Goals Gone Wild September 22, 2006

I Propose Purpose

Matthew Poepsel, LeftBrain/Co-Founder

Folks, who out there can tell me Chicago's meteorological nickname? Did I just hear someone say "the Windy City"? Nice try, but I'm sorry, that's incorrect. It's actually known as "the Rainy City". At least that's what I call it. (Take it easy, Alex Trebec, you were right - I'm just trying to set the scene here.)

I've been through Chicago roughly eight thousand times (exaggeration) and every time, I get delayed due to rain (complete and utter fact). This week was no exception. I dutifully parked my car in the remote economy parking lot in the next county, boarded a crowded and foul-smelling shuttle bus, stood in a human wall of travelers waiting to check bags laden with now-forbidden liquids, and was poked and prodded by sketchy security personnel. Despite these obstacles, I still arrived at my gate with plenty of time to board my plane.

Despite my best efforts, my plane wasn't ready for me. As the announcement went up, all of the passengers turned from the gate and retreated to the main section of the terminal to occupy themselves at those fine airport restaurants and retail establishments. (Have you ever noticed that everything at the airport costs the same? Greaseburger - $5. Starbucks latte - $5. Issue of Teen Vogue - $5. My expense report - $15.)

In the face of the ensuing onslaught of passengers, I was faced with one of two choices:

1. Turn and run for cover.
2. Press forward like a trout swimming upstream. (Look, Trebec - so I don't know much about fish - sue me.)

As the crowd approached, I decided to press on. (Sort of.) I took a few steps to my left and then sort of stopped in the middle of the aisle. Then I turned to my right and took a few more tentative steps. I really had no plan, I was just bouncing toward my objective like a plinko chip.

While I was doing a lousy job of making real progress, I was doing a great job of annoying other passengers. Exasperated sighs met me every time I paused. A man rolled his eyes with a feign "Oh, excuse me". Soon it got ugly. A small boy looked up at me and muttered, "Move it". Then he looked over his shoulder and quipped, "Nice red bag, mister. Does it come with a matching purse?"

(Now that hurts.)

I gripped my fashionable red wheelie suitcase tightly, and I looked up toward my gate. I was halfway through the crowd - there was no turning back now. I was overcome with a feeling of determination. It was time to take it up a notch.

"Let's do this thing" I thought to myself.

Suddenly, my demeanor changed. I felt my entire body, my expression, and my aura all take on a renewed sense of purpose. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who noticed the difference. As I moved ahead with determination and confidence, people stepped aside to make a series of small lanes for me. No more sighs or dirty looks - people simply moved to accomodate my passage.

After I reached my gate, I took a seat and thought about my small but noticeable transformation. When I was aimless and meandering, I wasn't making progress and no one was helping me at all. In fact, people were pretty much annoyed and looked at me as being an obstacle in their life. That's certainly not what I wanted. When I took on a purpose and moved with confidence, things changed entirely.

I thought to myself just how many of us are meandering through life. We may not always know exactly where we're going. We may not always know exactly how we're going to reach our objective. Still, how we carry ourselves and how we project ourselves to the outside world can make all the difference.

I've come to think that each of us would be 100% better off if we would learn to meander with a purpose. Even better, if we can each develop a deeply rooted sense of purpose based on our values and goals in life, we can develop an external presence that is consistent with that innate confidence. If we can do that, I believe that people won't just get out of our way, but they'll actually pitch in to help us make our vision a reality.

So I propose that you take a moment and think about what it means to "move with a purpose". If you can avoid projecting uncertainty and trepidation, you may find that you're in a much better position to get ahead in life.

Who knows - you might even make your flight on time. (Unless it's headed to "the Rainy City".)

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