Apr 4, 2023
Why You Should Pursue Purpose Before Success
What’s your purpose? Who are you as a person? How will you define success in your life? These are some of the important questions that Jonathan Reckford, leadership speaker and CEO of Habitat for Humanity, feels a person needs to answer to have a good life.
Jonathan understands the importance of these questions because his life followed a non-linear path before finding his calling as CEO of Habitat for Humanity. Jonathan worked at a series of Fortune 500 companies, including Marriott, Best Buy, and Disney, before being recruited to become CEO of Habitat for Humanity.
Along the way, his journey taught him a number of life lessons that he shares in his talks.
1) Pursue Purpose, Not Just Success
Don’t go for what popular culture or media feels is success. This is not what will give you long-term fulfillment. Jonathan feels we’re often overwhelmed with messages to go after titles and perfect jobs.
But what you really need to do to have a fulfilling life is find a career where your talents and skills line up with what you feel matters in the world. Finding your purpose won’t be easy. You’ll need to try many things first. But once you find your purpose, you will find your own personal success.
2) Decide Who You Want To Be—Before What You Want To Do
According to Jonathan, success is not measured by what you achieve in life but rather by the character that you build. Various studies have shown that there is little correlation between wealth and happiness.
Jonathan suggests it’s better to figure out who you want to be before you decide on what you want to do. Otherwise, you’ll end up doing something you don’t like. First, figure out your values and what is important to you. Once you identify what’s important to you personally, you will have a better chance at having a fulfilling life and career.
3) Find Your Passion Through Volunteer Work
One way you can discover what is important to you is to volunteer. Jonathan says that volunteering can help spark new passions or awareness of something larger than yourself. Moreover, research has shown that people can find fulfillment by helping others through service activities. There are millions of nonprofits that need your help.
If you want to lead a more fulfilling life and career, find your purpose. You can do this by figuring out who you are, defining what you think success is, and determining what’s important to you.
If you would like to learn more from Jonathan Reckford, contact BigSpeak Speakers Bureau today, a leading motivational speaking agency.
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