The Importance of Defining a Clear Purpose

Why do you think some people and organizations make more of an impact than others?  Is it talent, resources, luck, or something else?

In the early 20th century, the battle was on to create the first flying machine.  The team on the left of the chart was led by Samuel Pierpont Langley, the director of the Smithsonian Institution and a renowned scientist and inventor.  He had the backing of the U.S. government, which granted him $50,000 to fund his project.  That’s about 1,727,994.32 dollars today. He also had access to the best engineers, materials, and facilities.   He was confident that they would succeed and ready to be famous and win a prize. ¹

On the other hand, the team on the right was composed of two brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, who ran a bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio.   No one on their team had a college education.  They had no outside funding, and no media was following them.  They believed that creating a flying machine was possible and that it would change the world for the better.

How did the Wright Brothers succeed?

They had a crystal CLEAR sense of purpose of discovering the secret to human flight.   They cultivated a team alongside them on how discovering this secret would change the world for the better.   From there, they put their heads down and worked.   They all poured their hearts and souls into the project and learned a lot about what not to do.  Eventually, they flew for the first time on December 17th, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. They covered 120 feet in 12 seconds. ²

The Wright Brothers’ steps to success were gaining clarity and then having relentless determination.

Clarity

What do I mean by clarity?  To have a clear definition of success, or to begin an objective with knowing how you want to finish.  This is a perfect example of Outcome-Driven Focus vs Clear Purpose and focusing on the process.

The Wright Brothers were pursuing their goal of creating a flying machine so that they could revolutionize transportation and open up new possibilities for humanity.   On the other hand, Langley’s team was focused on the result of fame and the prize.    When push came to shove, the teams started facing adversity and setbacks.  Which team did you think took the challenge head-on and which was easily discouraged?  Yes, it was the Wright Brothers because their clear purpose fueled their passion and commitment.

Here are a few everyday life examples:

Personal Fitness

• Outcome-Driven Focus: I want to get six-pack abs.
• Clear Purpose: I want to become healthy.

Career Development

• Outcome-Driven Focus: I want to get a salary increase.
• Clear Purpose: I work to grow my impact and skills while at a company.

By prioritizing clear purpose over outcome-driven focus, we can foster a sense of fulfillment and long-term success which leads us to become people who have relentless determination.

Relentless Determination

When you have a big dream like creating a flying machine, there will be setbacks, long nights,  and lots of “back to the drawing board” moments.  Having a clear purpose will motivate you to keep chugging along.   It helps you to learn from your mistakes and keep pushing forward.   Also, known as iteration the repetition of a process.

Once you succeed learn why again and keep building on your process. The common denominator here is never to stop learning.

This works for challenges big or small.

• Learning to ride a bike
• Studying for your test
• Going through the job searching process
• Pursuing a start-up business

The harder the challenge the more iterations it will take.

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” - Thomas Edison

Acton Steps:

Next time whether you are seeking a career change, trying out for a sports team, or starting a new project.  Try these simple 3 steps.

1. Ask yourself why am I pursuing this goal?   Maybe seek consolation from a wise friend, parent, or spouse.  If you like your answer, then commit to pursuing it.

2. Dive in, head first.

3. Iteration Process…(remember the graph above)

Don’t get discouraged, and keep working until you reach your goal.  Sometimes you might find the journey along the way even when you are struggling the most memorable.

“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” - Friedrich Nietzsche