Purpose: it's out there somewhere...

I was recently having a discussion on the Warrior Forum about the difference between the meaning of the word Purpose and Goal.

It got me to thinking about how words can mean such different things to different people, especially when closely examined. To the persons I was having the discussion with, Goal was the over-arching “thing” to which our life strived for and purpose was how to get to that thing.

But that sounds completely backwards to me and to most people I know.  To me, goals are markers or sign-posts that you set on your way to some achievement, but purpose is what gives you the world-view you have and is what is behind the achievements that you choose to go after.  Strange how the concepts can be flipped – but also, I did not hear this person clearly say that whatever your ultimate “thing” is, that is what drives to choose the accomplishments that you want.

At any rate, here is the dictionary definition of Purpose:

–noun

1.	the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc.

2.	an intended or desired result; end; aim; goal.

3.	determination; resoluteness.

4.	the subject in hand; the point at issue.

5.	practical result, effect, or advantage: to act to good purpose.

–verb (used with object)

6.	to set as an aim, intention, or goal for oneself.

7.	to intend; design.

8.	to resolve (to do something): He purposed to change his way of life radically.

We read about how important it is to crystallize our purpose statement so we have a firm grasp on what it is we are living for – to make life affirmations so that we end up knowing that when we get to the top of “ladder of success” we have placed that ladder on the correct wall.

–DTM

It's not done, until it is...

One of the areas that both Master Achievers, and those who are working to become a Master Achiever struggle with, is the area of closure. Closure is when a task, goal, or project is completed – both in time and in the mind of the one who is performing it.  It seems like a simple concept, but has been famously said before; the devil is in the details.

There are two extremes that a Master Achiever must avoid when setting about to perform a task or a goal – the first, the lazy mans excuse: “It’s 99 percent done, that’s good enough…”

No, if the job is not done, then you have not reached your stated objective – no matter how close it is, if you know in your heart that last little bit that should be completed to give a polished, professional result is not there – then you have failed in accomplishing the thing, at least to the most important person: you.

You see if you know in your heart that you have not really completed the task, then you will carry that with you, and the next time you have a task to do, you are more likely to subconsciously accept the notion of compromise.  You are more likely to give up earlier because you have established that pattern.  You are moving away from being a Master Achiever.

On the other hand, you can be a perfectionist – never fully believing that you are done, never completing the task because you keep tweaking.  This is the perfectionist conundrum: “I just need to do one more thing…”

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The perfectionist has gone too far into thinking that a task or goal needs more features, more polish, more bits of this or that, until too much time has gone by and the task or goal is no longer meaningful.

Both extremes are deadly to the Master Achiever because we all have times where we just feel like we have worked so hard that we cannot do another thing and want to throw in the towel, or we obsess over some minor thing and cannot seem to say “IT IS TRULY DONE!”

This requires balance, and takes practice and a good partner or mentor who can tell you that you are being lazy or you are obsessing over something.  Closure is when, in our own minds and hearts we know we have done our best, given our all, and have now closed the book on some task or project so we can move on to the next one.

And now, this post is done!

David T. McKee