To dance on the edge of failure
I’ve thought a lot about purpose. For a long time I’ve wanted one, but didn’t know where to get one. Do you find it, or discover it? Is it given to you or do you just make it up? I thought if I found one, then other things would fall into place.
Actually, my problem has never been lack of purpose. More, too many competing purposes, resulting in a lack of direction. Which one do I pick? How do I know? If I focus over here, I’ll have to let this one go a bit. And what if I pick the wrong one? Unthinkable.
So I’ve always kept more than a few balls in the air. I’ve had a few stand out moments, but nothing that reached the stratosphere. I think that’s part of the problem when you’re focusing on so many things, you don’t give yourself the chance to really make one fly.
So is the answer, that you just pick one? Give it a red hot go and if it works, you’ve found your passion, and if it doesn’t, well, you can cross one off the list and look at the next. I think that’s part of it, but it’s not the whole answer.
Simon Sinek talks about ‘finding your Why’. I love this concept. So simple, yet so powerful. He does a great job of explaining it and connecting the whole idea to how the layers of your brain work. It’s beautiful. But there’s still something missing for me. It’s rigorous, but it’s kind of too intellectual.
I think he’s right, but it still doesn’t answer the question of purpose for me, because the beauty of what he offers is a template. Then it’s up to you to sift through your thoughts and experiences and passions and pick one. So as much as I want my Why to be the answer, it’s not quite doing it for me.
And then I get this from Seth Godin:
Our purpose is to dance on the edge of failure.
In a way it’s deeper than ‘why’. To me this is about energy. What makes you feel alive?
I like this because it allows space for multiple passions. You don’t have to give anything up. You don’t have to pick a single direction. Just know that whatever you’re doing, it’s not going to feel right if you’re playing it safe. The passion and the energy come from the tension at the edge.
Back from the edge, you can switch off. When there’s no chance of falling, you can relax. So you’re not engaged, you’re not excited, you’re not afraid—there is no feeling, it’s just grey. This is what it feels like to be bored of your job, wondering what to do with your life.
Right up on the edge, you need to be in the zone. You need to be hyper-aware, fully present and totally engaged. You might not feel comfortable, but you will feel alive. The prospect of falling is ever-present, so you have to be focused. This will bring out your best.
Think fast, move fast. Dance with the fear and know that the more intense it feels, the closer you are to where you need to be. And that right there is why you wanted a purpose in the first place. To know that what you’re doing matters and that this is where you’re meant to be.
