want to make sure that the decision that I make is the best possible decision for the issue at hand. For a perfectionist, however, there is only one moral standard, and that is moored to authority, plans, and principles.

Listen to Them

Perfectionists are remarkable leaders because they feel that they lead by moral example and inspire others to live the same way. Here are some typical comments that you can typically hear from them:

• I am a serious, no-nonsense type of person.
• I follow my conscience.
• I feel like I am living with a judge inside my head – one that is harsh and judgmental.
• I believe that right is right and wrong is wrong—that’s all there is to it.
• I don’t understand why so many people have lax standards.
• I have to do it, or it won’t get done the right way.

How To Motivate A Perfectionist

Hillary Clinton  is a perfectionist. I am certain that you know several others. Here are some tips to help you motivate the perfectionists in your life to perform at their best:

• Combine strong values with a vision of high standards.
• Show integrity.
• Arrange feedback from people they respect.
• Create and maintain structure and clear channels of authority.
• Provide accountability and guidelines—they thrive on it.
• Provide appreciation and recognition.
• Set limits on their responsibilities so they know they won’t be blamed for a mistake.
• Attract a perfectionist as a new client by helping them to find ways to justify their actions—they do not change their minds easily.
• Provide them with everything so they know what is required—they really need the rules.

History is full of perfectionists who left their comfortable lives to do something extraordinary because they felt it was a higher calling. Their talents are well worth our time and effort to uncover.

Do you think you are a perfectionist?

What tips do you have for motivating others like you?

What are your greatest strengths?

Some Things A Great Leader Never Does

A great Leader is like a catalyst. (S)He is an example of great leader who motivates, plans well, and leads everyone towards the path to success. (S)He ensures that everybody gives their best for the good of the cause. 

There are many things that make a great Leader; here are 7 things that definitely should NOT be on that list.

1.    A great Leader never loses sight of the fact that the business exists for the customer – just because you are the boss, does not mean that everything should be about you. It is actually about the customer and this is where the focus should always be. When you forget this very important fact you fail in the most basic skills of leadership in business.

2.    A great Leader is an example to his / her followers – leadership in business is all about doing things right; leading by example. The end does not excuse the means, as it is often believed. A great Leader will always respect the law and ensures that others do the same. Whether it is marketing or customer relations, a great Leader shows integrity and by doing so expects it from each and every team member under his / her command.

3.    A great Leader would not allow their egos to rule – leadership demands a certain amount of self-assurance and even a whiff of arrogance if you are aiming to be at the top of the ladder; the pinnacle of your niche. But if egos take over, that would be the end of the story.

4.    A great Leader never runs down his / her followers in public – no matter what the provocation is, a great Leader will never berate a team member in public. This is the fastest way to alienate your team; and it is suicidal for the leader when the followers end up despising him / her.

5.    A great Leader never behaves like a dictator – leadership requires that there is mutual respect between the leader and followers. No follower worth his salt would like to work where the boss just barks orders around. In such a scenario, the good followers will leave leaving behind who have nowhere else to go.

6.    A great Leader never encourages ‘yes’ men – while leadership is likely to bring in a certain amount of cohesiveness and assent on various matters, it is important that the Leader creates and maintains an atmosphere where people can voice disagreement without fear. If (s)he has only ‘yes men’ around, (s)he is doomed.

7.    A great Leader never calls in favors – I know lots of bosses who play the guilt game, like saying, "Betsy, I was really flexible with your schedule while your son was sick... now I really need you to come through for me and work this weekend." Generosity should always be a one-way street. Be flexible when being flexible is the right thing to do. Be accommodating when being accommodating is the right thing to do. Never lend money to friends unless you don't care if you are repaid, and never do "favors" for followers in anticipation of return. Remarkable leaders only give. They never take.

Decisions and Motivations

Everyone makes decisions differently and is motivated or driven by different things. Being aware of and understanding these differences are really important when managing employees or creating relationships.

I am now motivated to write this article, following the successful Round Table discussion that I hosted on VoARadio Network  on last Saturday.  Over fifty years of scientific research has revealed that there are three distinct styles of decision-making. Each of us can make decisions in all three ways, but we tend to develop a preference for one more than the other two. This preference becomes a subconscious force, affecting the decisions we make on a daily basis and shaping how we perceive the world around us and ourselves. The three decisional styles are personal, practical, and analytical.

To some extent everyone is capable of making all three kinds of decisions, but we ultimately have a preference. Here is a simple example of the three in contrast with each other. A person with each style is sitting around a table working on a project together. While the Personal style is focused on the needs of the team members involved and how to best use their talents, the Practical style does not really care as much about the team or if it is done right, he just wants to get it done. Finally the Analytical sees no reason to worry about the people involved or even getting it done if it is not going to be done correctly.

We all have different balances of these three styles. That is what makes our decisions and actions different from others. These ways of making decisions and how we use them are at the core of who we are.

In addition to there being three distinct styles of decision making, people are also motivated to make decisions based on different drivers. Based on the research of Dr. Eduard Spranger and later by Dr. Gordon Allport, there are seven key motivational drivers and they include the following:

§ The motivation to achieve balance, harmony, and find form or beauty

§ The motivation for security from economic gain and to achieve practical returns

§ The motivation to be seen as unique, independent, and stand apart from the crowd

§ The motivation to have influence and control over one’s environment or success

§ The motivation to benefit others in a humanitarian sense

§ The motivation to establish order, routine, and structure

§ The motivation to gain knowledge or discover truth

Imagine how beneficial it would be to know how your team members make decisions and why they are motivated to do what they do. Imagine being able to share that knowledge with the actual team members. Communication, teamwork, and your ability to manage would instantly improve. Results and outcomes would measurably improve. Uncovering how people make decisions and what drives them to do what they do can be uncovered through a simple assessment process. [Please contact me if you are interested in the assessment process.] However, the assessment process is only the beginning. A commitment by management to create an action plan on how to effectively use the knowledge to improve team building is a critical second step. Information for information’s sake is—you got it—just information. An action plan to manage with the new information will provide long-term and sustainable results for your team.

Leaders Who Inspire Start with “Why”

How does a leader become truly inspirational?

If the leader cannot clearly articulate WHY they exist in terms beyond its products or services, then how does (s)he expect the team members to know WHY to come to work?

Certainly we are all motivated to come to work to get paid and other incentives. But pay doesn’t motivate us to give our all, to become better than we were last month, to commit to goals or to engage our hearts and minds to our full potential.

Pay doesn’t buy enthusiasm. And that’s what is needed if you want people to act for the good of the business, for the good of all who work there, for the benefit to customers.

Leaders who clearly communicate a higher purpose inspire others work with engagement and commitment. It unleashes people’s potential for doing good work.

The trouble is many leaders do not communicating clearly about why they come to work every day. I am talking about a higher “why” than the obvious ones. I am talking about expressing your true purpose, your passion, your real reasons for getting out of bed in the morning.

Often it’s a cause or purpose greater than oneself. What is that for you? What is that for your company? Not only are some leaders not clear about what that why is, they often put it into the background, where it gets fuzzy and loses energy.

Maybe it’s because values and purpose get expressed as nouns… as in:

·                     Integrity

·                     Innovative

·                     Creative

·                     Thought leadership

But nouns don’t inspire action. You are not communicating clearly when you ask your people to be more innovative or to be creative, or to have integrity. These words may have lost their meaning and become fuzzy from overuse.

However, when a leader asks people to always do the right thing, or to look at problems from other angles, or to question their assumptions… now leadership communications become actionable. It takes transforming nouns into verbs, and connecting with why your work is important.

Some of the work I do with my clients involves clarifying the why of their careers and their organizations. The second part of that is in finding a way executives can express their why in a way that makes sense to others. Those who improve their communications by starting with why find greater results in terms of influencing others.

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

What do you think about this? Are you communicating to your people, using actionable verbs, what you truly believe in, why your company exists? What is your higher purpose for your business? Leave me a comment, I am curious.

Are You Asking the Right Questions?

What do you think is wrong with many of the entrepreneurs? One of the great errors in thinking committed by these business leaders is this: The omniscience fallacy: Believing One Knows Everything.

Maybe you have worked for a boss who thinks he knows everything? Or you know someone who does, because this is rampant. It’s common practice for bosses to interrupt someone to tell them why their idea won’t work, or how they could make their idea better.

In Marshall Goldsmith’s book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, he lists 20 habits that are the top interpersonal challenges for leaders. One of the most common faults leaders have is in thinking they know it all. And, they have an overwhelming desire to let you know how smart they are.

When I review Goldsmith’s list of 20 bad habits, I find six of the 20 that stem from the fact that leaders think they know it all. In my Executive Coaching business, I coach some pretty smart executives, not many come to me because they think they don’t know enough. They are all pretty accomplished and knowledgeable. But that’s the problem.

Once in positions of responsibility and power, everyone comes to them with questions and to ask for advice. The idea that they are all-knowing gets reinforced, and many executives start believing they actually do know what’s best. In a desire to keep up appearances, they stop asking questions.

Take for example, the question of motivating employees. Almost every economic model has assumed that money is the key motivator for employees. Bosses assume that if they pay their people top dollar, they’ll get top performance and loyalty in return. That is not true at all, but this way of thinking is rampant…

Even though management studies say this isn’t the way it works, most leaders continue to think of pay as the ultimate incentive. They think they know their employees and what they want. Here’s a passage from Goldsmith’s book that struck me as important:

As a general rule, people in their 20s want to learn on the job. In their 30s they want to advance. And in their 40s they want to rule. No matter what their age, though, understanding their desires is like trying to pin down mercury. You have to find out what they want at every step – by literally asking them – and you can’t assume that one size fits all. The person who sees the noble goal of “work-life balance” as irrelevant at age 24 may find it critical at age 34. (Goldsmith, p. 214)

Bosses think they know their people, but how can they know if they aren’t asking questions and having conversations? And it’s hard to have a two-way exchange of ideas when you are the person in charge and you come across as if you know it all already.

What’s been your experience with “smart” leaders?

Quantum Physics of Beliefs - Purpose

Continuing the topic from the last week's article ("When Helping Others is Your Life Purpose") let me discuss a little bit more deeply on what exactly is the 'Life Purpose'. I was actually driven to continue to write more about it while thinking about a question that I received on one of the Facebook groups in response to a VoARadio talk that I broadcast couple of weeks ago on the Quantum Physics of Beliefs - Power of Intentions Part1 and Part2. The question was "How do you know if it is your intention or someone else's?" In my response, I suggested to look at the classical meaning of the word intention - 'to have in mind a purpose or plan, to direct the mind, to aim' - and examine if it is indeed your plan/purpose to do something or someone else's? But, then I realized that there is more to 'purpose' than just a plan. So, let's delve into it...

LIVING YOUR PURPOSE

The original Latin meaning of the word purpose is derived from the word intention; (there you have it - intention and purpose go hand in hand) meaning that your purpose is there by (your) design and is something that you intend either consciously or unconsciously. When you intend for something to happen you are the one that makes it happen; it is not something or someone outside of yourself.

It's been said that great minds have purpose while others just have wishes. At some point in your life you have probably asked yourself the question "why am I here?" Or "what's the purpose that I am living in this world?" I think that most people with a healthy mind often ask this question and mostly at points in their lives when they are forced to take a time out. Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worth living and it is from examining our lives that we can look at it afresh and get a new perspective on why we are really here.

I believe that we all have a purpose for being here. There is a reason why you are here in this universe and that there is a specific role for you to fulfill. Even though this is a belief, I do think that anyone who is in touch with their spirit (or soul or inner self or whatever name you want to give it) will know that there is a part of you that long for more than just the day to day physical needs of life. We all dream for more and this desire, in a sense is fulfilled by your purpose. Your purpose in life is not a pre-assigned role, but rather a decision that you make as a result of introspection. There is no black board in the sky on which your purpose is written. There is however feelings and experiences that you long to experience while you are here and your purpose is what will cause you to experience, feel and be that which you long for on the deepest level of being a human "being."

Most people spend all their lives waiting for "a sign" as to what their purpose is. They spend all their lives trying to find their purpose instead of just deciding and using the power of intent to make things happen. Mahatma Gandhi as a young man saw things he did not like in South Africa and he decided that his purpose in life will be to get equal rights for all. Later on, when he returned to India, his purpose transformed to liberating his mother India from Colonial rule and establish democracy and self rule for the people. These became the very reason for him living and even though his purpose lead him on a very rocky road, his purpose did not change. All this was born in a truly committed decision. His committed decision lead to a definiteness of purpose; something that did not change, despite all the odds being against him. He found a purpose that was much bigger than himself that gave him leverage to achieve the impossible.

With a strong sense of purpose you can achieve virtually anything. Purpose is what gives you the reasons for doing something. In life there is a big difference between what you can do and what you actually do and the results usually come down to your motivation. Motivation is nothing but having a strong sense of purpose; a sense of knowing why you do what you do. When people don't know why they are doing something they will rarely do it and they will rarely stick with it long term. Purpose is the engine of human motivation. Purpose gives you the reasons why and with strong enough reasons "why to" you will find the "how to" - reasons come first and the answers come second as a result of the why.

Purpose therefore gives you power. It gives you the power to persist and take action until you succeed.

When you say that someone did something "on purpose" you are actually saying that he was responsible for doing it and that it is because of him that it happened. When you use your mind, your body and your emotions you have the ability to bring into being virtually anything on purpose. By intending for it to happen you can make it real. With a strong purpose you are able to tap into the unlimited resources that are within you; resources that become available because you feel compelled to make it happen. When it is a must you will find within yourself the resources to make it happen. When what you want is merely a wish, it is only a "should" that might only come together when it is convenient. Musts happen regardless of your circumstances or situation for it is your very purpose. It is your reason for being. Gandhi was able to change the way a whole nation thought and acted upon. With a strong enough purpose nothing can hold you back.

Discovering and living your purpose is all there really is for you to do in this life. It is like the axis of the wheel of your life and it holds everything in your life together. Your purpose gives meaning to everything you do and provides you with an inexhaustible well of resources to truly achieve whatever you set out to achieve or accomplish. The ironic thing however is that when you are on purpose all the "things and stuff' do not matter as the feeding of your purpose is what you truly long for and it needs no external satisfaction other than the experience.

Great minds have a purpose and it is usually a purpose that goes beyond themselves; beyond what they will "get". With their purpose they serve humanity. You can only find that much drive to serve and uplift yourself, but when you turn your attention to a cause much bigger than yourself you can find a purpose that has immense power to propel you to do virtually anything; even that which most people think of as impossible. The human spirit is truly one of love as we will do more for others than we will ever do for ourselves. When you find something that you can serve that goes beyond your personal gains you will discover that life's greatest joys is in giving; in giving the gift that you are.