Is Your Life and Work an Expression of Your True Purpose?

“The quantity of energy we have to spend at any given moment is a reflection of our physical capacity. Our motivation to spend what we have is largely a spiritual issue. Fundamentally, spiritual energy is a unique force for action in all dimensions of our lives. It is the most powerful source of our motivation, perseverance and directions… Anything that ignites the human spirit serves to drive full engagement and to maximize performance in whatever mission we are on.”
– Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz of LGE Performance Systems

In their book, The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz makes a strong case for the importance of having a purpose greater than one self because it is a key component of our ‘spiritual energy.’

Their definition of spiritual is the connection to a deeply held set of values and to a purpose beyond our self-interest, and it is key to tapping into this most powerful of motivating forces.

MAKING A PROFIT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF BUSINESS IN THE 20TH CENTURY AS AN AFTERMATH OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION BUT NOW IN THE 21ST CENTURY A NEW PARADIGM AND POSSIBILITY IS EMERGING.

In my estimation it is also one of the biggest things missing in most businesses, particularly the businesses where the primary and often only purpose for being in existence is to make a profit. Sure, making money in business is important. Without a sufficient profit, it’s not long before the business closes, and no purpose or vision is fulfilled if that happens.

But when profit is the only purpose or even the primary purpose, it’s not long before it becomes clear to the people working there that something is missing. The soul and spirit of the business is missing. Money and profit is a necessary part of business just as blood is a necessary part of a fully functioning body. It’s simply not the primary purpose for a business. If making a profit is not the primary purpose of a business, what is?

The primary purpose of an organization is not to make a profit. It is to help human beings grow, express their creativity, contribute their life-source and make the world a better place. The purpose of an organization is to inspire the soul. – Leadership expert and Fortune 500 Business Consultant, Lance Secretan