How Can I Make a Real Impact in my Work?

TL;DR

Be your best self outside of work, and bring that to the office. Have a purpose. Live your purpose.

Introduction

According to Dan Pink’s book Drive, purpose is the most powerful and enduring kind of motivation there is. So what is purpose and how can I employ it effectively? Consider the following campfire metaphor.

Purpose : Motivation :: Oxygen : Fire

Savvy campfire builders know that although oxygen helps things burn, it is not flammable by itself. Similar to oxygen, purpose is an essential but invisible ingredient motivating human behavior. And because they’re both invisible, they’re easily overlooked and underappreciated. For example, when I view a roaring campfire, all I see is the flaming wood (or other visible fuels) and sparking embers against a dark background. It’s easy to forget about the element which is constantly feeding those flames. Without oxygen those beautiful, sky-licking flames could not combust.

When Your Purpose Is Weak

By definition, every fire must have at least a little oxygen flow. Individuals who claim to be solely driven by things other than purpose are fooling themselves. When someone’s oxygen source is weak, their fire or productivity do one of the following things:

fail to ignite
burn out rapidly, or
require more and more (extrinsically-motivating) flash fuels, like money, recognition, perks, etc., to desperately keep their motivation alive

I believe everyone has their own personal bellows. Possessing the key ingredient to fan their own flames, why do so many people float through life stoking wimpy fires? What prevents them from tapping into their energy source and resulting in powerful light and heat? There are many reasons:

They don’t know how fire (or motivation) works. They mistakenly believe the only ingredients necessary are fuel and a spark. Or they falsely believe that their motivation is the fuel. (FYI, your task is fuel; the thing your motivation acts upon.)
They understand the role of oxygen, but they don’t realize that they hold the bellows.
They know they have their own bellows, but they’ve been blowing it in the wrong direction.
They’ve wanted to blow their bellows in the right direction, but haven’t been able to for various reasons.

When I picture less-effective fires, I imagine inexperienced boy scouts pouring gasoline on a stack of newspapers. Once ignited, the paper explodes, glowing debris blown across the campground. These lessons in motivation are often learned eventually, but it’s always sad for me to watch people spin in their hamster wheels of ephemeral delights. It doesn’t have to be that way.

The trick to experiencing powerful motivation is to line up one’s native genius (knowledge and ability) in the right direction. (See Chip and Dan Heath’s book, Switch.) What is the direction or path for your oxygen? Every campfire is different, but if you examine yours, you’ll be able to identify best spot for you to use your bellows. Sometimes smoke blows back in your face. In those situations, do the natural thing. Don’t fight against it. Step back. Be patient. And find another place to apply your purpose.

My 3 Favorite Books on Defining Purpose

Here are the best books I’ve come across that have served as my guides for defining personal purpose:

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown helps readers discover their priority by letting go of time clutter.
Find Your/Start With Why by Simon Sinek simplifies the question of what should I do with my talent and energy. Speaking to both organizations and individuals, he claims that starting with why yields greater focus, energy, and thus productivity.
The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Ken Robinson teaches that you can’t find your purpose outside yourself (by conforming); that discovery comes from within.

My 3 Favorite Books on Maintaining Purpose

Effortless, McKeown’s sequel to Essentialism, answers the question, “once I’ve define my priority, how do I structure my life so that I can prevent distractions from creeping back in?”
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear helps readers maximize their potential by harnessing the power of habits. Once you’ve found your why, organize your life so that you can stick to it.
How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen asks, “once you think you’ve found your why, are you sure? He asks a few questions to help assure you that you’re on the right track.

Honorable Mentions

Here is a list of honorable mentions. Some of these are intended to strengthen your purpose, while others remove non-purpose-driven clutter from your life:

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle offers insights on finding inner peace and living in the present moment. This book taught me to relax and as a result turned down the volume of distractions. (E.g., Pain/anxiety/distress comes from trying to control the incontrollable or failing to act on things we ought to act on.)
Becoming by Michelle Obama is an inspiring memoir that shares the personal journey and experiences of the former First Lady of the United States. She demonstrates how to navigate the messy dynamic of finding ways to live your purpose given unforeseen circumstances.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho relates a captivating parable about following one’s dreams and finding the true meaning of life.
The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for? by Rick Warren serves as a handy guide if you want serving God to be your purpose.
Figure That Shift Out: An Invitation to Relax Into Your Brilliance by Chris McAlister argues that it’s not about finding your passion; rather it’s about being able to relax to the point that your individual genius/brilliance is revealed.
Once Steve Arntz writes a book, I’m sure his will make my list.

Conclusion

A key to greater happiness, productivity, and success in life is to 1) identify our own respective purposes and 2) like fanning a nascent campfire, intentionally focus our oxygen in the right spot. Take the time to identify your passions/purpose/special gifts. Then, don’t waste them. Working hard without connecting to your purpose is like blowing air without oxygen; it might do more harm than good. Applying your purpose, but in the wrong spot, is like blowing above a campfire and hoping it’ll make a impact; it won’t. You’ll just get burned. All of us have purpose/oxygen to contribute. Your task is to match your purpose with the appropriate fire and then position yourself precisely where your passion can make the best contribution. You’ll know it when you’ve found it. The results will be unmistakable. By tapping into our inherent and native geniuses and directing it toward an appropriate space, we will experience powerful and enduring fulfillment, productivity, joy, success, and growth.