When designing a building, architects start with a vision that the client wants to achieve. In life, developing one’s self starts with a vision of what you want to become.

This seems pretty straightforward and is consistent with the advice given by many books on the topic. Take for example Stephen R. Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In his popular book, the author suggests to “begin with the end in mind.” Napoleon Hill in the classic book Think and Grow Rich uses the term “definite chief aim.”

Ten years ago I did this exercise so you would think I would have been on the right track, but I’ve come to realize I created a vision or legacy statement that lacked a purpose wasn’t aligned to what I wanted in life. As an example, in part of my definite chief aim, I had stated “$500K net worth by 2015”. I’ve come to realize that money IS NOT the same thing as purpose.

Purpose matters a lot because it means something deeply personal to you. It has to connect with your own values. You have to want it so bad that you are willing to push through and persevere through all the tough times. Yes, money is nice to have, but ultimately, it is a means to an end. Once you make enough money to comfortably live it stops becoming a source of motivation. That is why purpose matters so much more. I’m reading Winston Churchill’s three-part biography starting with The Last Lion so it is fitting I found this quote related to purpose.

“It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something.” ―Winston S. Churchill

My advice is to spend a considerable amount of time getting to what your true purpose is. Once you do that, you will have a solid foundation to build everything else on.