The Secret to Creating Radical Success

What makes success possible? No one seems to be talking about it, but it’s the key for anyone who wants to lead the future.

Having a Purpose that's endless.

It's about being involved in things that will change the world and thinking way beyond immediate business impacts, boldly connecting with new dreams that inspire everyone. It's about not being afraid to look crazy in the short term because you've built a beautiful future in your mind that carries you forward with power.

Those who have a Purpose that's endless don’t rely on the static mission statement, the prescriptive embodiment of what they ultimately want to be. Watch people like this, and you’ll see they just are what they aspire to be—they don’t need to stare at a self-proclaimed prescription to remember it, they just are it. It’s in them, and everyone around them knows it, because they see it as they live and breathe it.

Creating an Purpose that's endless is about being bold and visionary and inviting different views to refine thinking in pursuit of big solutions, connecting silos rather than building more of them. It’s about emphasizing the human experience and creating a culture of prototyping—exploring the art and science of anything: a relationship, a multi-million dollar deal, or an early morning run. It’s about getting grounded in power-producing ideas, to dream the future and then create it. And it’s about constantly putting the Why first and taking risks to be original, even when other people may aimlessly imitate. Far from being ego-driven, it’s about linking to something bigger than ourselves.

Most people live in a small box and don’t believe they can influence much. They limit themselves. Those with a Purpose that's endless don’t accept that. They reject that approach. And they change things. They embrace possibilities, expanding into the universe to shape it into something greater than anyone imagined before and to change the world. Live that way, and you won’t accept the status quo, because you’ll be shaping the new future.

We’re all motivated by different things, but studies show that the most powerful, highest-performance goals are connected to meaning. Stanford professor Jennifer Aaker examined experiences of 397 people who described their lives as happy and others who described their lives as meaningful. She found that being happy and finding life meaningful overlap, but that there are important differences. What they found was surprising. Satisfying one’s needs and wants increased happiness but was largely irrelevant to meaningfulness. Those who considered their lives happy focused on what was happening to them in the present moment and were “takers”, and those who considered their lives meaningful found insights exploring and integrating their past, future, and present and were “givers”. Givers go beyond focusing on a balanced life, to creating one that is connected to what’s most important.

When we make goals about achieving something tied to serving others, our goals keep on giving. A Purpose that's endless like that keeps you connected to work, life, and the world. Here are some characteristics of an Purpose that's endless:

• One line that capture what will constantly be motivating for you every day
• Like a life teaser trailer that offers the best of you for those you love and respect most
• Not designed as a version of you in terms of upgrades (2.0, 3.0, etc.), but in terms of the lasting version that will be the same today, tomorrow, and decades to come
• Powered by inspiring concepts (kindness, courage, connection, etc.)

Creating a Purpose that's endless means experiencing life in a way that is so engaging that it puts us “in the zone”, where time slows down, where we find real joy. Where we feel like we’re actually doing what we came to earth to do. People who understand how important this is to growth will win the future as they inspire success all around them.

The world needs people who have a Purpose that's endless. Be one.