Quest for a Purposeful Life

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 I discovered a powerful overarching quest: to craft a sustainable purpose that fuels a meaningful life.  This discovery with an angst co out of the disconnect between the life I would be proud of living and my current existence.  I consciously created the contrast between “life” and “existence” as I constructed the previous sentence.

While disempowering, the word “existence” captures the truth about the way I am surviving from day to day.  Not every moment in my life is devoid of striving for “The Good Life”.  However, when I tally every moment of my presence on earth, the balance heavily tilts towards that existence devoid of a powerful, animating, and sustainable purpose.

To cultivate that sustainable purpose, I need to embrace something that generates a belief that what I am working towards has significance and provides value beyond mere personal gain.

Although I realize this sustainable purpose demands deep thinking, I know that it is futile to enmesh myself in an introspective approach.  I must possess a bias for action and adopt a viable mental model to guide me along the journey of crafting this sustainable purpose.  Why not start with Dan Sullivan’s 4 Cs: Commitment, Courage, Capability, and Confidence?

1.      Commitment

The first step is to make a decision that stretches beyond my current capabilities and commit to that decision.  At this moment, I want to transform my current existence into a meaningful life.  I am not necessarily sure how to go about it, but I know this must happen and I am willing to commit to this personal cause.

2.      Courage

Notice that I am starting this journey without the knowledge and confidence to map my way forward.  As I confessed earlier, I have not mastered the skills to craft a life fueled by deep sense of purpose.  I am filled with fear and uncertainty as I start my journey.

Courage lets me act despite the fear and uncertainty that dog me.  It is futile to wait to build up confidence before starting the journey.

3.      Capability

Acting with courage gives me the fortitude to experiment as I move forward.  Without this action, I will not build the skills and capabilities to craft this sustainable overarching purpose.  By moving forward courageously forward I will continue building capabilities that build confidence

4.      Confidence

Confidence is a result of these meaningful actions performed in courage and developing capabilities.  This is why the 4 C’s model is powerful.  Rather than waiting to build confidence to start acting, confidence ensues due to actions and the small wins that result from these actions.

The 4C’s model is not linear; rather it operates in cycles that spiral upwards as I go on my quest.

I have committed to the cause of living a life fueled by sustainable purpose and opted to act with courage.  Where will that take me?  I don’t know yet and therein lies one of beautiful aspects of life: a juxtaposition of aspirations and the angsts they trigger.

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