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Purpose creates the driving force within the entrepreneur’s mind, to execute whatever mission they set out to achieve. Purpose is a very interesting concept, because in human beings purpose appears to be binary in nature, in the sense that people act either out of “need” or “want”. We are either acting on things for a purpose (want) or we are reacting to things on purpose (need). This isn’t as evident in the animal kingdom where it appears that wildlife relies on instinct to act in a more linear fashion, which is to serve their need for survival, but I digress.
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It’s in knowing that as human beings, we have the privilege to explore our “wants” or acting on things for a purpose, opposed to being forced to have razor sharp focus on our “needs”, that we are even able to question the idea of purpose.
Purpose and Perception
Purpose is synonymous with value in the sense that they are both linked to perception. This is to say that if someone has a sense of purpose in what they do, then that is to also assume that what they are doing has value based on their perception. What creates a sense of purpose has evolved with humanity, though. In a post “survival of the fittest” world, the line between what human beings need and what human beings want has been greatly blurred. There is a very large gray area that has ballooned alongside our developing advances in science/technology and education. It’s within this gray area where you may hear a young adult say “I NEED THE NEWEST IGADGET!” and would proceed to spend many hours camped outside of a retail store to get said gadget. That young adult would never partake in such an act if they had to hunt for their next meal. The purpose of that last statement was not meant to marginalize the young adult’s purpose for spending hours of their time outside a retail shop, but rather to illustrate where we are as human beings and the level of privilege that is available to us in this day in age. You can bet your bottom dollar that the young adult in this example did in fact get their hands on that new IGadget, and the reason why is because they acted “on purpose”.
Willpower
An individual’s level of willpower is based on their sense of purpose. I believe there is a way to tell how strong an individual’s sense of purpose is in any given activity that they partake in, as well. I’m not talking 100% science here, but absorb what I am about to say and see if you can relate. Imagine that in any activity we do, we have an internal “willpower bar”, kind of like a video game in the fighting genre - the fighters have a “power bar”. How we feel about an activity greatly determines the longevity of our involvement in that activity and determines how quickly our “willpower bar” depletes. It may sound like I am insulting your intelligence right about now with that seemingly obvious statement, but take into consideration the activities that you do not feel so happy about and yet you continue to do them anyway. This is because the longevity of our involvement in any given activity is not directly attached to our emotions but rather the sense of purpose that is derived from those emotions, that determines our level of willpower. This is where I could say that there are many things that I want to do, but my sense of purpose is telling me that there are also many things I need to do, and my willpower makes sure those needs take precedent over those wants.
Purpose is synonymous with value in the sense that they are both linked to perception. This is to say that if someone has a sense of purpose in what they do, then that is to also assume that what they are doing has value based on their perception. What creates a sense of purpose has evolved with humanity, though. In a post “survival of the fittest” world, the line between what human beings need and what human beings want has been greatly blurred. There is a very large gray area that has ballooned alongside our developing advances in science/technology and education. It’s within this gray area where you may hear a young adult say “I NEED THE NEWEST IGADGET!” and would proceed to spend many hours camped outside of a retail store to get said gadget. That young adult would never partake in such an act if they had to hunt for their next meal. The purpose of that last statement was not meant to marginalize the young adult’s purpose for spending hours of their time outside a retail shop, but rather to illustrate where we are as human beings and the level of privilege that is available to us in this day in age. You can bet your bottom dollar that the young adult in this example did in fact get their hands on that new IGadget, and the reason why is because they acted “on purpose”.
Willpower
An individual’s level of willpower is based on their sense of purpose. I believe there is a way to tell how strong an individual’s sense of purpose is in any given activity that they partake in, as well. I’m not talking 100% science here, but absorb what I am about to say and see if you can relate. Imagine that in any activity we do, we have an internal “willpower bar”, kind of like a video game in the fighting genre - the fighters have a “power bar”. How we feel about an activity greatly determines the longevity of our involvement in that activity and determines how quickly our “willpower bar” depletes. It may sound like I am insulting your intelligence right about now with that seemingly obvious statement, but take into consideration the activities that you do not feel so happy about and yet you continue to do them anyway. This is because the longevity of our involvement in any given activity is not directly attached to our emotions but rather the sense of purpose that is derived from those emotions, that determines our level of willpower. This is where I could say that there are many things that I want to do, but my sense of purpose is telling me that there are also many things I need to do, and my willpower makes sure those needs take precedent over those wants.
