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There are TWO

Great Tragedies In Life...


It has been said that the two great tragedies in life are these: Not KNOWING
your purpose—not knowing why you are here on Earth... and once you know your
purpose—not LIVING it with passion... every single day you are alive.
Pastor Rick Warren, in his thought-provoking book, The Purpose-Driven Life,
posed the question of the ages...

“Why on Earth am I here?”


However, once you know the answer to this question—once you understand the
Divine reason for your existence—there’s an even bigger question to be answered...

“How in the world am I going to make this happen?!”


Just HOW can I live a life of passion and purpose? What, exactly, am I expected
to DO? How can I transform my life’s purpose into an unstoppable MISSION... and
ultimately achieve the success I desire, personally and professionally?
You may have struggled with clarity of purpose and direction for your entire life.
By the time you complete Success On Purpose, this will no longer be an issue. You
will—maybe for the first time ever—discover your Natural Mission in life.

The good news is that there is a simple formula for


determining your life’s Natural Mission—a formula
that contains only 3 variables. Plug in your unique
Visions, Values and Roles, and you will have the
starting point for living your dreams and goals... the
foundation for achieving Purpose-Driven Success.
Success On Purpose will give you the tools to realize your full potential... to
consistently live your best life ever. You will discover how your values, vision, and
roles combine in your life... giving you inherent direction and purpose for every
choice you make and every action you take... permitting you to create the life you
were intended to live. You will learn how to become a Purpose-Driven Success.
You will discover—and achieve—your life’s Natural Mission.

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ON PURPOSE belongs to:

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as I can’t live without it!
S UCCESS
Publisher’s Notes
Success On Purpose is published by ThinkTQ, Inc. under license from the authors.
All Rights Reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright law, and except for brief
reviews, no portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the express written permission of
ThinkTQ, Incorporated.
ON
The Time Prism,™ Nine to Five ScreenGEMS,™ TQ,™ Engage The Time Prism,™
TQ SMART,™ Think Full Spectrum™ and Intelligent ScreenSaver Training System™
are Trademarks of ThinkTQ, Inc. These Trademarks are used subject to license
P URPOSE
agreements between ThinkTQ, Inc. and the authors.
All other Trademarks by their respective owners. Other books, quotations and The Starting Point For
publications referenced, and the authors mentioned, are used for illustrative purposes only
and do not represent an endorsement, implied or otherwise, by these authors, their estates Purpose-Driven Success
or publishers. Thumbnail book covers are used with permission from Amazon.com. By
clicking on the cover, you will be taken to the respective publication at Amazon.

Cover design, graphics and layout by Spark Studios, Boulder, Colorado.


Special thanks to Maria Tesoro Design and Editing Services, Boulder, Colorado. A simple formula for discovering and
achieving your Natural Mission.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Information is on file with the publisher.
by
For more information, please eMail: Marketing@ThinkTQ.com
Eric R. Haas &
ThinkTQ, Inc. Kent C. Madson
Post Office Box 18899
Boulder, Colorado 80308

© Copyright 2007 by Eric R. Haas and Kent C. Madson


All Rights Reserved.
Table of Contents
Success On Purpose

Authors’ Notes ..................................................................................................................ii

How to Use This Interactive eBook..................................................................................iv

Chapter 1: The Power of Purpose ..................................................................................1

Chapter 2: Defining Purpose ........................................................................................13

Chapter 3: Natural Mission ..........................................................................................37

Chapter 4: Inherent Direction ......................................................................................53

Chapter 5: My Values....................................................................................................69
“The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren,
and to do good is my religion.” Chapter 6: My Visions ..................................................................................................89

Chapter 7: My Roles ..................................................................................................121


—Thomas Paine
Chapter 8: My Purpose, My Life ................................................................................131

Chapter 9: Success On Purpose..................................................................................145

“God hath entrusted me with myself.”

—Epictetus

SUCCESS ON PURPOSE i
Authors’ Notes: We are passionate about this discipline.
We want to help you, and know we can. If we seem a little too pushy, please
remember—THAT’S OUR JOB!
About our motivational style.
We also realize that you are looking for specific answers to some rather complex
issues. In clear, and unambiguous language, we will answer two of your biggest questions:
Success On Purpose has been written by an entire team of people working on various
aspects of Project Time Prism and Project TQ over the past 12 years. 1. What EXACTLY is my PURPOSE in life?
This book is just one element in a complete system designed to help people work 2. What SPECIFICALLY must I do to LIVE it?
smarter, compete smarter and live the life they love. We have helped tens of thousands of When you put this book down, you will have your answers. We promise.
ministers, doctors, lawyers, bankers, business people, coaches, executives, entrepreneurs...
In the interest of simplicity, we have also tried to eliminate the massive details that
people just like you.
weigh down more “professorial” books, and get straight to the point. You will not find
If you have purchased the Full Power of TQ System, Thank You! If not, there is a endless references, examples and outside expert opinions to slow you down. If you want
coupon in the back that will save you $50 off the purchase price! to know more about many of the concepts we are writing about, simply do a Google search
and follow those links to your heart’s content.
Finally, study the quotes we use carefully. Listen to what is being said with an open
mind... even if you don’t particularly like the person quoted. Think of these quotes as light
switches—turning on the “bright bulb” inside your brain—giving you a new source of
intellectual illumination on this age-old discussion.

Dedication...

Success On Purpose is dedicated to helping


you quickly identify your mission in life and
transform that mission into a lifetime of
Principal writing and storytelling has been penned by me, Eric R. Haas, with the success—personally and professionally.
able assistance of my business partner, Kent C. Madson. So, when you see the word “I,”
please read it in my voice. When you see the word “WE,” it means Kent, I, and the
collective of a hundred different people that was required to bring you the wisdom found
By the time you finish reading this book—
within these pages. and complete the personal exercises—you
Because I am a very positive and enthusiastic person, you will find what most editors
consider an excessive use of exclamation points, CAPITALIZED WORDS—and long
will understand your unique Purpose...
dashes to emphasize a point! This is intentional. exactly how your Natural Mission forms...
My job is to educate you... to motivate you... to challenge and find Inherent Direction for your life.
you... to prompt you to change both your point of In short, you will have taken a huge step
view—and your viewpoint. towards becoming Successful On Purpose...
Kent and I want you to break out of your “business as usual” thinking, and take achieving the Purpose-Driven Success you so
positive steps to become a powerful “New You!” If we sound a bit too “rah-rah,” please
forgive us. richly deserve.

ii SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE iii


How To Use This Powerful Interactive eBook: If you do not like reading on screen, get the printed edition!
Success On Purpose contains a treasure-trove of resources not found in any other book in
the world. While you will certainly gain valuable insight by reading this fabulous new
Step-By-Step Procedures eBook, to get maximum benefit you must actually do the work.
The complete, 172 page PRINTED EDITION is normally $39.95 and includes the 1-
Getting maximum value from Success On Purpose. hour Secrets of The Time Prism CD, and access to ThinkTQ.com for one full year!
Success On Purpose is part of the Power of TQ System, and is the starting point for
people who need to quickly improve their sense of purpose and Mission. If you have
already tested your TQ and have been instructed to first improve your Mission Color, this
is exactly where we want you to start.
If you have not yet taken your full 100 question TQ Test, you may do so at any time
at ThinkTQ.com/Actual. This may well be the most eye-opening test of your life.
To get the most out of your copy of Success On Purpose, please follow these steps:
• Read it from beginning to end without completing the personal exercises.
This will give you the big conceptual overview, helping you see how all
the different pieces fit together.
• Go back through the book a second time and, where indicated, do all
the personal exercises. Listen to your Mission CD 5-6 times. The Mission CD
is part of the complete Power of TQ System. If you order the printed edition
of Success On Purpose, this important CD training program is included free.
• Complete these 3 steps and you will have exactly what you are seeking.
You will discover your Natural Mission and Inherent Direction for your life.

Gaining Access to Valuable TQ Resources


Success On Purpose is designed to not only make you THINK, but to DO.
Throughout the PDF edition of Success On Purpose you will see several internal links
taking you to various pages at ThinkTQ.com. Simply click on the blue embedded links to
go to those references. You will be asked to Sign In to access these materials. Many are
free entry points, while others require system-level access. To gain system-level access,
you may order the complete Power of TQ System at any time.
If you are reading this book for the first time and have little understanding of TQ, a
great place to start is: ThinkTQ.com/Start. There, you will get an overview of the complete
TQ process. If you want to bench mark your performance prior to doing the Vision, Values,
Roles and Mission exercises, please see our free online tests:
To take your Mission TQ Test: ThinkTQ.com/Mission
To take your Set Goals TQ Test: ThinkTQ.com/Goals
To take the complete TQ Test: ThinkTQ.com/Actual
To get a comprehensive evaluation of your success potential, order The Power of TQ
and 10 Choices of Intentional Excellence. This is a 172-page, custom-published, made-
Order The Printed Edition by clicking on the book image...
to-order book all about you... only you... and the forces holding you back from achieving
the success you desire. This complete package is yours now for only $24.95 (plus S&H). This limited time
offer is subject to change without notice.

iv SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE v


power of
PUR POSE
Chapter 1 The Power of Purpose: A Quick Primer.
Your Foundation for True and Lasting Success.
Sage Advice: By the time you finish reading this book, you will understand that there is indeed a
key to long term success—however you define it: Wealth... Power... Happiness... or just
the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you have, under demanding
“I don't give advice. I can't tell circumstances, done the very best you could with the resources at hand.

The Key is High TQ Performance.


anybody what to do. Instead I
If you want to achieve success beyond your wildest hopes and dreams—to become
truly Successful On Purpose—you can. Simply improve your Time Quotient or TQ for
say this is what we know about short. Develop the power to create crystal-clear EXPECTATIONS for what you want to
see happen... then EXECUTE so that you meet or exceed those exceptions.
this problem at this time. And Do this consistently, and you will find the success you desire. Don’t and you won’t.

here are the consequences of “One of the reasons it has seemed so difficult for
a person to change his habits, his personality, or his way of
these actions.”
life, has been that heretofore nearly all efforts at change
have been directed to the circumference of the self,
— Dr. Joyce Brothers so to speak, rather than to the center.”

— Maxwell Maltz
The best advice we can give anyone who wants to live their dreams is just four words:

Expect More ~ Execute Better.


As you will come to realize, these four words are not just great buzz, they are the
shortest set of instructions we can give you for living a life of passion, purpose and
mission. These four words lead to a life of phenomenal results, not regrets.

SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 1
High Expectations are the Key to Everything... The Other Side Of The Equation: Brilliant Execution...
Read this phrase out loud to yourself. Try it on for size. High expectations don’t “automagically” turn themselves into powerful results. You
It sounds inherently right, doesn’t it? Intuitively, you know that high expectations are can want success... wish for success... pray for success... but until you take the actions
the key to everything. You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? necessary to achieve it, all you have is a dream—without a hope of it being realized.

“High expectations are the key to everything.” “High expectations demand brilliant execution.”

— Sam Walton, Founder Wal-Mart — E. R. Haas, Founder ThinkTQ, Inc.


Think about a few of the great success stories of our time. What do they all have in It takes both sides of the equation for success to form in your life. First you have to
common? They all started out with nothing more than an idea. But they didn’t stop there. expect it. Then you have to take action to achieve it.
Think about the people who have become household names: Oprah Winfrey, Steve
They All Created World-Changing Expectations... Jobs, Condoleezza Rice, Rick Warren, Jack Welch, Tiger Woods, John Elway, Arnold
• BILL GATES—Vision: Make the personal computer more important Schwarzenegger, Billy Graham, Dr. Phil, Larry Ellison... the list is endless.
than the mainframe. Result: Became world’s wealthiest man by building the Did they just think up great thoughts, and leave it up to fate to make it happen? No,
most successful software company on Earth. they honed their God-given talents into hard-edged skills... and worked their butts off to
• REV. ROBERT H. SCHULLER—Vision: Spread the gospel of hope, faith build the teams of people needed to help them realize their dreams and visions.
and the word of Jesus Christ throughout the entire world. Result: Built the After all, where do you think these people would be if they were not able to
largest Christian congregation on Earth. successfully articulate their visions—or worse—failed to deliver on them? Clearly, they
• LARRY PAIGE & SERGEY BRIN—Vision: Index all the knowledge in the known expected success, then executed such that they continuously met growing expectations.
universe making it instantly available to everyone. Result: Built Google, the most
powerful internet company in the world—making them the youngest guys who High Expectations coupled with Brilliant Execution.
ever went from broke to billionaires in less than 5 years! Each exhibited what we call high TQ Performance—the POWER to produce
• MEG WHITMAN—Vision: Create a place where people all over the world exceptional Results over Time. This is the “secret” to their world-changing successes.
can buy and sell stuff. Result: Built the world's biggest online auction site, A truth for which there are no exceptions: It takes POWER to make your dreams
and turned eBay into the world's most valuable Internet brand. According to come true. Small dreams and aspirations can be realized with limited power. However, if
Forbes, Meg is number 5 on the list of the most powerful women on Earth. you expect to change the world, you will need world-changing power.
Pretty straight forward, isn’t it? When you get right down to it, achieving true and
They all Expected Success...
lasting success may not be easy, but it is simple: Expect More and Execute Better. Do this
Think about the common thread that the most successful people on Earth all share: and you will consistently produce outstanding Results over Time.
Visions turned into crystal-clear Expectations... turned into powerful Results.

Every successful person has a burning expectancy of success. Put simply, they
succeed because they EXPECT to succeed.
Without question, High Expectations are a huge driver of success, regardless of
your field of endeavor: Pastor, salesman, single mom, teacher, CEO or just good ‘ol dad.
TQ =
RESULTS
TIME
What is TQ? TQ is the measurement of your POWER to produce Results over Time.
After all, how much success will you enjoy with low It is the formula for true and lasting success
Want greater success, right now? Here’s how: Improve your TQ.
expectations? How rewarding will your life be if you
Generate the power to achieve the results you desire, and you will find success
expect little... and accept even less? beyond measure. Permit your power to lag behind your expectations, and you will live a
life of failed hopes and dreams.
Not very is the correct answer! Again, you know this to be true on the surface, don’t you? It sounds right, doesn’t it?
2 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 3
The Connection Between Results, Success and Purpose. Getting Down to the Heart of the Matter...
In just three pages we have given you insight and wisdom that took Kent, I and an We will not tackle the theological basis of life and purpose. We will not give you an
entire team of people working five years—not to mention millions of dollars—to endless series of compelling stories, allegories, anecdotes and yarns.
discover... and to PROVE. I bring this up since you might be wondering WHY we started We love interesting stories just as much as the next person, but we’re sure you’ve
this Chapter with the statement that the key to success is high TQ performance. already heard most of them before. We could include entire biographies of highly
The answer is simple. We start all our books with the conclusion first, then provide successful people to make our point—people like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey or Reverend
tremendous detail as we go along! Robert H. Schuller (who turned a drive-in theater into a makeshift church—with his
If you want to achieve success beyond your wildest dreams, we have one, and only pulpit on the roof of a snack bar—into a global ministry, preaching the gospel of Jesus
recommendation: Improve your TQ. With millions of data points at ThinkTQ.com, we can Christ to hundreds of millions of people in a true Hour of Power each week.) Talk about
make this statement with absolute confidence. We can unequivocally prove it. turning a VISION into powerful RESULTS! Wow!
Knowing that your TQ is the key to living your dreams, the question then becomes, While inspiring stories are interesting and motivational, we will take a different
“What exactly must I DO to improve my TQ?” The answer will be revealed, in exquisite approach. Why? Because you can read success stories anywhere. Just Google their
detail, over the next 170 pages! names, and look them up in the Wikipedia.
High TQ performance STARTS with a strong sense of Mission, Passion and Purpose.
In fact, a high sense of Purpose is the foundation for high TQ performance. The truth is, “Compared to what we ought to be, we are
without an unwavering sense of Purpose and Mission, it is simply not possible to achieve
anything beyond a mediocre existence. only half awake. We are making use of only a small part of
Sounds harsh, I know. But it is none-the-less true. our physical and mental resources. Stating the thing
broadly, the human individual thus lives far within his
The good news is… Hope is Alive!
limits. He possesses power of various sorts which he
You may have struggled with a weak sense of Mission and Direction for your entire
life. By the time you complete the exercises in this book, this will no longer be an issue habitually fails to use.”
for you. You will—maybe for the first time ever—discover your Natural Mission and
Inherent Direction in life. — William James
The good news is that there is a simple formula for Instead, we will get straight to the heart of the matter—giving you a SYSTEMATIC
PROCESS to help you discover your “Natural Mission”—a process that will point you in
determining your life’s purpose—a formula that contains the direction towards living a life of passion and purpose.

only 3 variables. Plug in your personal variables, and You will see that…

your Natural Mission just falls out!


Clarity of VALUES leads to clarity of Vision...
What you want is a life of passion and purpose.
We will give you the tools to LIVE it! Which leads to clarity of ROLES...
Our objective is to help you live up to your full potential... to consistently live your
best life ever. Our challenge is to help you understand how your values, vision, and roles Which leads to Authentic Direction...
combine in your life... giving you natural direction and purpose for every choice you make
and every action you take. Which leads to achieving your Natural Mission...
Taking actions consistent with your purpose is not only powerful, but empowering...
permitting you to create the life you were intended to live. Which leads to Success On Purpose.
The question is HOW? How do I discover MY unique Purpose—and more
importantly—how do I live it? Which is the point of living.

4 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 5


Our Purpose in Writing Success On Purpose: Energy
Mission
Attitude
To help you live your best life now— by giving you explicit direction. the blur of your performance— Separated Set Goals
Results
Make Plans
into the 10 Colors of Personal Power Prioritize Time
Everybody wants to have their best year ever... to live their best life now. Synergize
Organize
The question becomes, “How?” Optimize
The answer is simple: Live your purpose, passion and mission. Act Now

When you live what you value most—and you do it each day you are alive—you will, About Your Personal Time Prism...
in fact, be living your best life at every point in time. Throughout this book, we will be making reference to various elements within the
Again, the question becomes, “How?” How do you actually live your purpose? How Power of TQ System. If you are not already familiar with our terminology, here’s a quick
do you transform your life’s purpose into an unstoppable mission... and ultimately achieve primer. If you are, consider this a refresher!
the success you desire, both personally and professionally? When we created the enormous TQ database, we color-coded thousand of ideas for
personal improvement into 10 specific areas of your performance: Your physical and
Perform on Purpose.
mental Energy level... your sense of purpose and Mission... your Attitude... your ability to
The key to living your best life—at every point in your life—is exceptional Set Goals, Make Plans and Prioritize your activities... your ability to create interpersonal
performance—on purpose. To achieve your mission in life, you must set crystal-clear Synergy... Organize and Optimize your time... and your propensity to take bold Action.
expectations for yourself... and you must then execute so that you meet or exceed them.
Your overall success is determined by these 10 key elements—we dubbed Colors—
Consistently exceed expectations, and you will succeed—brilliantly. Don’t, and you that drive the intensity of your performance. Your Values, Visions and Roles are the
won’t. So, the final question becomes, “How can we help you perform on purpose... defining elements of your Mission Color.
indeed, perform beyond expectations?” We have made this remarkably easy.
To make it easy to SEE how well you are performing, we created the world’s first Time
Find out what’s holding you back and eliminate it. Prism to cut through the blur of daily life. Now, you can instantly SEE what’s standing
between you and the success you desire. So you can instantly FIX it!
The key to achieving “Purpose-Driven Success” is to become “Successful On
Purpose”... to consistently perform beyond expectations. Once you know your purpose— The Time Prism is a tool that’s a simple band of colored light!
once you truly understand your many missions in life—your performance is everything.
You know what a prism is and does. You simply hold it up to “white” light and, boom,
Again, it is so obvious, but extraordinarily important that you make this connection:
all the colors of the “visible light” spectrum explode before your eyes! And everybody
knows that you don’t get just one color from a prism. Rather, you get the full spectrum of
To ACHIEVE your purpose, you must PERFORM on purpose. colors—instantly—without doing anything more than holding it up to the light.
At ThinkTQ.com we have developed the tools and technology to measure—and Just as a prism separates light into its component colors, the Time Prism radiates the
improve—how “smart” you produce results... how smart you are working at any point in full rainbow of colors that define your productivity potential—the full spectrum of
time. As you have learned a few pages before, we call this measurement TQ. elements critical to achieving personal and professional excellence—to actually LIVING
your purpose and mission. Once your performance is separated into its individual color
Your TQ (Time Quotient) is a measurement of your practical working intelligence... bands, you get an instant PICTURE of exactly which Colors are driving your success—
the actions you take to produce the results you get. and which Colors are holding you back from achieving it.
TQ reflects how smart you ACT... not how smart you ARE. The Time Prism works just like television
By breaking your performance down into 10 color-coded categories, then further Everything you see on television is composed of just three colors: red, green and blue.
breaking these categories down into 10 specific actions, we can measure your TQ with What happens when the colors get out of balance? Turn down the blue and the entire
absolute precision. We do this so you can actually SEE where your performance is strong picture gets murky and ill-defined, doesn’t it? Turn up the red and the whole pictures goes
and vibrant and where it is weak and faded. red! Drop out the green and... you get the point. The picture changes instantly and
To test your TQ, go to ThinkTQ.com/Actual. It takes about 20 minutes, it’s free, and automatically, without your doing anything else.
it will be one of the most eye-opening experiences of your life.

6 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 7


The Time Prism is a remarkable tool for personal change. A Vital Observation.
If any one of your colors are out of whack, the entire picture suffers. When all your When we were doing the research for what became the Mission Color within The
colors are in balance—and turned up to the right intensity—your performance is picture Time Prism, we found thousands of pages on the importance of mission and purpose to
perfect—crystal clear and highly productive! your life. Over the years, Kent and I have probably read, extracted, condensed and
In the normal course of a day, life appears to be one continuous stream of actions, distilled at least 10,000 pages on the subject—all written about the need for, and the
reactions, situations and conditions. It’s all a blur. In this state of overwhelm, it’s importance to your life of a clear and understandable mission statement to guide you
impossible to see exactly what you need to do differently to improve your performance, or through the inevitable ups and downs of daily living.
change your circumstances. No question, there is a tremendous amount of information on the subject out there.
The Time Prism takes this unfocused blur of activity and separates it into 10 bands You’ve probably read many of the same books we have, and over time, have come to the
of colored light—so you can actually SEE where you’re hot and where you’re not! Simply same conclusion we did: Great ideas are hard to implement without the systems and
by looking at how brightly each of your 10 Colors are burning, you can INSTANTLY see procedures in place to make them work. Thus, these ideas remain nothing more than good
where you need to apply power to improve your performance. ideas—up on the shelf, out of sight, out of mind!
The Time Prism reflects your TQ—your power to produce Results over Time. When
you generate more power—you produce greater Results—and your TQ rises. Generate
What makes this book different, and so inherently
less power—your TQ falls—simply because you don’t have the “Color intensity” to powerful, is that we have provided you with the
produce the Results you want in the Time expected.
The Time Prism continuously monitors these ebbs and flow within your performance. specific step-by-step procedures, all organized in the
It gives you an instantaneous reflection of how much raw—results producing—personal
power you have available at every point in time.
proper sequence, to help you immediately integrate
The Time Prism Reflects Your Full Performance Potential.
these great ideas into YOUR life.
For each of the 10 Colors there are 10 unique Actions that control each Color’s
intensity. Think of these Factor Actions as On/Off switches that, when you switch the Now, there’s no excuse to wait one minute longer.
designated Factor Action ON by taking a positive action, the Color grows brighter. Fail to Some people spend their time constantly “getting ready to get ready”, awaiting
take the Factor action, and the Color grows weaker. further instructions for moving their life onto the active playing field. They spend the only
The objective, of course, is to keep all your Colors burning brightly, by consistently life they have to live waiting for clear, unambiguous directions for what to do—burning
switching more of your Factors ON by taking more and more positive actions. When you up precious time and valuable resources
do, you have more POWER. Think about this issue seriously. This is a life an death matter.
With greater power, you can achieve your PURPOSE. Thus, you will become You are living the ONLY life you have to live. The question is, what are you getting
successful on purpose by performing up to your purpose! in trade? Do you have the feelings of accomplishment you desire? Do you have the
tangible rewards that you so richly deserve? Do you have the spiritual nourishment you
Specific instructions for those who have already taken the Full TQ Test. require for living at the top of your potential?
When people take their TQ Test for the first time, they always want to know where to Kent and I are pragmatists. We are realists. We don’t have a poetic bone in our
START the process of personal reinvention... where to find the information they need to bodies! Which is why we are approaching this subject with “clinical objectivity.”
move from where they are now... to where they want to go.
We do not want to share our philosophy of life with you. The truth is, you can’t DO a
If you have already read The Power of TQ and 10 Choices of Intentional Excellence— philosophy. What you can DO is systematically discover your Prime Purpose in life, and
received your Personal Performance Chart—and have been instructed to improve your start living it... TODAY.
Mission Color first, this is precisely where we want you to start. Simply read this book
cover-to-cover, complete all the exercises, and you will not only be a 10 on Mission, but Within the following 8 Chapters is the wisdom of the ages—all condensed and
will also be correctly positioned to move up to a 10 on your Set Goals Color as well. distilled for your immediate use. The next Chapter contains the secret to living the life
you desire. Actually it is not so much a secret as it is a hidden formula for tremendous
You see, it is simply impossible to set goals that are directly aligned with your personal and professional success. You will see that the solution to your life’s direction is
mission—UNTIL you know exactly what your mission is. While intuitively obvious, this not a matter of PHILOSOPHY. It is a matter of simple GEOMETRY!
is the reality most people find themselves in.
8 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 9
A Stunning Contrast... The Thin Line Between Success and Failure...
One final point before moving forward. The difference between a person with a strong There is a thin line between success and failure... a line that you and I walk each and
sense of Purpose and Mission, vs. someone who is drifting aimlessly through life, is every day. Engage in High TQ Performance—take action to put more Positives into your
absolutely stunning. The difference is highly VISIBLE on the surface... visible to performance—and you move UP towards SUCCESS. Permit the Negatives to remain—
everyone he or she comes into contact with. indeed, to rule your life—and you are headed DOWN towards failure. Again, this is a
truth for which there are no exceptions.
Want Proof?
“You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things
To PROVE this to yourself, think about the MOST successful person you know. Look
you never thought you could do. there are no limitations in at the Thin Line Chart on the previous page.
what you can do except the limitations of your own mind.” Circle his/her top and bottom line qualities. Do the same for someone you know who
is struggling. Add up the positives and negatives for each.
— Darwin P. Kingsley The result? The successful person will have FAR more positives VISIBLE in his or
People who KNOW where they are headed at every point in time—people who know her performance than the struggler. The struggler will have FAR more negatives visible in
their Prime Purpose in life—and PERFORM ON PURPOSE, day in, day out, exhibit high his or her performance. Why?
TQ Performance in every area of their lives. They are successful on purpose.
Simply because successful people Perform On Purpose.
Strong Mission + High TQ Performance = True Success They exhibit high TQ Performance. Their 10 Colors are on fire...
Lively Energetic Strong Steady Invigorated Revitalized Recharged Dynamic Cheerful Rejuvenated Purposeful They have the power to set crystal-clear future expectations...
Self-Governed Passionate Well-Rounded Inspired Creative Committed Principle-Based Evolving Devoted Responsible They have the power to meet or exceed growing expectations...
Confident Enthusiastic Positive Optimistic Unstoppable Self-Assured Motivational Persistent Progressive Realistic They have the power to produce sensational Results over Time.
Fulfilled Satisfied Motivated Explicit Wholehearted Generous Methodical Excited Diligent Well-Planned Foresightful
Well-Informed Detailed Dedicated Competent Productive Optimized Prepared Determined Self-Directed Selective Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Appropriate Results-oriented Gratified Balanced Predetermined Focused Preemptive Disciplined Respectful You can achieve results beyond expectations. You can become all that you are meant
Cooperative Charismatic Supportive Collaborative Thoughtful Empowering Appreciative Contributive Articulate to be. You can live the life of your dreams... indeed, live your best life... starting right
Systematic Thorough Automated Procedural Practical Prompt Orderly Organized Innovative Meticulous Vigilant now—not sometime, someday, maybe.
Industrious Concentrated Engaged Considerate Uninterrupted Single-Minded Attentive Prolific Accountable Action-ori-
ented Resourceful Self-Initiated Courageous Undaunted Eager Proactive Completion-Driven Tenacious Adventurous Read this book, do the work, and you will have the
formula for long-term success— however you define it.
Fatigued Drained Tired Erratic Sluggish Stressed Run-down Lethargic Gloomy Depleted Aimless Direction-Less
Half-Hearted Neglectful Uninspired Uncreative Passive Arbitrary Declining Hypocritical Irresponsible Doubtful Discouraged You will become a Success on Purpose. Guaranteed.
Negative Pessimistic Indecisive Insecure Critical Capricious Conventional Wishful Unfulfilled Disillusioned Unmotivated
Vague Ambivalent Self-Serving Haphazard Detached Lackadaisical Shortsighted Rash Narrow-Minded Uncertain
Noncommittal Chaotic Delayed Ineffective Unprepared Unreliable Reactive Habitual Inappropriate Efforts-based Frustrated “If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish
Imbalanced Impulsive Unfocused Diverted Reluctant Judgmental Antagonistic Uninspiring Unsupportive Individualistic for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the
Thoughtless Withholding Ungrateful Non-participative Confusing Struggling Careless Overloaded potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the
Inconsistent Inefficient Tardy Disorderly Disorganized Outdated Disheveled Unmindful Wasteful Over-committed
possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never.
Uninterested Inconsiderate Disrupted Distracted Preoccupied Myopic Unaccountable Procrastinating Intimidated
Overwhelmed Fearful Evasive Resistant Over-Analytical Scattered Undependable Regretful And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant,
what so intoxicating, as possibility!”
No Mission + Low TQ Performance = Failure
— Soren Kierkegaard
10 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 11
defining
PUR POSE
Chapter 2 Defining Purpose
What It Means To Become Successful On Purpose.
A Thought: At ThinkTQ, Inc., we spend a great deal of time thinking about highly complex issues
with the hopes of making them simple to understand—and more importantly—to actually
DO. Being a software publisher, it’s our purpose for existing!
“Someone once asked me
Towards this end, we see a crying need to help people understand one of the fuzziest,
most misunderstood—yet critically important areas in life: A person’s true purpose.
what I regarded as the three
Thus, we have created a “generalized” approach that is easily understood and gives
you immediate direction... which, from our point of view, is the entire point of knowing
most important requirements your purpose. This is the starting point for not only improving your TQ by 20 points, but
also for immediately improving your life.
for happiness. My answer was:
The fact is, understanding your purpose in life is not just a good idea. It is everything.
A feeling that you have been Why? Because your purpose is what establishes your direction in life.

honest with yourself and those “The man without a purpose is like a ship without a
rudder—waif, a nothing, a no man. Have a purpose in life,
around you; a feeling that you
and, having it, throw such strength of mind and muscle
have done the best you could into your work as God has given you.”

both in your personal life and — Thomas Carlyle


In a sense, your purpose is your life. Understand the WHY of your existence, then
in your work; and the ability to living your purpose becomes much easier—and far more rewarding.
Without a clear sense of “Who Am I, and Why Am I Here,” there is no need to
love others.” improve your performance. You don’t know where you are going, so there is no real need
to help you get there any faster!
— Eleanor Roosevelt

SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 13
However, once you truly understand your unique purpose, your performance is • Generate strong interpersonal leverage and team-building SYNERGY.
everything. Why? Because you want to actually LIVE your purpose—rather than just • Get and stay ORGANIZED—OPTIMIZING every precious minute in your day.
passively watch your life go by.
• Maintain a positive, optimistic ATTITUDE, even in the face of
Why is this a serious issue? tremendous adversity.
Without a strong sense of purpose and direction, people... • Take bold ACTION to live a life of results... not regrets.
• Feel like they are merely running in place... Awareness of living what’s most important is critical to getting the results you want—
and living a life of purpose and passion. If you have never decided what’s MOST
• Have low expectations for the future...
important, you’re endlessly chasing after things that SIMPLY DON’T MATTER.
• Have low self-esteem and self-confidence issues...
• Have no clear and tangible Goals, thus live a life of regrets, not results... Permit your Mission Color to hold you back, and
• Have no way to focus their performance on what matters most to them.
you will struggle with the heartbreak of failed
This is a Life and Death Issue.
expectations for the rest of your life. Improve it,
Understanding the cause of this lack of direction and purpose is important because
the vast majority of people we test at ThinkTQ.com admit to having little or no direction and you will succeed brilliantly.
in their lives... no strong sense of purpose... no strong sense of mission... no real passion
for which they are trading the ONLY life they have to live.
Moving in the Right Direction...

Not only are these people not living their best Direction is a big problem for most of us. While we may never fully understand the
WHY of our life, we do want to keep it moving in a forward direction—specifically—in
life now—they are dying inside each day— the direction of our dreams, desires and vision.
Without a doubt, tremendous issues are raised with the single question, “What is my
committing slow-motion suicide. This is a purpose in life?” Issues like why am I here... and what am I supposed to do with the ONLY
tragedy, since it is so easily corrected. life I have to live?
Actually, the discussion of PURPOSE becomes clear once you simplify the words down
Thus, we wrote Success On Purpose to help people INSTANTLY improve their sense to their true meaning, and use that definition as a starting point for personal performance.
of purpose, passion and mission. Now—not 20 years down the line. Which is precisely what we are going to do over the remaining pages of this Chapter!

The Foundation for True and Lasting Success. What does Success On Purpose mean?
As we said in Chapter 1, Success On Purpose is not theoretical, philosophical or Before we go any further, let’s take a moment to get on the same page—to review how
poetic. It is practical, methodical and systematic. It will help you immediately identify my trusty American Heritage dictionary defines both purpose and success. If we are to
your life’s purpose—giving you the ability to: fully embrace the idea of “success on purpose,” it’s always a good idea to start at
• ENERGIZE your performance—providing you with the physical strength the beginning.
and mental stamina to power through life’s obstacles.
PURPOSE: (Noun) The proper activity of a person or thing; Job,
• Truly live your passion, purpose and MISSION—every day of your life. function, role. What one intends to do or achieve; Point, end,
• Set crystal-clear GOALS for what you want to see happen 1, 5, 10, 15 plan, view, meaning, design, goal, objective, target, intention,
years into the future. aim, intent.
• Create rock-solid PLANS to support your greatest goals and aspirations. SUCCESS: (Noun) The achievement of something desired, planned, or
• Remain focused on top your PRIORITIES each day—rather than be consumed attempted; Attainment of the results expected;
by life’s incessant urgencies. Accomplishment, successfulness.

14 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 15


Look at these definitions carefully. Understand the meaning of the words and our
discussion about purpose and success can be greatly simplified. In Chapter 1 we gave you
a formula that fits these definitions very well: “A man/woman should conceive of a legitimate purpose in

his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make this

TQ =
RESULTS
TIME
Your Time Quotient reflects the Results (R) you actually get over Time (T). For the
purpose the centralizing point of his thoughts. It may take
the form of a spiritual ideal, or it may be a worldly object,
according to his nature at the time being; but whichever it
is, he should steadily focus his thought forces upon the object
benefit of this discussion on your life’s purpose, think of the R as the Big R in your life. which he has set before him. He should make this purpose
It is the Big Results you want to produce over your lifetime of T. It represents all your
highest hopes and dreams. This simple formula contains the entire sum of all that would his supreme duty, and should devote himself to its
make your lifetime a success for you. attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away
Success, from a performance perspective, is remarkably specific. You either achieve into ephemeral fancies, longings, and imaginings.
the results you expect, or you don’t. String together a successive series of positive results
over time, and you are deemed successful. Why? Because you consistently achieved what
This is the royal road to self-control and true concentration
you set out to accomplish. You GOT the results you expected. You expected to graduate of thought. Even if he fails again and again to accomplish
from college... and 4 years later... you show up at commencement in a cap and gown. You his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness is
attained the results expected. You succeeded.
overcome), the strength of character gained will be the
By definition then, you are a success. measure of his true success, and this will form a new
However, string together a series of negative results, half-results, attempts with starting point for future power and triumph.”
limited or no real success and, over time, you are seen as a failure. Simply put, you didn’t
produce the results you expected... or the results that were expected of you.
— James Allen
In “TQ Speak,” we go a little beyond the results-based definition and add a
“qualitative,” personal dimension to the word:
How to live a life of passion and purpose...

Success: Achieving the results expected, while What must I DO so that I take the right actions consistent with my purpose in life, to
actually achieve the success I desire at home and at work? Personally and professionally?
living what you value most each and every day. With my family and my relationships?
Again, as with all things TQ, there is a stunningly simple answer... an answer that, if
If you actually live your values... actually live what you believe to be MOST you are already involved with the TQ process, you have come to know and respect... if not
IMPORTANT to you... you are not only getting the results you want and expect—but downright love:
results that are truly important to you.
Now, look at the definition of the word Purpose. “Proper Activity. What one intends Success is LIVING what’s MOST important. Daily.
to do or achieve.” Do you see the similarities?
If you INTEND to live what you value most each day... and actually DO it... you are, When you do this, you will, by definition, be living what you VALUE most in life. You
by both definitions, successful—on purpose. Your intentions became real by engaging in will be living your VALUES in each and every role you take on. You will create passionate
the “Proper Activity,” such activity being living your personal values each day. Simple, VISIONS that contain all of your core personal values. You will have passion and purpose
isn’t it? in every ROLE you play, because everything you do contains what you value most in life.
Because your visions contain your most cherished values, you are INTERNALLY
motivated to do the best you can each day. There is no need for EXTERNAL motivation,
Success On Purpose means living Your Purpose—Successfully! because your inner-drive is always in overdrive.

16 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 17


You know your values and you live your values. Daily. Our desire is to help you truly LIVE your life to the fullest... to take full advantage of
Thus, becoming a success on purpose means incorporating your values into each of your God-given talents... to live up to your full potential. Daily.
your roles and visions, and taking action to make those visions real. The good news is that we have the tools and technology to assist you in this process.
When you make your most passionate visions real, you are successful—on purpose. There is little philosophy built into ThinkTQ.com. There are, however, several basic
You set out to live your top 10 personal values. You do it each and every day. Intention formulas that you will be given so that you can fill in your own blanks and discover your
becomes reality. own true mission. When you do, you will be able to achieve your best life now—on
demand. Which, from our way of thinking, is a great improvement on other books that just
Old and Successful vs. Old and Cynical... give you interesting stories and then leave you to figure out how to make it happen on your
You become old and successful. However, fail to live what’s important to you and, own.
over time, you become old and cynical. Inspiring stories are great. They are, well, inspiring! But we want to move you from
This, of course, is where it all starts to get a little fuzzy. “I understand exactly what thought to action—fast.
you are saying, but isn’t this a bit recursive?” you might be thinking to yourself.
Our mandate is to incite you to action...
What we told you to do is absolutely correct, isn’t it? Live your values on purpose, and so you can start living your best life... right now!
each day you will be successful because you will have achieved what you set out to do.
You may have read Oprah Winfrey’s Live Your Best Life, or Joel
No question this is all true. But a few really big questions are now “clouding” Osteen’s Your Best Life Now. Each has a great deal in common with the
the simplicity. other. Both are engaging and thought provoking. (Click cover to order
For example: from Amazon.) Each has fabulous stories!
1. How do I find my true PURPOSE? Oprah’s advice stems from 100 interviews, stories, and entertaining
2. How do I KNOW what’s most important to me? articles from her magazine and is positioned as “A Treasury of Wisdom,
Wit, Advice, Interviews, and Inspiration from O, The Oprah Magazine.”
3. How do I actually LIVE my values? What does this mean?
This book is a quick read and lives up to its cover promise—delivering empowering,
4. How do I arrive at my list of VALUES? energizing, and entertaining articles from the magazine’s last two years.
5. How do I actually express my values in my VISION?
6. How do I establish the right ROLES to realize my visions in life?
“The secret of man’s being is not only to live
These are life’s compelling questions. These are the big questions for which we need
concrete answers if we are to achieve success on purpose. but to have something to live for.”

— Feodor Dostoyevsky
“The secret to success is constancy of purpose.”
A Wonderful 7 Step Program...
— Benjamin Disraeli Joel Osteen, the hugely popular minister from the Lakewood Church in
Houston, Texas, also offers an excellent place to start your journey
We will supply you with the answers to all of these questions. Indeed, we will make
towards living your best life now.
it easy for you to not only understand the answers, but quickly put yourself on the fast
track to purpose-driven success... in every area of your life. His book of the same title, is a much more philosophical/theological
undertaking. It promises to help you “experience the full potential that
Your Best Life Now... God intended you to have.” (Click cover to order from Amazon.)
Our purpose in writing this book is to help you immediately achieve better results in His approach is coherent and impactful.
every area of your life—to help you achieve your best year ever... to have the best day of The stories are inspiring. Like Oprah’s collection, the stories are the book.
your life... a great deal more frequently... maybe even every day of your life.

18 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 19


This book is a short seven chapters that lead to the “Seven steps to living at your full This well-researched and well-written book leads you to discovering your Five
potential.” A wonderful 7 Step Program if there ever was one: Purposes in life:
1. Enlarge your vision, PURPOSE #1: You were planned for God’s pleasure
2. Develop a healthy self-image, PURPOSE #2; You were formed for God’s family
3. Discover the power of your thoughts and words, PURPOSE #3: You were created to become like Christ
4. Let go of the past, PURPOSE #4: You were shaped for serving God
5. Find strength through adversity, PURPOSE #5: You were made for a Mission
6. Live to give, and
7. Choose to be happy. “The people of hope are those who believe that God created
Joel’s advice is solid, Christian-based good old-fashioned religion. Believe, and with
them for a purpose and that He will provide for their needs
God’s help, all things are possible. If you are a “believer,” you will find strength through
adversity... and grow even stronger. as they seek to fulfill His purpose in their lives.”

What’s Missing? — Pope John Paul II


Personally, I loved them both. When it comes to dreaming about your best life, both of
these books can be a wonderful place to start. They are filled with engrossing IDEAS. But, “Why On Earth Am I Here?”
unfortunately, both lack the systematic processes necessary for you to move from thought
Rick asked and answered the question, “Why on Earth am I here?” from a Christian,
and inspiration to specific action. Neither has the library of resources necessary for you to
theocentric point of view. Thus, he arrived at five specific purposes… all designed to help
actually take the information and put it into practice in a repeatable, systematic way.
you live in God’s grace.
I mention these two books because of their universal appeal. Everybody wants to live
their best life now. The big question is, how?
How do I get started? How do I keep moving in the direction of my dreams? How “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”
do I—without attempting to emulate Oprah’s or Joel’s incredible successes—put MY
LIFE on the fast track to the success I deserve? — Westminster Confession of Faith
You can read the stories. You can do what they suggest. Both books offer tremendous
HOPE. But in the end, neither offers a repeatable methodology for you to grab onto and This is a Great Philosophy and a Great Start!
directly incorporate into your life. Now, whether or not you agree with the Biblical research done by Rick Warren, and
After all, it is impossible to DO a philosophy. For you to LIVE your purpose... to you accept his enumeration of your Five Purposes, you still need to determine the specific
LIVE what you value most... you need an explicit, step-by-step set of instructions that actions you are going to take and the most desirable outcome for your time and effort here
embraces the idea of “causality”—a scientific methodology that leads to a specific, on planet Earth. In other words, it is still up to you to define—in real world examples—
cause-and-effect relationship. exactly what you mean when you say that you want to live a purpose-driven life.

The Purpose Driven Life. My personal belief?


I would like to add one more best-selling author to this discussion on If you believe like I do in the first five books of the Old Testament of the Holy Bible,
purpose and refer you to Rick Warren’s fabulously successful book, you believe in the power of the LAW (The Torah). Here, you are told precisely what NOT
The Purpose Driven Life. Like Joel Osteen, Rick Warren is a pastor— to do (the “Thou Shalt Nots”).
the founder of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California—one Live the Ten Commandments, and you are living the LAW. So there is no question,
of America’s largest churches. this is what God commands you to DO—specifically. (It’s why they’re called the Ten
His wisdom is derived from the teachings of Christ. Told through a Commandments... not 10 good ideas.)
scriptural lens, The Purpose Driven Life will, in a 40-day spiritual If you also believe in the New Testament, you believe in the power of LOVE. Again,
journey, answer the question, “What on Earth Am I Here For?” this is not just a “great idea”, but a directive from Christ, himself, in John 15:17

20 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 21


“These things I COMMAND you, that ye love one another.” This is not a suggestion. This, of course, is the difference between talking the talk and walking the walk. It is
This is what God commands you to DO. the difference between succeeding on purpose and failing your purpose.
Personally, I have always tried to live BOTH the Law and Love. This, for all intents Intellectually understanding something is not the point of life. Living it is.
and purposes, is precisely what God expects me to do. Put simply, I believe we are here Which, of course, is where one of our other books, The Power of TQ and the 10
to serve one another. To serve God by serving the least among us. To love one another. To Choices of Intentional Excellence, comes in. As you know, it takes tremendous POWER to
not only make a difference while we are here on Earth… but to make the world a much achieve your dreams and aspirations. So, once you know your PURPOSE, you still have
different place for each of us. A better place for you, me, and our families. to generate the POWER to live it. (We’ll get into this more in the last chapter of the book
when we talk about Performing On Purpose.)
This, i believe, is why we are here: To Live the Law... and do it with Love.
Yes, you can live your best life now... the life God intended for you... or the life you
As with most things either political or religious, your belief in what is being said is
want to create for yourself. In a way, you are living BOTH—pre-determination and free
tremendously biased by your current beliefs. If you believe, then you are a believer. If you
will—at every point in time.
don’t believe, than all the arguments in the world, pro and con, won’t help you arrive at a
conclusion. As Dr. Ray Barker, my old professor in college used to say, if you lay all the Think of life as a game of cards. The cards you are dealt are pre-determined. You
economists in the world end-to-end, they still won’t reach a conclusion! So it is with have no choice.
personal beliefs, and especially true when it comes to religious convictions. How you play each hand is free will. Free will takes skill. It takes power. It takes
While we will not go any deeper into the theological or spiritual aspects of purpose, playing the hand you are dealt, and playing it to the best of your ability.
the remainder of this book will help you define your own purpose and give you the process
for creating your own unique personal mission in life. We will also put your purpose in
context with your performance—so you can actually live it. “Our chief usefulness to humanity rests on our combining
After all, what good is KNOWING your purpose if you don’t LIVE it? Some, power with high purpose. Power undirected by high purpose
including us, would call it a waste of a perfectly good life! spells calamity, and high purpose by itself is utterly useless
What does Purpose mean to you? if the power to put it into effect is lacking.”
Clearly we have raised some interesting points here, haven’t we? What DOES living
your “best” life mean, and HOW can you do it? What DOES living a purpose-driven life — Theodore Roosevelt
mean… Where do you look for answers… and HOW can you live it once you discover it?
The good news is that our approach to first defining your purpose—and then living A Performance-driven Definition of Purpose.
it—is 100% consistent with the central points in Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life… To live your purpose—to live your best life now—requires a performance-driven
and proceduralizes the advice found in Joel Osteen’s Your Best Life Now—all so that your definition of purpose... a universal definition that fits every person, company or organization.
life can become one of the shining examples to be found in Oprah’s next compilation of Thus, “success on purpose” is the objective for all of us... becoming the success we
inspirational stories! desire... fulfilling our purpose in life—on purpose.
I know I have greatly simplified the entire theological discussion of purpose, but that With this said, let’s clarify this concept even further. Let’s start by going through some
is what I need to do to have you zoom out to the big picture, then zoom back in to the simple examples. From there, we can create a “working” definition of Purpose, one that
detail level. This is critically important because in order to fully understand how to will naturally lead you to not only understanding your purpose—but also give you the
become successful on purpose, you need to realize that there are really two questions process to live it.
being asked here, not just one.
From our point of view, once you have the answer to the “WHY on Earth Am I Everything has a Natural Purpose...
Here?” question, you instantly create an even BIGGER question: To a large extent, the natural purpose of almost everything is highly visible in form
and function. It is easy to see the form and function of an inanimate object. It gets a little
“How in the world am I going to make this happen?!” harder for complex beings.
The purpose of a knife: To cut.
No question, knowing your purpose—whatever that means to you personally—comes The purpose of a phone: To communicate.
first. But, once you know, you have to DO your purpose... 24x7x365.

22 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 23


The purpose of a stove: To cook. Actually, that is NOT the purpose of business any more than the purpose of life is to
The purpose of a heart: To pump. breathe. Clearly, a business has to be profitable to survive. It has to achieve a return on
investment (ROI) or it won’t stay in business. It has to return a profit to shareholders or it
The purpose of a bee: To pollinate.
can’t attract capital.
The purpose of a squirrel: To ???
But that’s not WHY a business exists. While profitability is the life-blood of a
The purpose of mankind: To create and serve. business, it is NOT the primary reason it exists.
The purpose of a human being: To create empowering roles. Think about this for a moment. You have to breathe to remain alive. Obvious, right?
But the purpose of your life is not just to breathe... not just to breathe in, then breathe
out... and call it a day. Yes, you have to breathe to remain alive. But that’s NOT your main
“Great minds have purposes; others have wishes.”
purpose in life, is it?
So, what is the purpose of every business on the planet? Simply this:
— Washington Irving
I do not know what the purpose of a squirrel is. After some thought, it appears to be To Get and Keep a Customer.
comic relief for me... and an aggravation for the birds around our feeder!
Which leads me to an important point. The natural purpose of something becomes Again, there are many different kinds of businesses, all with a common purpose: To
less and less obvious the higher up the complexity ladder we go. We can observe form and serve others... to find and then keep customers coming back... for whatever it is that they
function... but find it hard to impose a defined purpose on a class. For example, what is make or sell.
the purpose of a Porpoise?! Businesses are like people—highly unique—and highly complex creatures. Each is
Human beings are highly complex individuals. While it may seem hard, it is measured by their differences, both in the people they serve as well as how they make money.
beneficial to ascribe a purpose to each one, according to one’s own unique abilities, To help a business prosper—to achieve its mission—requires that each business
capacities and talents. understand its over-arching purpose and quickly get down to the nitty-gritty of GETTING
customers... and finding novel ways of KEEPING them in a tremendously competitive
After all, purpose is the genesis of performance! environment.
If we can see what a person does, it becomes clear what his or her purpose is—from the Some businesses find it easy to get a customer. However, in a hotly competitive global
point of view of the observer. It may not be all that clear to the individual who hasn’t sat down economy, most find it difficult to keep them coming back.
and pondered his or her purpose, and so, consequently, cannot even begin to define it.
Other businesses find it difficult to get a customer in the first place. Some, then, find
You need to KNOW your purpose BEFORE your performance matters! it easy to keep them.
No question, to perform on purpose, you must first discover your purpose—then It’s all in WHAT they DO... and HOW they DO it.
pursue it with passion and dedication. So, how can we help you discover your purpose?
Make no mistake. Successful businesses KNOW that their ONLY reason for being is
Let’s take the next step in this discussion by looking at something that is every bit as to get and keep customers. Think about it.
complex as a human being, and think about its true purpose. Doing this will help us lock
Just how successful would McDonalds be if it spent $2 Billion a year on advertising...
down a working definition of purpose... a definition that we can then use as the basis of
got the entire population of America to come in and satisfy their Mac Attacks... but the
purpose-driven success.
customers never come back?! Or what would happen to Starbucks if people got their cup
What is the purpose of a business? of Joe ONCE and decided that a “Tall” isn’t worth the effort of returning? (Out of
business—faster than you can say Mocha Grande!)
This is a simple, yet profound question. The answer is not immediately
obvious.
Without exception, the purpose of business is to get and
Way back in 1970, Theodore Levitt, the most influential marketing
mind on the planet (publisher of The Harvard Business Review), asked keep customers. Why else would it exist?
this very question.
Most people would immediately respond, “It’s obvious. The purpose of
business is to make money.”
24 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 25
Now, why do WE as people exist?
What’s OUR Prime Purpose?
“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your Let’s take this line of reasoning one step further and apply it to people in general and,
heart to give yourself to it. Irrigators guide water; arrow- ultimately, YOU specifically. Like a business, to prosper, you must know YOUR over-
makers straighten arrows; carpenters bend wood; wise arching purpose and get down to the business of achieving it.
people shape themselves.” Over the last few pages we have moved from the general to the specific... from the
desire to live your best life now... to living a purpose-driven life... to becoming a purpose-
driven success... to the need to perform on purpose.
— Buddha
But to successfully perform on purpose, you must first KNOW your purpose. Which
It doesn’t matter if the business is General Motors selling cars... or a church in brings us back again to the need to answer this all consuming, all encompassing question,
Boulder trying to fill pews. It applies to Wal-Mart as well as Target. Home Depot and “What is my purpose?”
Lowes. Hilton vs. Best Western. It applies to every ski resort in the country... every boat In writing The Power of TQ, it became obvious to Kent and me that we needed to take
and tackle shop... every airline... indeed, every business in the world. To be successful, a a fresh new approach to the whole notion of mission and purpose. After all, how can we
business MUST get customers... and they MUST keep their customers coming back. answer the question in a way that not only defines what your purpose is, but most
importantly, gives you the guidance needed to live it?
Otherwise they go bankrupt. No customers. No business.
Proof? Look at the mega-failures of the last few years: Excite, MCI, Adelphia, K- To help you perform on purpose, we needed to create a
Mart, United, Enron, Polaroid, Montgomery Ward and all the small businesses right in
your home town that came and went. Why did these businesses fail? They went broke “performance-driven” definition of purpose—one that
because they failed to achieve their purpose. These businesses failed to get and keep
customers on a profitable basis. They failed because the competition ate their lunch... would permit you to easily plug in your personal variables—
providing a better customer experience... and doing it at a profit. Thus, their competition
GOT and KEPT their customers. exactly where you are now—complete with your existing
Sure, there are extenuating circumstances: Poor locations, high costs, wrong beliefs, desires and most sacred values.
product selection, indifferent customer service, bad management, lack of vision... the list
is endless. But in the end, what sucks the life out of a business is its failure to get and We needed a definition of purpose that would allow you to immediately get to work
keep customers. achieving those things that you believe to be most important to you.
Look at the flip side of this discussion—companies that are wildly successful: Because it is impossible to solve a problem without first defining it, and exploring all
Google, Apple, Starbucks, MicroSoft, Wal-Mart, Target, Coke, Cingular, Comcast and the variables, let’s again review the dictionary definition of purpose:
Yahoo. They are successful because they are achieving their prime purpose: Getting and
PURPOSE: (Noun) The proper activity of a person or thing; Job,
keeping customers.
function, role. What one intends to do or achieve;
If you want to better understand this reasoning, get Theodore Levitt’s book, The
Marketing Imagination. In my opinion, it is one of the best books on business that has As a starting point for answering the biggest question in your life, this definition
ever been written. Levitt is the master of making complex issues easy to grasp. leaves a lot to be desired, doesn’t it? But let’s take from it what we can and build from
there. Your purpose is all about what you intend to do or achieve. When you’re asking the
Following this line of thought, Levitt reduced the inherent complexity of business
question, “What is my purpose?”, you are really asking what am I supposed to be DOING
down to a simple observation that people can act on. Regardless of the nature of the
while I’m here on Earth? What is my JOB for being here? What is my FUNCTION in the
business, it is imperative that they find new customers... and employ creative ways to
big scheme of things? What is my ROLE in all of this? What? What? What?
keep them coming back. If they do this well, they will succeed. If they don’t, they won’t.
Unfortunately, my trusty dictionary, as useful a tool that it is, cannot divine this larger
They will achieve their purpose—their prime reason for existing—or they won’t. question for us other than to tell you that your purpose is to go out, get a job and do
something! But what?

26 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 27


Just what am I supposed to DO?! Here’s what you CAN’T do...
The theological answer to this question undertakes to define what the one role is for But, here is what you can’t do. Even if you’ve never discovered that one essential
which you have been put here on Earth, as determined by God himself. The debate reason for your life’s existence...
between fate and free will attempts to answer this by determining if we are pre-ordained • You can’t just sit and wait for word from above before you
to perform in a certain way or not—and if our direction should come from the Hand of start making the most of the life you have right now.
God, the power of the stars or from the power within ourselves.
• You can’t just wait for the lightning strike of inspiration
to hit, before you start living your best life.
“Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much • You just can’t afford to waste another day of your precious
time, living a life that is less than what you are truly capable.
peace. If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay
• You can’t sacrifice one more day to outside circumstances
your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness
and other people’s demands, without your full acceptance
of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will as an equal participant in the creation of your best life.
know what His will is.” So what can you do? What should do, rather than sit and wait for that divinely
inspirational moment? Where should you look, to start living your best year ever? The
— Amy Carmichael only place you can start. Where you are right now.

The motivational speakers of our time tell us that your purpose is to make your life
the best you know how—to achieve up to your full potential. The humanists believe that When you discover your mission, you will feel its
your life is your creation and you are welcome to do with it as you please. demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and
Kent’s and my role in all of this is not to arbitrate this highly-complex, highly-
a burning desire to get to work on it.
controversial subject, but to simplify it in a way that will give you immediate direction.
Our role as performance experts is to give you something to DO—and to show you how to
do it— in such a way that guarantees your success. No small feat in itself, is it?! — W. Clement Stone

The question remains. Start with what you love.


What is it that you are supposed to be doing with your life? Knowing that you would If you have a firm belief as to what your purpose in life is, then we can help you
gladly give your life for the right cause—if you only knew what that cause was—what is achieve it. If you are not entirely sure what the “proper activity” is that you should be
it that you should be doing right now? doing, start with what you love and value the most right now. Go in that direction. Focus
For some people, the whole issue of purpose isn’t even a question. They already know on what you, personally, value most, right here, right now. Your inner guide will let you
exactly why they are here, and what they need to do. This may have come as a blinding know, over time, if it is right for you or not. If it is, you will want to do a lot more of it.
revelation at some point in their life or simply by the enthusiastic joy of wanting do If you find that what you think you value does not bring you satisfaction, success and
something they love. For others, defining one’s purpose is not so obvious. happiness, then that is a big clue that you are going in the wrong direction. Stop and
Here is what we know. Life is so much more engaging, intriguing, challenging, and observe if the direction you are heading is bringing you love and joy.
“purposeful” when you are on a defined path, giving everything you’ve got to a vision that If not, adjust and correct your bearings, setting your new sights on those things that
has highly desirable rewards and deeply held meanings for you. mean even more to you and that will bring you a greater sense of satisfaction and
It doesn’t matter how you get the vision that establishes your purpose. It may be that fulfillment. If you continue this process, you will ultimately find your way to that job,
you were given your vision by the almighty hand of God himself—interwoven into your function or role in life that just may turn out to be your main purpose for being here.
DNA at birth—complete with a genetic blueprint that guides your every thought... it may
have dawned on you as you were day-dreaming in the bathtub one spring morning... or Don’t Wait. Take Action Now!
after a long, strenuous trek to the mountain top... or by simply completing the exercises But the key to purpose, performance and success is to start moving in the right
in this book. In the end, life’s meaning comes from whatever you believe it to be— direction, right here and right now.
whatever you truly feel deep down in your heart and soul.

28 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 29


If you wait to start living your best life ever until the absolute right answer comes, The TQ Definition of Purpose.
you may spend your whole life waiting for the call and never hear it ring! In the shortest number of words possible, here is the TQ performance-driven
You need to make that call by asking yourself what you value and go produce that. definition of purpose:
Give it everything you’ve got, devote 100% of your skills, talent, time, energy and more.
Regardless the size of your dreams or the scale of your current visions—even if you
Your Purpose is to create and nurture
judge them to be tiny in comparison to other people’s—choose the ones that mean the empowering Roles to achieve your
most to you at this point in your life and make them your mission.
Go make them real! Over time, you will discover that there are life-changing Visions and live your Values.
activities within those dreams, or you will have the chance to go after new ones. Why is this the performance-driven definition of purpose? Because as you have just
learned, the dictionary definition of purpose includes both “the proper activity of a
The key is to take action now and start moving. The person”—as in a ROLE—and “what one intends to do or achieve”—best described as a
VISION. The TQ definition consolidates both attributes of purpose—doing and achieving.
answer will not be found in waiting. You will find your
Once you understand that the “proper activity” is always defined by the ROLE that
answer by moving forward on your life’s journey. you are in, your purpose—your job in life—is to create the highest and best roles that will
enable you to achieve your most deeply-held visions—to actually LIVE what’s truly
Good advice, right? But where do you start? Would it help if you had a formula or
important to you.
maybe a simple form to fill out, and your “natural mission” would just naturally fall out?

Pointing you in the right direction.


“The whole life is but a point of time; let us enjoy it,
Knowing that our purpose for writing this book is not to give you the final answer for
your life, but rather to create a systematic procedure for discovering and living your therefore, while it lasts, and not spend it to no purpose.”
purpose, I knew that we had to come up with a new definition, a new answer to this all-
important question about purpose. — Plutarch
Again, if we are to give you specific direction—a formula that you can consistently Your Roles are All-Important.
work for finding meaning and success in your life—we must move from a broad
Short of a miracle, your dreams, hopes and wishes just don’t show up in your life with
discussion (such as doing more of what you love) to one that is specific to you, one that
no action taken by you. What you value most won’t just multiply in your presence without
contains the inherent personal variables that will permit you to solve for your life’s
some action being performed. Neither will your greatest desires in life just magically
direction.
appear on their own.
This new performance-based definition of purpose must be universal, provide
Therefore, creating and nurturing empowering roles that will give you the opportunity,
immediate clarity, and work under all circumstances. Like the simplicity found within
the authority and the responsibility to bring those desires and values into your life—and
Levitt’s observation, “The purpose of business is to get and keep a customer,” the
into this world—is your “primary purpose” in life. It is also your guarantee to success.
TQ definition must get condensed down to something that is short, specific and yet
all-encompassing. More importantly, it must be actionable. From our perspective, your most basic purpose (function) in life is to create a ROLE
for yourself—a part you can play—from which you can then achieve your VISION for how
life should be. Do this, and you will automatically give yourself the full time job of doing
“You are only as strong as your purpose, what you need to do to live, and experience, what you VALUE most.
therefore let us choose reasons to act that are big, For absolute clarity, let’s review the words that make up our definition of purpose.At
this point, we do not want to leave anything to chance:
bold, righteous and eternal.”
CREATE: (Verb) To bring into existence formally. Start, establish,
— Barry Munro organize, constitute, set up, originate, institute. To cause to
come into existence. Make, produce, generate, originate,
engender, hatch, father, sire, parent, procreate, spawn.

30 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 31


NURTURE: (Verb) To promote and sustain the development of. Purpose = Roles x Visions x Values
Nurse, cultivate, foster, nourish, enable. Thus, to solve for your purpose and to create a Natural Mission in life, you must solve
for all three variables. Only when all three are present, and in proper proportion to one
EMPOWER: (Verb) To invest with power, especially legal power or another, will you have a mission you can actually achieve.
official authority. See Synonyms for authorize. To give
It’s like the engine in your car. You take your car to the shop because it doesn’t start.
authority to. Entitling, enabling, authorizing, qualifying,
How does your mechanic solve the problem? What does he use as guidance to get your
licensing, accrediting, commissioning. To give
car up and running again? He knows that for your car to run, your internal combustion
the means, ability, or opportunity to do. Permitting,
engine must have three things: gas, air and spark. Only when all three are combined in
enabling, authorizing.
the same space and time will an explosion occur, and power be produced. So he simply
finds which one of the three is missing, and fixes the problem.
ROLE: (Noun) A character or part played by a performer.
The characteristic and expected social behavior of an
individual. A function or position. “The purpose of our lives is to give birth to the
VALUES: (Noun) A measure of those qualities that determine merit, best which is within us.”
desirability, usefulness, or importance; accounts, worths,
valuations. A principle, standard, or quality considered — Marianne Williamson
worthwhile or desirable. A level of superiority that is
The same is true for people. You will never achieve your purpose until you solve for
usually high; qualities, virtues, merits, worths, statures,
all three of your “internal combustion” ingredients: values, vision and roles. If you are
calibers. (Verb) To recognize the worth, quality,
failing, dissatisfied, burned out, lack a sense of direction or have lost your reason for
importance of, enjoys, appreciates, cherishes, respects,
living, it is because you are missing one or more of these three vital ingredients.
savors, relishes, esteems, prizes, treasures.
To help anyone get back on the road of life, all we must do is help them discover
VISION: (Noun) Unusual competence in discernment or perception; which of these three variables are missing. We can then put their life back into high gear,
intelligent foresight: a leader of vision. The manner in simply by helping them correctly combine their values, visions and roles... yielding an
which one sees or conceives of something. A mental image unstoppable sense of purpose and mission.
produced by the imagination. The mystical experience of Once they are rolling in the right direction, we can then coach them how to become
seeing as if with the eyes a supernatural being. even more successful by increasing speed and power. The old saw, “Direction first, speed
second...” really holds true. Why go faster and faster, when you are blindly heading down
Now, from Definition to a Formula for Success On Purpose.
the wrong path... making great time... but in the wrong direction?!
Actually, we have just created a definition of purpose that contains ALL the variables
you need to find mission and direction in your life. It’s a simple formula that we call the Before continuing, let’s overlay the TQ definition of purpose with the dictionary
TQ Formula for Purpose: definition of the words we chose. This will further aid in understanding the conversation:

PURPOSE = ROLES X VISIONS X VALUES Your over-arching purpose is to “bring into existence” the
The truth is, you now have the formula you need to achieve success on purpose. All ROLE S you will “invest with power” to cultivate,
you have to do is plug in your own variables, and you will have exactly what we promised: promote and sustain the development of your greatest
Natural Mission and Inherent Direction. This, we will shortly prove!
The value that Kent and I bring to the discussion of purpose is not in the creation of VISIONS... so you can achieve what is most important to
any new element or variables. Indeed, the concept of roles, visions and values is a well
covered subject by hundreds of authors before us. you... indeed, live what you VALUE most... each day of
However, our insight is unique in our observation that it takes all three of these core your life.
variables to arrive at your primary purpose in life... and that you will never achieve your
purpose if any one of these three variables are missing.
Now, all you have to do is fill in the blanks.
32 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 33
Your Purpose = _________ x _________ x _________ To Serve All Mankind...
If the purpose of knowing your purpose is to give you direction—to give you a reason The only way to SERVE is to create and nurture empowering ROLES.
to get up each day and to show you what you should be accomplishing with the only life Roles that are unique to you, and your God-given talents.
you have to live—with this formula in hand, simply fill in the 3 blanks.
Roles that combine all your interests and values.
By our definition, your one BIG Purpose in life—your Prime Purpose—is to find a
way to become personally responsible, through the sum of all your roles, for the successful Roles that inspire and drive you to be all that you are intended to become.
achievement of those things that mean the most to you. Roles that are BIG enough for you to live your VALUES and achieve your VISIONS.
After all, what better clue can a Higher Power offer you, than to send you off after As we said earlier, Kent and I are performance experts. We know what it takes to
that which you truly believe in your heart and soul is most important? Most valuable? succeed—to actually achieve results beyond expectations.
We are not here to offer you a religious or spiritual answer for the purpose of your
life—other than to help you see and release the direction that is already inside of you—
“Multitudes of people, drifting aimlessly to and fro without as heart-felt and inspiring as a true higher calling may be, or as mundane and
a set purpose, deny themselves such fulfillment of their materialistic as your interests are at this point in time.
capacities, and the satisfying happiness which attends it. If you were personally called by God, to do the work He asked of you, we have one
and only one recommendation: Get On It!
They are not wicked, they are only shallow. They are not
Then ask Him to give you an even bigger Role while here on Earth. Lord knows, the
mean or vicious; they simply are empty—shake them and work is never done. But you can make a dent in it!
they would rattle like gourds. They lack range, depth, and Our advice applies equally, even if you have never heard the booming voice of God
conviction. Without purpose their lives ultimately wander giving you direction. Power up the biggest Role possible given your talents and gifts, and
into the morass of dissatisfaction. As we harness our get on it.
Time is relentlessly moving on.
abilities to a steady purpose and undertake the long pull
So must you.
toward its accomplishment, rich compensations reward us.
A sense of purpose simplifies life and therefore concentrates
our abilities; and concentration adds power.” “Some people give time, some money, some their skills
and connections, some literally give their life's blood ...
— Kenneth Hildebrand but everyone has something to give.”
On the other hand, if on your death bed, you want to look back on an exceptional
life—with the satisfaction that comes from knowing that you spent the only life you had — Barbara Bush
to live on those things that mattered the most to you—and the inner-peace and joy that
comes from knowing that you did your very best every step of the way—then this formula
just may be your ticket to the life of your dreams.
No question, your Prime Purpose in life is to create and
By our performance-driven definition, your purpose as a human being is to live your
best life possible... by achieving all the different missions you take on in life. You see, I nurture Empowering Roles. Roles big enough for you to
happen to agree with Rick Warren when he says that the reason for our existence is to
serve God, by serving one another—to our full abilities. live—truly LIVE—your Visions and Values.
While I believe we all have this common reason for being here, we must all find our
own unique ways to serve. Which gets us down to the pure essence of the problem. Do this, and you will discover your Natural Mission and
Inherent Direction in life.

34 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 35


natural
MIS SION
Chapter 3 A Powerful Force of Nature:
Moving from Purpose to Mission.
An Amazing Truth: In the previous Chapter we spent a fair amount of time nailing down a series of clear
definitions for Purpose. The hard work is behind us. Now, it is time to move beyond
philosophy, theology and ideology to some simple geometry!
“There is no road to success
As you just learned, there is a formula for determining your purpose in life—a
formula that contains just 3 variables:
but through a clear, strong
Purpose = Values x Vision x Roles
In this and the next Chapter, we will be discussing the relationship between these
purpose. Nothing can
three variables in considerable detail. In the following three Chapters, we will give you
the resources you need to fill in the blanks in your own formula for success.
take its place. A purpose This is the FUN part—where we move beyond the definition of purpose, and start
defining your own life story—CREATING empowering Roles so that you can achieve
underlies character, culture, your Visions and live your Values.

position, attainment of “Make your life a mission—not an intermission.”

every part. ” — Arnold H. Glasgow


But, before moving forward, let’s do a short recap of what we now know. You now
—Thornton T. Munger know that to LIVE your purpose, you must PERFORM on purpose. You know that it is
simply not possible to stop with the question, “Why on Earth Am I here?” You must
answer the even bigger question:

“How In The World Am I Going


To Make This Happen?!”
SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 37
Performing on Purpose is the “HOW” you will become a Purpose-driven Success. It is a matter of simple Geometry!
We have covered an amazing amount of territory in just 35 pages, haven’t we?! We We have isolated your quest for purpose and mission down to just three variables:
have reduced the concept of purpose down to something digestible, understandable and 1. VALUES—What you deem to be most important to you...
eminently doable. Hopefully, we are steadily removing confusion as well!
2. VISION—How you see living your Values...
Now, we are going to put this information to use... to help you clearly SEE how the
3. ROLES—The active part you will play in making your Vision real.
TQ definition of purpose naturally falls together, and how each variable within the TQ
Formula of Purpose relates to each other. With these three variables, we can now solve for your Natural Mission:

“For I say unto you in all sadness of conviction that to


think great thoughts you must be heroes as well as
idealists. Only when you have worked alone—when you
have felt around you a black gulf of solitude more isolating
than that which surrounds the dying man, and in hope and
despair have trusted to your own unshaken will—then only

Ro
ion

le
can you gain the secret isolated joy of the thinker, who

Vis

s
knows that a hundred years after he is dead and forgotten
men who have never heard of him will be moving to the
Natural
measure of his thought—the subtle rapture of postponed
power, which the world knows not because it has no Mission
external trappings, but which to his prophetic VISION is
more real than that which commands an army. And if this
joy should not be yours, still it is only thus you can know
Values
that you have done what lay in you to do—can say that
you have lived, and be ready for the end.”
MISSION: An inner calling to pursue an activity or
perform a service; a vocation.
— Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
— American Heritage
The big idea: Just three words separate you from your destiny.
Understand how these three words—Vision, Values, Roles—combine to produce Once you’ve triangulated your three personal variables, you have—at the exact same
Natural Mission and Authentic Direction in your life, and you are well on the road to moment—just defined your Natural Mission! There is no reason to try to DISCOVER your
achieving your greatest aspirations. What some would say is living your destiny. mission in life. You now KNOW what it is.
So, how do your Values, Vision and Roles coalesce in the real world? “I get the idea, Your Natural Mission is to power up a Role to achieve all of your Visions and live
but have no clue how this applies to me”, you might be thinking. your Values. It is the obvious and automatic conclusion that is found naturally inside the
creation of a ROLE and a VISION that you truly VALUE.
This is where we go from abstract to physical in just 60 seconds! Said in a slightly different way, your Natural Mission is to intentionally apply your
highest level of skills, talents and resources towards achieving those things that mean the
most inside of you.

38 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 39


Your Natural Mission Includes All Your Personal Missions... A Role with Vision but no Values…
The simple fact is, you have many different roles to play in this lifetime. You have This could be a career with lots of potential for things that you really don’t value—
been given the opportunity to make multiple contributions—far greater than if you were let’s say lots of money and prestige, but all you want to do is stay home, raise your kids
to limit yourself to the search for a single act or outcome that would otherwise define your and grow championship roses. NO MISSION FOR THIS CAREER. You just have no
reason for existence. passion or desire for what others might highly value.
To help you understand this life-altering concept, we now need to fill in a little detail.
A Role with values but no Vision…
As we have been saying all along, your MISSION is to live your most important VALUES
as you make a real difference in the lives of others... by achieving valuable goals— You could be a recent college graduate with a deep desire to teach, but no idea
everyday rather than just sometimes, someday, maybe. to whom, or where, or what. NO MISSION HERE. No specific goal, no to-do’s, no activity.
No way to take action until you come up with a specific Vision for your desire to teach.
This is what it means to actually “Live what’s most important.” By intentionally
integrating your VALUES into both your ROLES and your VISIONS, your mission for A Vision with no burning Value to you and no Role…
each of your separate roles becomes immediately obvious and incredibly empowering. Ending global warming sounds like a good idea, but you may not be affected all that
Stated even more simply, your MISSION is to... much personally, and wouldn’t know what you could do even if you wanted to. A powerful
idea, but obviously, no Role, no big Values, hence NO MISSION brought to life here.
"Go Achieve The Vision!"
“But wait,” you might say, “Is it really this simple? Is this the answer I have been A Vision with an active Role for its accomplishment, but not much value...
seeking all this time? Is it really possible that creating and achieving bold missions will Increasing sales in your widget company by 50% this year is your responsibility as
give my life meaning? Will this really start me down the path to the satisfaction, pride, sales manager, but you really don’t care much at all about widgets. Mighty hard to get
and passion that I so desperately want in my life?” Without question, YES! motivated about a goal you don’t care about. NO PERSONAL MISSION here either.

A Vision with Value but no active Role…


This may seem too simple to be profound at first. It may also seem too methodical to
You might have a strong belief that every child in your town should be entitled to a
be inspirational. However, the TQ Formula for Purpose gives you clear and immediate
nutritious meal before going to school, but have no active participation in making this
direction for living your life to the fullest. It focuses your time and attention—point-
grand idea come true. NO MISSION HERE—just a high-value idea—until there is
blank— on those things that you have declared to be most important to you.
something specific that you are willing to do to make it happen... a Role that you are
(If, by any chance, you find our formula a little too mundane, it is only because you willing to play to make your Vision real.
have yet to define those things in life that have the greatest meaning to you. If this is true
for you right now, don’t despair. We have included two Chapters, My Values and My Values with no Vision and no Role…
Visions, that will help you raise your sights a great deal higher!) You may really value companionship and team work, but you are not a member of any
team or group. All possibility—NO MISSION. With no idea for where or who to "join up
Living Proof that you MUST have all three variables….. with," you have no position to play.
Let’s explore this a little further to see if we can punch holes in our Formula for
Values with a Vision and no Role…
Purpose. Let’s see if it’s possible to achieve a high degree of success and happiness in life
WITHOUT having all three of these variables in place, and in the proper proportions. You may sincerely believe that it is critical to create more affordable housing for
single moms, but you are not doing anything to make that happen. Without a Role, you
Given that purpose, by definition, requires "doing an activity… with a desired have no opportunity to bring this high-value idea into realty. If you have no role, you have
outcome," let’s go through several different permutations of Roles, Vision and Values to NO MISSION. How could you—really?
see if we can come up with a compelling MISSION when any of these three variables are
missing. This exercise is designed to prove that, until you have all three—a Vision,
Values and empowering Role—NO MISSION forms. For example, what if you have…. Without knowing what I am and why I am here,
A Role with no Vision and no Values… life is impossible.
You’ve probably been there a time or two yourself. A job, duty or obligation where you
have no strong interest, no inspiring Vision and nothing of Value to you. You’re just putting in — Count Leo Tolstoy
the time. NO MISSION HERE. No passion, no heart-guided direction. That’s obvious.

40 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 41


Values with a big Role but no Vision… The Power of Natural Mission—The Big Picture...
You may be the minister of a church, passionately dedicated to your congregation— The intersection of your Values, Roles and Vision creates your “Natural Mission.” If
but have no idea what your church could, or should look like five years from now. You are your circles overlap correctly, you will have a very strong Natural Mission. This is
dedicated to the extreme, but there is still NO MISSION until there is a desired outcome measured by the size of the area that is common to all three of the concentric circles.
(Vision) for your actions. Where there is little overlap between your Vision, Values and Roles, you will have
trouble establishing Direction. Where they overlap completely, watch out—you become a
“God does not ask your ability or your inability. powerful force within the universe!

He asks only your availability.”

— Mary Kay Ash Roles


Going From Lost and Directionless to Enthusiastic and Dedicated
Think back through each of the above examples. Fill in the missing variable—an
engaging ROLE... a compelling VISION... or key VALUES—and your entire life changes
from running in circles... into a personally rewarding MISSION... with clear direction.
As you can now see, it is the triangulation of your Roles, Vision and Values that
automatically produce your “Natural Mission” in life. Once you have all three, aligned
properly, you will have the “Inherent Direction” you desire.

Assembled together, one variable acting upon another,


they combine to the point where your Mission becomes Visions
the natural extension of your Roles, Visions and Values. Your Natural Mission
forms at the intersection
Let’s look at this concept from a slightly different graphical perspective. of your Values, Vision and
Before proceeding further, there is one more detail that I need to bring up: TIME. Roles
Everything we have been talking about is going on in Time—24x7x365. Time never stops.
To better recognize this fact, and for visual simplicity, let’s represent your Values,
Visions and Roles as circles. Circles are endless, infinite, and have no beginning or end.
Values
For as long as you draw a breath, you will be living your purpose. Continuously.

ROLES VISIONS VALUES

For as long as you are here on Earth, you will always be in one ROLE or another.
Only the consciousness of a purpose that is mightier than
For as long as you are here on Earth, you will always have some VISION of the future.
any man and worthy of all men can fortify and inspirit
For as long as you are here on Earth, you will always be motivated by your VALUES.
and compose the souls of men.
Combine your Values and Visions with an empowering Role
and you will live your Purpose—24x7x365—forever! — Walter Lippmann
42 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 43
Living your life On Purpose. Inherent Direction.
By overlapping your Vision, Values and Roles, you have now created a Natural
Mission pointing to a specific, inherent direction.
The Quick Big Picture This is NOT your “moral” compass. It is the direction set by your Natural Mission. It
This category is constantly changing. is your “Values” compass. Create Roles that contain more of what you Value... then create
With each passing day, new and a crystal-clear Vision for that Role... and you will ALWAYS be moving in the direction of
different opportunities present your uniquely personal Mission. You will, in fact, spend your life on what matters
This circle represents themselves to be all that you can be!
your various
MOST to you—because you are actually LIVING your VALUES in pursuit of your
ROLES in life: personal MISSION.
Father/Mother Direction in Time is critical. Once you know where you need to go, getting there in
Career/Hobby
the fastest, most efficient, effective and productive manner possible becomes the ONLY
issue. Yes, knowing your direction is a major driver of success.
Son/Daughter

Husband/Writer/CEO It is what Success On Purpose is all about.


Look at the relationship between the congruence of all three circles: Vision, Values
and Roles. In our example on Page 43, Mission is relatively small compared to the area
This circle represents your of the full intersection, isn’t it. The “prime” congruence is established by the intersection
The intersection of VISION for each of your
of your two largest influences, in this case, Role and Vision. However, because in this
your Values, Roles and ROLES. Simply stated, your
example, your Role doesn’t contain enough of your Values, the resulting area is much
Vision creates your vision is what you want to
smaller than it could be.
Natural Mission SEE happen within each of
your ROLES.
Under these conditions, you will feel
directionless, unfulfilled, aimless, restless—not
This circle repre- passionate, not energetic and not purposeful.
sents your core
personal VALUES
Why? Because, in this example, your Natural Mission contains little of what you
and your God-Given
inherently value. What’s going to motivate you? What’s going to make you get up early and
Gifts and Talents.
stay up late? What is the source of natural enthusiasm? When your Role has little of what
you Value, you begin to care even less about the Vision or outcome for your Role.
These categories are “fixed” by the
ROLE and come from “working” your
There and Then
list of Values and making certain
your Vision within each ROLE
contains what you VALUE most.

Your Prime Purpose:


Create and Nurture Empowering Time

Roles that express your


Values in each of your Visions.
Here and Now

44 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 45


An Additional Perspective on Congruence. 2—match to vision and roles
but not a lot of values
No question, your combination of Vision, Values and Roles plays an enormous part in
your overall success. Where there is high congruence between the three, you will have a very
Role
strong Natural Mission. Where there is a total disconnect, you will be directionless and adrift.

1—high match to all three. The ideal


Big Vision with lots of what you
Value while performing a huge Role

Role Vision

Vision Values

Example 2. Good Vision and Role, but not much of what you Value...
Let’s move on to a hypothetical situation where you are in a Role with a solid Vision...
Values
BUT... there is little of what you inherently Value in the Role. Let’s say you “got roped”
into becoming the point-person for your neighborhood watch group. You love your
Example 1. Great Mission, Direction and Purpose... neighbors, but hate attending meetings, hate intruding on others to get their signs out...
This is always the best combination, isn’t it? Huge VISION that contains all of your and really don’t believe it’s going to make a difference anyway. But the Vision is solid:
core personal VALUES... with a major empowering ROLE. A good example of this would Protect the ’hood. The Role is clear: Ambassador!
be someone with the vision of curing a major disease such as Polio (Dr. Jonas Salk). From I would suggest that there is not a lot of Natural Mission in your Role, because it is
his biography, “Dr. Salk gave the world hope for freedom from polio. He gave the world void of much of what you value... and has lots of things going that you DON’T value.
hope for freedom from global destruction.” A huge vision—accomplished. Advice: Get out gracefully!
I would suggest his dedication came from his core values of compassion, curiosity, Personal Thoughts? Write down one area of your life where you feel a complete
caring, precision and education. (He truly valued his research activities and loved living disconnect between your Values and a primary Role you are in. Is there anything that
in the lab.) He created and empowered a ROLE (Research Doctor) that he was selflessly comes to mind where you can find additional value?
focused on.
______________________________________________________________
Thus flowed a monumental VISION... for a huge ROLE... containing world-
changing VALUES. ______________________________________________________________
Personal Thoughts? Write down one area of your life where you feel complete ______________________________________________________________
congruence between your Values and Vision for that Role. ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________ “To forget one's purpose is the commonest
______________________________________________________________ form of stupidity. ”
______________________________________________________________
— Friedrich Nietzsche

46 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 47


3—Big vision, but not well matched 4—A Total Role Disconnect...
to roles and Values—even though Why bother Performing at all
Values/Vision match with such a detached, puny Role?

Role Role

Vision

Vision

Values
Values
Example 3. Big Vision, matched to Values, but not matched well to Role...
Here is maybe the most “common” situation. You have a solid Vision... and that Example 4. Total Disconnect between Role and vision and values...
vision contains lots of what you Value. But you are in a less than empowering Role. For This one is obvious on the surface. You are “kind of” in a Role that sounds good on
example, let’s say you want to put an end to domestic violence in Boulder County. You are paper... but is right for someone else. You have NO Vision for the Role... and even though
passionate about this, as it reflects your deepest spiritual values as well as your values as the vision was explained to you by someone else who WAS excited by the vision... you are
a mother... and the best friend of a woman who is being battered. You must move from totally detached from it. To say you don’t care would be an understatement. All you can
your role as “observer,” power up... then expand... your role as an Activist. You not only see is work, work, work and no positive rewards. Your heart isn’t in it, as you cannot even
want to get involved, but you want to enlist the help of the entire community. You create, recite one value that is important to you in the vision.
then empower the role of Advocate first... then political Activist... then maybe
Chairperson of the Boulder Women’s Shelter. You scream loud. You raise money. You Advice?
make a difference. In eight years, you educated 200,000 women... and helped thousands Unless you can find value in the vision, get out of the Role. Do it quickly before you
get out of a bad relationship. How? You took action by creating an empowering Role that do damage to yourself or others. Valueless, powerless Roles are not just a waste of your
expressed your Values in your over-arching Vision. You took responsibility for making time, they are a big killer of your own hopes and dreams. Staying in such a Role robs you
your Vision a reality. of time that you could use to pursue Class A Visions and Roles—those that contain what
Personal Thoughts? Write down one area of your life where you personally have a you value MOST.
big VISION—a vision that contains most of what you VALUE in life—but one Unfortunately, this situation is all too common. We get ourselves involved. We make
where you haven’t yet put yourself into an empowering ROLE. some promises. We had a tiny bit of interest. We got dragged in by somebody else... and
here we are.
______________________________________________________________ We have all been in these roles before. I call them Imposed Roles as they are usually
______________________________________________________________ involuntary, and imposed upon us by someone else or out of obligation to a group.
______________________________________________________________ Usually it all starts out simple enough: Our church is going to build five houses for
______________________________________________________________ Habitat for Humanity this summer in Guatemala. Can you help?
______________________________________________________________

48 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 49


You say, “Of course,” never dreaming that what they meant is that you are going to A Thought before moving forward...
fly to Guatemala in the heat of the summer (you hate bugs, heat and humidity)... hike 27 The overlap of Values on Vision is critical. If there is not enough of what you personally
miles to the village (no running water (your idea of primitive camping is a hotel without value in the vision, stop right there and take inventory. You are spending the ONLY life
room service)…and actually build the houses (you have no interest or talent in this you have. It has to be spent on what matters most to you.
regard whatsoever).
The overlap of Values on Roles is critical. If you are in a Role that contains little of
Worse, by vote, you become the Captain for Christ team leader and are now “signed what you inherently value, you will never be motivated to do your best. Sure, you can find
up” for four weeks of “prep meetings.” You hate attending, let alone putting on meetings. plenty of external motivation (the carrot and stick only goes so far). But in the end, if your
No question, the Vision is a good one... for someone else who values Adventure, heart isn’t in it, really question the Role.
Giving, Building and Physical Challenge. The overlap of Roles and Vision is, in my opinion the single most critical issue. If you
Did I mention that Comfort is one of your top 10 personal values. are in a Role with limited or no vision, then you have two options: Expand the vision or
What do you do? What can you do? get out of the Role. If you have a huge Vision but have no empowering Role, create one
immediately or you will spend your entire life dreaming... not doing. Success on Purpose
Suck it up and give it the best you’ve got... then graciously get out as soon as requires your performance in a values-based Role.
possible? I have, in fact, done this, and all I can say is that everything worked out fine...
BUT... it was not a Role that I should have accepted in the first place! Your MISSION is to be the best at that Role as possible.
The right answer, for me, would have been to recognize the complete and total lack Once direction is set... once you know what the Mission is... you now need to DO it...
of Natural Mission in the Role, Vision and Values circles. I could have raised money, got you now need to PERFORM. It’s like Hollywood. You are given the Role... all you need
the right people involved, diminished my Role to the point of “Cheerleader” not Captain, to do is perform it.
and empowered a completely different Role. Living your life on Purpose means achieving Success On Purpose. First create
Personal Thoughts? Write down one area of your life where you feel a complete and crystal-clear Expectations for what you want to SEE happen—then Execute beyond
total lack of congruence between ANY of the three: Values, Vision and Roles. Expectations. You will not only LIVE what’s MOST important to you—you will be HAPPY
______________________________________________________________ with your life.
______________________________________________________________ So what is your Prime Purpose in life? Simply this...
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________ Create an Empowering Role...
______________________________________________________________
To unleash your Vision...
Look at the four examples again carefully. What have you learned about yourself And live your Values.
and the relationship between your Vision, Values and Roles?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________ “Knowing our personal mission further enhances
______________________________________________________________ the flow of mysterious coincidences as we are guided
______________________________________________________________ toward our destinies. First we have a question, then dreams,
______________________________________________________________ daydreams, and intuitions lead us toward the answers,
which usually are synchronistically provided by
the wisdom of another human being.”

— James Redfield

50 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 51


inherent
DIRE CTION
Chapter 4 Creating Your Natural Mission:
The prescription for success and happiness.
An Poignant Thought: The secret to a life well-lived is to be fully engaged in each of your roles, working
towards an ideal vision that has clear meaning and value to you. This is true throughout
your entire day, regardless of what role you find yourself in: father/mother... taxi-driver...
“How do you know if your botanist... or Boy Scout troop leader. At every moment in time—regardless of what you
are doing at that moment—you can live your life to the fullest by knowing the value of,
mission in life is finished? and the vision you want to achieve in that moment... then doing your absolute best to
make that intention real. This is the prescription for lasting success.
Want the prescription for failure and frustration? Let’s say you are plodding along
If you're still alive, it isn't.” with no real progress being made toward achieving ANY of your most cherished goals. In
fact, you really don’t have goals because you are floundering around looking for direction.
(At TQ we call this “Getting ready to get ready!”)
— Richard Bach
Nothing contributes so much to tranquilizing
the mind as a steady purpose—a point on which the soul
may fix its intellectual eye.

— Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley


Further, you are constantly burned out, stressed out and running on empty. Your
attitude stinks and you have a hard time focusing on the important—because you are
being buffeted around, moving from one emergency to another. Clearly, you are NOT
living your best life. You are stuck inside a slow-moving nightmare.
Each day, we get emails and calls from people like this... people who painfully
explain how bad things are. Why they are victims. When we ask how they scored on their
TQ Test, they all have low scores and usually offer that the reason their lives are dying on
the vine is that they stopped believing in the future... stopped setting goals for
themselves... because none of them ever came true anyway.
SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 53
This is a symptom of a deeper issue: A lack of purpose-driven performance. The Big View...
The problem is clear. The reason people do not have crystal-clear goals and rock-
solid plans is NOT because they don’t know how to set goals and make plans—it is
because they lack clarity of VISION and have gotten themselves into fuzzy, less-than-
empowering ROLES. We know this for an absolute FACT, based on some 25 million
unique statistical points of reference at ThinkTQ.com. Natural
Mission
It is IMPOSSIBLE to set goals that are in direct alignment with your purpose and
mission, when you do not know what your purpose is and have a weak sense of mission. Live with passion…
Without wanting to offend anyone, just how can you claim to “know” what you want in Live your best life now…
life—and still have a weak sense of mission and purpose? This is a non sequitur. Become more productive…

Ro
Give Meaning to your life…

ion

le
So, if you asked me what you need to actually DO to: Create hope and inspiration…

Vis

s
Make all your dreams come true…
• Discover your Purpose…
Establish the priorities in your life…
• Live your best life now… Create High Expectations for your life
• Find the Direction you are looking for… Find the Direction you are looking for…
Get Enthused and Excited about your life…
• Create a reason for getting up in the morning…
Set highly compelling Goals for your life…
• Live with more passion… Arrive at a sense of clarity for your decisions…
• Get Enthused and Excited about your life… Create a reason for getting up in the morning…
Become truly Successful—and doing it on Purpose...
• Set highly compelling Goals for your life…
• Arrive at a sense of clarity for your decisions… Values
• Give Meaning to your life…
• Become more productive…
• Establish the priorities in your life…
• Create hope and inspiration… The Personal View...
• Create High Expectations for your life
• Make all your dreams come true…and

n
tio
• Become a Success on Purpose…

eti
mp
Co
Here is what I would advise:

in
iol
Create and nurture empowering ROLES—

sV
ou

RO
Roles that will enable you to live your core

igi

LE
est

: F
at
Mission:

Pr
personal VALUES—while pursuing world-

he
ns

r
See Daughter

Wi
Become a
changing VISIONS for each role.
er
ht
First Chair
ug Violinist
Da

As you learned in the last Chapter, Success On Purpose is based on the premise that
:
ION

you will find your Natural Mission and Authentic Direction at the intersection of your
VIS

Vision, Values and Roles. The examples on the next 100 pages better describe how—just
by identifying these three variables—you will find instant clarity and direction. VALUES: Discipline, Music, Fame, Teaching, Challenge

54 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 55


"Fabulous advice," you might say, "but where do I start?" What is this person’s mission? Obvious, isn’t it. It doesn’t take a mission statement
Great question! The good news? It’s not that hard! workshop, a big “Ah Ha”, or a Ph.D. in linguistics.
To solve for purpose and mission in your life—you can start with any one of these My friend’s mission, in the role of school counselor, is to help every high school student
three variables and then fill in the rest. For example: discover a clear and desirable direction for that student’s next move toward a career or
higher education, once they graduate from high school.
• You can start with a ROLE that you are already in, such as mother, mechanic
or volunteer and fill in a compelling vision and desirable values for this role. In achieving this mission, my friend will live a life of inspiration, compassion,
contribution to others and personal achievement, and will also naturally inspire these
• You can start with a highly compelling VISION, such as being independently
same values in those she guides through the high school years.
wealthy, and fill in all the additional values for this dream and then define
a role that you can play to make this vision a reality. If she achieves this vision, she will be successful on purpose. If she doesn’t, she
won’t. It really is that simple. In the mean time, staying focused on the highly desirable
• You can start with something of high VALUE to you, such as “contribution”
outcome, her mission is the highly motivating reason why she shows up for work each day
and then imagine a vision of what that would look like, such as feeding the
and why she puts everything she has into this gallant fight. (If you’ve ever tried to advise
hungry, and then define a role that will give you the opportunity to live
teenagers, you know how gallant this fight really is!)
your value of “contribution” each day.
For a further review of how roles, vision, values can combine to create a uniquely
You Now Have a Mission... personal mission, here are a number of other examples.
Once you have filled in all three blanks, you will have automatically created a
About the Examples below...
mission—a desirable direction and a powerful reason for your actions. You will have
created the motivation that is closest to your heart—one that will pull you towards its For clear understanding, we have created 4 simple-to-understand combinations:
achievement. From here on, each day is an exciting adventure, a passionate pursuit to be 1. One ROLE, Different Values, Different Visions
successful at those activities and outcomes that have a strong heart-felt meaning for you. 2. One VISION, Different Roles
3. One VALUE, Different Visions, Different Roles
“You can come to understand your purpose in life by 4. One PERSON—One Purpose, Many Missions
slowing down and feeling your heart's desires.” Let’s look at one common role which will vary considerably depending on the
individual values of the person in the role and how he or she sees those values being
brought to life within that role.
— Marcia Wieder
One Role, Different Values, Different Visions
It really is this simple.
Role: Father
When you do your best to achieve your visions, you will be living your best life Vision: Daughter wins First Violinist at Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra
ever—the life you have defined as the most ideal—because it includes your highest Values: Discipline, music, fame, teaching, challenge
values and your most compelling dreams and visions.
Mission: Help daughter win First Violinist at Chicago Youth Symphony
Your Mission: The Clarity of Direction
Orchestra by providing the hope, inspiration and discipline of a
supportive father.
Fill in the TQ Formula for Purpose and you automatically end up with a personal
mission. One that is uniquely yours. Here is just one example for a friend of mine:
Role: Father
Role: High School Counselor Vision: Daughter has great time playing team sports all through high school
Values: Inspiration, compassion, contribution to others, personal Values: Acceptance, cooperation, humility
achievement Mission: Teach, encourage and reward daughter’s acts of teamwork,
Vision: High school graduates actively engaged in their work or education cooperation and team success, so that she enthusiastically signs up
immediately after graduation that will then lead to highly rewarding careers. for and letters in 3 sports.

56 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 57


Role: Father Role: CEO of Non-Profit Corporation
Vision: Father and son team invent a robotic fly that can take off, land Vision: First non-profit to raise $1,000,000,000 for cancer
anywhere while sending back 360 degree video and audio. research in one year.
Values: Logic, perseverance, challenge Values: Competition, achievement, teamwork, fame
Mission: Invent a robotic "fly" by encouraging the gifted engineering Mission: Create a Billion Reasons to Hope.
talents of young son and making sure that he has a fun
time working on the project. Role: Neighborhood Volunteer
Vision: 25 different people contribute to neighborhood
Role: Father fundraiser for curing cancer
Vision: Family vacation learning how to rock climb Values: Cooperation, contribution, self-worth, compassion
in Grand Tetons, Wyoming Mission: Get neighbors to support the cure
Values: Physical activity, nature, adventure, challenge
Mission: Complete a successful rock climbing family vacation where Role: Cancer Survivor
everyone in the family is safe, engaged, praised and inspired. Vision: Sister-in-law is fully supported though her cancer treatment
Values: Empathy, compassion, loyalty, friendship, courage
Role: Father Mission: Always Be There for My Sister
Vision: Son graduates from Jesuit School of Theology at Berkley, California
Values: Community, compassion, spirituality Finally, you can also have a common value such as "wealth" that can produce many
Mission: Help son graduate with degree in Systematic Theology by different visions and many different roles for how a person would be responsible for the
providing him with the money, emotional inspiration and creation of this value of wealth.
freedom so that he can attend four years of religious studies
at the Jesuit School of Theology. One Value, Different Visions, Different Roles
Value: Wealth
(Note: The mission is to do what it takes to achieve the vision. If you can get Vision: An original Cezanne landscape on the living room wall
the mission down to 5-10 words, you have taken the first critical steps to an Role: Art Collector
achievable mission!) Mission: Identify, negotiate, purchase and hang a Cezanne in my home
You can also have one common vision, let’s call it a global vision, for example: Curing
Cancer in Five Years. This one vision can give birth to multiple roles by different Value: Wealth
people all depending on how they "see" themselves contributing to this vision. Vision: My children never have to worry about money.
Role: Salesman
One Vision, Different Roles
Mission: Earn enough money to fund a living trust that will take care
GLOBAL VISION: Cure Cancer in our lifetime... of all my children’s needs
Role: Biochemist
Vision: The discovery of a compound that would make Value: Wealth
existing anti-cancer drugs more effective Vision: Founding of charitable organization to rescue
Values: Caring, meticulousness, curiosity, intellectual challenge, discipline wild horses in Argentina
Mission: Discover Compound X Role: Philanthropist
Mission: Find the right people to give money to
Role: Political Activist
Vision: Republicans and Democrats together commit to Value: Wealth
War on Cancer as a top priority. Vision: Traveling the World by Sail
Values: Health, leadership, vision, compassion Role: Fast Food Franchise Owner
Mission: Make Curing Cancer a 2008 Presidential Promise/Plank Mission: Create sufficient cash flow to finance trip of a lifetime

58 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 59


Value: Wealth Linda’s Purpose…
Vision: Passive income of $10,000 per month TOP 10 VALUES: Acceptance, helpfulness, faithfulness, family,
Role: Real estate investor peace, religion, wisdom, service, beauty, gratitude
Mission: Own 10 single family homes free and clear Role: Daughter, the care-taker
Vision: Invalid parents are cared for in their own home
Value: Wealth Values: Acceptance, helpfulness, family, gratitude
Vision: Highly-paid CEO of Fortune 500 company Mission: Care for all of Mom’s and Dad’s needs at home
Role: Business major at Northwestern University
Mission: Graduate #1 in class of 3,000 Role: Mother
Vision: All four elementary age daughters graduate from college
As we have said previously, your purpose is to create and nurture multiple roles that Values: Family, wisdom, helpfulness
allow you to achieve numerous visions—all while living and experiencing your highest Mission: Inspire all four girls to love education
values. In that vein then, here a couple of examples of a few different people and all of their
individual missions which, when combined, add up to their own personal purpose in life. Role: Painter
Vision: Original painting on greeting cards sell out, funds
One Person, One Purpose, Many Missions
sponsor 10 children in orphanage for one year.
Joe’s Purpose… Values: Peace, service, beauty
TOP 10 VALUES: Recreation, competition, friendship, family, Mission: Sell 100,000 greeting cards and mail profits to Kenya
kindness, duty, responsibility, self-reliance, creativity, courage
Role: Father Role: Chairman of committee tasked with hiring a minister
Vision: Step-child feels secure and loved Vision: Creation of a new church that celebrates diversity
Values: Family, kindness, duty, responsibility Values: Acceptance, service, religion
Mission: Make Emily feel loved Mission: Find ideal candidate who will lead new church

Role: Music Producer Eric’s Purpose...


Vision: Bluegrass band client signed to multiple record contract. TOP 10 VALUES: Freedom, beauty, comfort, complexity, giving,
Values: Self-reliance, creativity, courage, responsibility teaching, luxury, faith, loyalty, curiosity
Mission: ABP—Always Be Promoting
Role: Garden Railroader
Role: Tour Director Vision: The world’s largest, most complex privately owned garden
Vision: Family reunion on island off Puget Sound, Washington railroad, with 12 trains running simultaneously in my back yard.
Values: Family, recreation, duty, thoughtfulness Values: Beauty, complexity, curiosity
Mission: Create recreational agenda that children will tell their Mission: Build the world’s most complex garden railroad.
grandchildren about
Role: CEO
Role: Golfer Vision: Build a multi-billion dollar company by improving the working
Vision: One round of golf every week intelligence of 20 million people, making them vastly more
Values: Recreation, competition, friendship successful, effective, productive and happy with their place in life.
Mission: Have fun shooting par, with friends Values: Luxury, wealth, complexity, teaching
Mission: Increase the world’s TQ by 20 points... or more!

60 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 61


Role: Husband How inspirational is your future life’s story?
Vision: Custom home on 35 acres overlooking the back range You now have a simple process for creating meaning for your life. A formula for giving
of the Rocky Mountains where my wonderful wife and you direction in any area of your life. The only question remaining is…
I will live out the rest of our years together, in great
health, living at home until we are both 112. Are you inspired enough
Values: Luxury, trust, comfort
Mission: Build wife’s dream home. to give it all you’ve got?
The Combination is The Key • How high are you willing to dream?
Do you see the connection between where you are right now and where you want to • What kind of life are you willing to be responsible for?
go? Do you see the connection between your Values... your Vision of the future... and your • What grand opportunity are you willing to challenge yourself with?
Role in achieving that vision? Do you see the need for clarity of values... clarity of vision...
• What do you want to be known for?
clarity of roles? In the chapters that follow, we are going to help you create your own set
of personal missions, but first there is one more point we need to clarify. • What kind of contribution do you want to make to the world?
• Will this mission require you to play at the level you desire most?
Is the Mission Big enough?
These questions are really all about the proportion of the three legs of your mission
Now that we have given you a process for creating a series of Natural Missions, it is triangle. How grandiose, inspiring, challenging, compelling, adventuresome, rewarding,
our duty to make sure that those missions produce the greatest rewards you can imagine. ambitious, and/or exciting are you willing to make each leg? This is an absolutely critical
Missions that you are willing to trade the only life you have to live for. question, because as you will soon see, it is the size of each leg of your three-sided mission
that will determine the size of your aspirations and expectations for your life.
“Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, Let’s not leave this triangulation up to your imagination!
no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ's
compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet

ion

Ro
with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the

l
Vis

es
Natural
hands with which He is to bless us now.” Mission

— St. Teresa of Avila Values


The big question remaining is one of quality and quantity. Are your three variables An easy way to see the living relationship between your Values, Vision and Roles is
in proportion to each other and are they at the highest level that you want to play. Or do to simply triangulate these three lines. When your Values, Vision and Roles are in the
you need to step up and raise the level of expectation for any one of them? correct proportions, your Natural Mission forms. Until all three are present—either large
or small—then, no Mission... no direction. No way to actually LIVE
Once you have created a mission, you owe it to yourself to ask the following:
your purpose.
1. Is the role I created the highest level of possibility and responsibility
I am willing to engage in the pursuit of my vision and my values?

Ro
2. Is my vision the highest expression of what I want to accomplish within

l
es
No

ion
this role? Mission

Vis
3. Are there enough of my personal values associated with this role to spend my
precious time achieving it? Can I add any more Value to this role? Values
We want you playing this game of life at the highest level possible. And we know you What happens if you are in a role that contains everything you value, but you have a
do to. I am sure you’re not sitting there asking, “how can I make this the easiest year ever small vision for the role? For example, you are the VP of Marketing for a software
or how can I make this the most mediocre year ever?” Right?

62 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 63


company with great technical ideas, but no compelling vision of how your company will Usually, when we see a Roles-to-Values mismatch, we also see a Vision-to-Values
prosper in the next five years. mismatch. This is a sad combination because it leads to tremendous stress, frustration
Maybe survival is your biggest vision. What’s the mission? Shrinking to greatness? and feelings of inadequacy. You know your values, but what you are doing within your
No, to create a big MISSION you will need to EXPAND your VISION. Otherwise, the current Role won’t deliver them.
mission collapses in on itself.

ion
No

Ro
Vis
Mission

l
es
ion
Vis
No Values

Ro
Mission This graphic shows you as a person with well-defined values that simply don’t fit what

le
s
you are doing right now. Because you are in a small role, you also have a small vision. No
Values chance for either success or happiness.
Or maybe you have big visions that contain all your values, but you only have a limited
role in making the vision real. What can you do? Expand the ROLE, of course. Strategy: Your success will collapse down to the point
Find a way to EXPAND your ROLE to equal the size of the VISION. Become the Senior
Pastor and execute on the bold vision of “Standing Room Only” every Sunday, not just where there is less and less of what you value
Easter!
in the role—simply because your role can only
support a limited vision.
ion

Ro
l
Vis

es

No
Mission You want to do great things, but the role you are in prohibits you from doing great
things. Solution? Expand the vision to the point where exciting new opportunities open up
Values and the vision of the future is expanded.
Or, as is commonly the case, you are in a role, with a big vision, but both have been Examples of this are numerous in business. The marketing guy who sees the company
imposed on you, and as a result, the vision and role contain little, if anything, you value. headed towards disaster, but is unable to convince the CEO of a bigger vision—other than
Here, you have an easy choice. Find VALUE in what you are doing... or find a way OUT. survival. Or the accountant who rigs the books rather than raise capital, because he can’t
If what you are doing contains little of what you value, you will never live your best see any other way out of their current situation.
life... you will never perform up to your best… you will never achieve purpose-driven Just like you learned way back in Geometry 101, the shortest leg

Ti
on

ny
si
success. You will spend the only life you have to live burning up time and energy—NOT controls the area within a triangle. Put simply, your mission collapses Vi Tiny

Ro
ny Mission

l
i

e
T
living what you value most. to the area generated by the triangulation of your Values, Vision and Tiny Values

Examples of this are numerous. You’re in sales, but hate making cold calls. You’re a Roles. Small Role... Small Vision... Small Values = Tiny Mission.
financial analyst, but hate detail work. You worked your way into middle management at However, your Mission also EXPANDS when each leg grows longer.
a chemical company, but hate their environmental policies. I have two words for you:

Get Out!
“Strong lives are motivated by dynamic purposes;
If your values do not support what you are doing, you will never become old and
successful. You will, in fact, become old and cynical. It is impossible under these lesser ones exist on wishes and inclinations.”
circumstances to achieve purpose-driven success, simply because you have no
empowering visions and no empowering roles. — Kenneth Hildebrand

64 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 65


Expand your Vision. Expand Your Roles. Expand Your Values. Purpose first... then Performance.
With MORE of what you VALUE in each of your ROLES... Because of our over-arching definition, this becomes not only understandable,
you can support an unlimited VISION. but easily “do-able.” Let’s recap the previous three Chapters.

ion
With a big enough VISION—one that is well-supported by The three simple steps to living the life you love:

Gr
er Vis

ea
your VALUES—you can empower much greater ROLES.

te
1. Create an empowering Role for each of your most important Visions...

r
Ro
Greater

Great
Your Mission naturally EXPANDS! The proof is highly 2. Make sure your ROLES and VISIONS contain all your personal VALUES...

le
Mission
visible... you are living MORE of what you Value at every point
3. Then, power up your performance so that you achieve the MISSION
in Time. You are achieving greater Results at every point in
Bigger Values of making your vision real.
Time. Your Roles are GROWING.
Thus, the full embodiment of Purpose-Driven Success.
Want to Change the World?
You are now Successful... on Purpose.
You are living your “best” life every single day, simply because you have triangulated
on

all three of the variables necessary to establish your Natural Mission.


W
isi

or
gV

ld
You have Authentic Direction.
-c
gin

ha
an

You have real Purpose.


ng
in
ch

g
World-changing
d-

You have created an empowering Role that permits you to achieve your Vision while
Ro
rl

Mission le
Wo

living what you truly Value.

World-changing Values What more is there to life than being in a ROLE


Just expand your VISION even further... expand your ROLES to the maximum of that permits you to achieve your VISIONS while
your gifts and talents. Expand your VALUES even further... so your performance is
burning with passion and purpose every single day. You WILL change the world. living your VALUES? That’s right, nothing!
Ready to start living your best life now?
“Walk boldly and wisely.... There is a Ready to declare what missions you will pursue with all your heart?
Hand above that will help you on.” Ready to start living life to the fullest?
Let’s start with determining what’s most important to you—your Values.
— Philip James Bailey

From the theory of purpose and mission to your best life ever... “Once you have completed the following three Chapters, you
You have now seen how the size of each of these three variables determines if you are will, by every definition, have a strong sense of purpose and
going to live a life of shrinking missions... or of ever-expanding world changing missions. mission. You will know, with stunning detail, exactly what
The work that remains to be done is to now help you determine your own Purpose:
you value most in each of your roles. You will have a strong
• In the VALUES Chapter, we will give you an engaging exercise to help you
discover your core personal Values. vision for each of your roles... a vision that contains what
• In the VISION Chapter, we will give you several exercises to help you truly value most... a vision that drives your purpose.”
you imagine what it is that you want to create in your life.
• In the ROLES Chapter, we will help you identify your current roles and — E. R. Haas, CEO, ThinkTQ, Inc.
create new roles that you are not in yet, but which would give you the chance
to achieve your “someday” visions.

66 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 67


my values
VAL UES
Chapter 5 My Values
Getting Clear on What You VALUE Most...
An Inspiring Thought: First of all, a VALUE is a thing—a noun. It is something you believe to be highly
desirable—something of great importance, worth or usefulness to you.
In TQ speak, your values are those things that you rate or judge to be of greater
“All that is valuable in human importance than any thing else—those things that give your life the greatest sense of
meaning through the feeling of enjoyment, happiness, satisfaction and pride. At the same
society depends upon the time, they are the last things you would give up if you had to.

In fact, they are the things you would die for, rather than lose.
opportunity for development Values are those ideals such as freedom, beauty, love, wealth, comfort, spirituality,
wisdom, education, physical challenge, family, adventure, luxury, faith, etc that you have
accorded the individual. come to believe are either the best things in life or the best things about your life. They
are the things that will bring you happiness—not the superficial kind of happiness—but
the type that rests deep down in your heart and soul.
— Albert Einstein
Your values are the bedrock of all your performance. They are
the “Why” of your life—the reason for all of your actions.
A condensed list of values gives clarity to your life by establishing the ideal
standards and outcomes for how you want to live. It is your best guide to what will make
you the happiest—leading to personal and professional satisfaction.
Fact: You can’t do everything, or be everywhere, at the same time. Therefore, to
determine where you should be doing with your limited time, focusing on your most
desirable values is the most productive and satisfying thing you can do.
Even if you never get around to doing those things that come in second or third or
fourth on your list—those things that would just be nice to have, but are not absolutely
necessary—at least you know that you will be living what’s #1, and focusing on that first.

This is what it means to Focus on First Things First!

SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 69
In Life And In Work, Passionate Desires Produce The Greatest Results. Identifying Your Values Is The Prerequisite For Living Your Values.
Until you identify a short list of what is truly important to you, you will continue to Think of your top ten personal values at the foundation for your success in life. Once
be someone without a strong cause or sense of purpose and direction. You will continue you have a clear understanding of what is driving your performance, from the foundation
to have that nagging feeling that whatever you’re trying to achieve right now, isn’t quite it. up, you will have a great deal of clarity and drive in your life. Once you arrive at your short
You will continue to get by, but you won’t feel fully invested in your work—and deep list of internal drivers, you will have nailed down the number one—MOST
down—you will lack heart and ambition. Without the commitment that comes from IMPORTANT—element of Success on Purpose.
knowing precisely what’s MOST important to you—you will continue to feel restless and Why are knowing your Values that important?
bored with life—sometimes called that dull ache inside knowing that what you’re doing
isn’t the best you can do. Or, to the other extreme, you will feel burned out and stressed Because your VALUES guide your imagination to form
out with little to no real satisfying reward for the work you are doing.
your VISIONS of the future... and shape the ROLES
“For an athlete to function properly, he must be intent. you will naturally play to see those visions realized.
There has to be a definite purpose and goal if you are to The simple heart of the matter is this. Someone who values Competition, Adventure,
progress. If you are not intent about what you are doing, Physical Challenge, Working with his/her Hands, Nature, Faith, Spirituality and
you aren't able to resist the temptation to do something else Camaraderie will want completely different things—and be willing to take on completely
different roles—from someone whose top values are Freedom, Comfort, Beauty, Teaching,
that might be more fun at the moment.” Luxury, Tranquility/Peace, Faith, Spirituality and Education.
Person A would be willing to take on roles and create visions of the future that might
— John Wooden include mountain/rock climbing, camping, traveling to Africa to build a children’s
Our objective in this Chapter is to help you discover what you care about the most. center—500 miles from the nearest running water. Indeed, this person might have a
To do this, we highly recommend that you look to your heart and not your head. It is vision of building a water treatment facility for a tribal village so far out in the bush, that
absolutely essential that you uncover for yourself that which is most important to the inner the internet is only a futuristic fantasy!
core of your being. Person B, of course, would never even dream those dreams because his idea of
primitive camping is a 3-star hotel without 24-hour room service! While both A and B
Your intellect will tell you what you should do—or what value Faith and Spirituality, person B would see the future revolving around better
education, the arts, and more of a soul-searching inner-adventure. Rock climbing would
others have told you is important. But please remember, not even appear on his radar . This person’s vision might be to endow a Chair of The
Future at a major teaching university.
you are a unique person with your own set of desires and
beliefs. It is imperative that you find your OWN set of “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some
values that will guide your personal journey. extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds:
Once you do, you will have found the target—the Authentic You—the guiding source Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness
for all your actions. Going in the “right direction,” you will acquire the treasures you have expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new,
always been looking for... those unique and tangible rewards that mean more to you than
any of the other things you could achieve with your time instead. great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and
Your life will have inherent meaning, because you will have a dedicated and obvious talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a
reason for performing up to your absolute best. You will have found the inner-direction greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.
and inner-drive that was previously missing, because you couldn’t see the rewards or
purpose for your efforts.
— Patanjali

70 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 71


Your Values Exercise... STEP 2: Clarify, Clarify, Clarify...
Once you have clarified in your own mind what you value most and you have Now, refine your list to just 20 key values by further clarifying the words
identified what those things would actually look like in the real world, then you will have that BEST describe what you're all about. If this part seems a little more difficult, that’s
the inner-motivation to increase your personal power, improve your performance and take seems to be the typical response we get from our clients.
responsibility for making those things come true for you. You will be naturally inspired Remember, you are the judge and jury—only you can determine what you value
and empowered. You will become committed, directed and enthusiastic. You will become more than something else! By making these choices here and now, you will have taken a
unstoppable! huge step towards reducing future stress, conflict and resolving future decisions. By just
being clear about what you want and what's important to you, you now have a "final"
STEP 1: Recognizing Your Top 40 Values.
arbitrator for every choice you make and every action you take.
Close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Relax. Now, from the list of “value
To know that you have chosen the “right” 20 words, rummage through your memory
words” on the following pages, check off those that you strongly relate to, describe what
banks and look back on all the goals you accomplished that made you the HAPPIEST or
you do, believe or values you find attractive in others and want for yourself. While long,
made you feel REWARDED. How many of these words were present? Also, of the things
this list is far from complete, so feel free to add words you use to describe yourself (or
you wanted but didn't get, how many were present? Is there a connection?
others) that we haven't included.
The values you select can be as spiritual, compassionate and feelings-based as your STEP 3: Reduce The Universe of Possibilities
heart permits. Or, your values can be self-serving, materialistic and as things-based as and Potentialities to just Top 10 Values.
you choose. The next step is to eliminate all duplicate words and get down to the pure essence of
The key issue is that they are YOUR values... reflecting your Authentic Self. There what drives you, describes you and really makes you tick. While there may be thousands
is no need to delude yourself here. Look in the mirror. Look at your values objectively. of words you relate to, these 10 words should be the most sacred, most heart-felt, most
They are a key driver of your success. In fact, many of our readers tell us that going fundamental identifiers of what you truly believe in and stand for. They should be
through this Values Exercise was the single biggest point of change in their entire lives. magnified in EVERY decision you make and EVERY action you take.
Yes, your values are THAT important.
Make the hard choices here.
The words you check off should represent what you feel is important to you, and upon
which you base key decisions. The result of this initial selection process is to give you a This step is about making the hard choices between what you THINK you value and
clear, word-by-word declaration as to what you find important—and to give you a context what you ACTUALLY value. This is the list of key words upon which you make virtually
for connecting these values to your dreams. all your decisions, and should directly align with how you see yourself—and how other
people would describe you.
Next, put on your “thinking cap” and reduce this list by grouping and removing
similar words or words that have substantially the same meaning to you. This will cause If you have chosen to “live a life of beauty, tranquility and spirituality” you probably
you to actively choose what means what—and how a given word applies to you. look forward to collecting art for your cottage, nestled in the hills far from the beaten
path—but close to a small community of people with the same spiritual beliefs as you.
For example, if accountability, responsibility and completion made your top 40
You probably wouldn't look forward to being in the midst of war-torn Bosnia,
Values, you might choose to eliminate completion and keep the other two. Or, maybe
photographing death and devastation and rushing to make the 11 o'clock news—every
beauty, symmetry and style are competing with quality, luxury and taste. Or, perhaps
day of your working life.
fairness, honesty and trustworthiness all mean the same as integrity to you. While these
words are similar, they mean different things to different people, so give serious If you've chosen to “live a life of adventure, risk, power, freedom and learning” you
consideration to which words should stay—and which can go. most likely look forward to climbing the highest peaks, skiing the double blacks and
learning everything there is to know about how to survive the inevitable crashes you're
bound to encounter. You probably wouldn't be too interested in just watching videos of a
“Step by step. I can't think of any other way of Mount Everest climb from the comfort of your living room couch.
accomplishing anything.” If you end up with more than 10 words, that's OK. Just unite complimentary words
on the same line. For example: wealth/power; love/compassion, substance / integrity, etc.
— Michael Jordan Now—and this is very important—RANK your chosen words on a scale of 1–10.
Which is really more important to you, freedom or wealth; knowledge or comfort; risk or
beauty; creativity or control; compassion or trustworthiness?

72 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 73


Now What? Clarity of Values leads to clarity of Vision.
For those of you who have taken the full TQ Test...
The question now becomes, “Given your natural strengths, how will you LIVE your As you know, there are 10 actions that make up the strength and intensity of your
values?” Not just once in awhile, but every day of your life. Mission Color. Great news! Now that you have completed this exercise, you can rate
Just KNOWING what drives your actions gives you peace of mind. After all, “If you the following four TQ Factors a 10! This will add 4 more points to your total TQ Score.
don’t know what you stand for, you’ll fall for anything” is a significant truth—even if it
does come from an old country song! Mission Factor 2A:
“I maintain a written list of the most important,
When you use these values as the starting point for all your decisions, you have more
heartfelt values that I want to experience in life.”
confidence, and your decisions are easier. Now that you have made a decision to live your
values, your list of values will automatically make the right decisions for you. You know A short list of values is all you need to design a well-lived life. Your values are those
what you value, so you’re able to quickly resolve conflicts—without angst and trepidation. ideals such as freedom, beauty, honor, love, wisdom, family or adventure that are more
important to you than anything else. A condensed list of values gives clarity to your life
You now have a set of standards for how you want to live your life. and establishes your ideal standards. This list is your best guide to personal and
professional satisfaction. Put your list of personal values in writing—commit it to
memory—and live each word—each and every day.
“Our greatest strength comes not from what
Mission Factor 2B:
we possess but from what we believe, not from
“I keep a personal mission statement that promise how I
what we have, but from who we are.” will live what I value as my code of conduct for everything I do.”
In the trials and chaos of modern life, you need a set of standards to help guide you
— Michael S. Dukakis through the good times and the bad. The highest and most beneficial set of rules is the
one you establish for the preferred way that you want to live. Once you have a list of your
The actions you take and the results you produce are living proof of what’s most most important values, commit to a personal mission statement that declares how you
important to you. The only evidence of whether you value something is if you make it a will live what you value. The most basic mission statement is simply this: "I will live a
part of your life. There’s no getting around this. For you to live your values, they have to life of... (insert your list of values here)... every day of my life."
show up somewhere other than a framed mission statement on the wall. They deserve to
be a part of the legacy of results you leave behind at the end of each day. Include your Mission Factor 2H:
values in every vision, and your life will have meaning and purpose. You will have a “I make daily decisions based upon my values, vision and mission.”
Natural Mission for each of your Roles. Your values, vision and mission mean absolutely nothing unless they are put into
A final comment on the list you just written down. Life can be a constant evolution play. Your fundamental values and principles are the core elements that determine if a
of preferences and ideals. If the list of values you have just created feel rock solid—and decision is the right one for you or not. Your values should be your reference—and your
you’ll know it by the way you feel—keep them firmly in your heart. guide—for every action you take, and every decision you make. The only decision you
But, in the future, if you find that there are new values that have become more need to make is to live your values. Once you do, your list of values will automatically
important than they were before, it’s okay to revise this list. If these values no longer serve make the right decisions for you.
your best interest, change them. It’s okay to change your mind—especially when the
change is an improvement to what makes you feel right in both your heart and mind. Mission Factor 2I:
“I reinvent myself as I grow by revising my list of
With the values that you have determined to be the best of what makes life values and redefining my vision of a perfect life.”
meaningful, enjoyable and worth living, you now know where to put your time and
Life is a constant evolution of preferred ideals. If your life is on track—and you'll
attention. Focus on these things, and you will be the most satisfied that you are trading
know it by the way you feel—keep going. But, if you're not satisfied living your current
the next 365 days on those things that mean the most to you.
list of values (or pursuing your current visions), revise them. Make certain that what you
So now, with your short list of personal values in hand, let’s transform them into a value, actually delivers what you want. If you don't like who you are, or where you're
picture of what they would look like in your real world. With your Values as your base, going, change your path. It's okay to change your mind—especially when the change is
you now need to look at your current situations, and way out into the future, to see how an improvement.
you can best express your personal values in real world possibilities that will write your
new life’s story. We will now move on to your personal VISION. Go to THINKTQ.COM/ACTUAL to update your Mission Color now.

86 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 87


my visions
V I S IONS
Chapter 6 My Vision
Without Vision, You Have No Direction.
Fabulous Advice: Vision is the second critical variable in triangulating your direction in life. A Vision is
a PICTURE of the ideal future you want to create. The more compelling and desirable the
vision, the greater will be your enthusiasm and motivation for achieving it.
“It takes someone with a vision Vision is easy once you attach it to your Roles and Values. Visions connected to the
core personal values you wrote down in the previous Chapter will generate the greatest
of the possibilities to attain new source of power, passion and purpose within you. Living your best life ever means going
after all that life has to offer—by first defining and then achieving—the most ideal,
desirable and valuable visions possible for each area of your life.
levels of experience. Someone

with the courage to live his or “Far away there in the sunshine are my highest
aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look
her dreams.” up and see their beauty, believe in them,
and try to follow where they lead.”
— Les Brown
— Louisa May Alcott
Simply put, your vision is what you want to SEE happen. It is how you SEE your values
being lived. It includes all your dreams, wishes, hopes and aspirations. It includes all those
things you’ve always wanted to be, do or have in your life —the if-only’s… the wouldn’t it
be great if… the somedays… when the time is right I’ll… wouldn’t it be great if… I’ve
always wanted… if there were no limits… if money was no object…

Without a VISION, you have no DIRECTION.


Which is why Vision is such a critical component to your success. While it might be
nothing more than a fleeting idea, you will have direction once you establish a Vision and a
Role for achieving that vision.

SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 89
No Vision, No Direction. Your VISION Is Your Guide...
You were born to take your Someday Dreams out of your heart and head and turn them The key is to see a precise picture of your vision with enough detail to describe it to
into specific real world targets... thereby giving you the motivation to set specific goals for others with clarity. Then, not only will you know what you want, you will be able to
their accomplishment. visualize the “who, when and where” that will bring your vision to life. You will also be
When you lack a positive vision for your how your life should or could turn out, your able to see how and where this vision will affect the other areas of your life. With this
roles and your results tend to happen to you, instead of being created by you. More often highly-compelling picture as your guide, it will be easy to stay focused on your long-term
than not, you have a tough time coming up with a single goal you want to achieve—which dreams. Knowing where you are going, you will make fewer detours, not to mention
means there is no obvious reason to make definitive plans. mistakes, as you progress toward the achievement of your most desirable visions.
With no ideal outcome in sight, you tend to minimize your involvement and only half- Your “Someday I Will” Exercises...
heartedly do whatever seems necessary to keep you in the role. With no positive objective
So what does the next 15 years hold for you? What could it look like if you were
to achieve, most of your goals are created to avoid a negative situation or condition instead
willing to be the movie director of your own life’s story? What story would you write? If
of to gain a desirable outcome. As a result, the more you succeed in getting away from
you could picture anything you wanted for your life, if you could dream any action you
what you dislike, the less motivated you are to continue. Thus, you tend to run out of
would take, if you could contribute your heart’s work, what would that be?
interest, and your efforts tend to languish away.
Seeing is what vision is all about. Let’s see what you can do with some “imagination
On the other hand, once you have filled in the details for a highly desirable vision,
on paper” in the exercises that follow in the Vision Exercises.
you have an obvious reason—and a dedicated purpose—for performing at your best.
Keeping your eye on the prize, hard work is not a hardship, because there’s a huge reward Quiet your mind and think with your heart.
waiting at the end. Obstacles and difficulties are overcome without complaint, because
Please take an hour or so to close off the outside world. Review the list of your top 10
you’re willing to go the extra mile to achieve your vision. You become highly motivated
Values from the previous exercise—the words that represent those things you care most
and inspired to do whatever it takes to achieve your ideal vision for a life well-lived.
about. Write them down here:
Picture Your Next 15 Years ______________________________________________________________
Think about the next 15 years of your life. Fifteen years are going to come, and they ______________________________________________________________
are going to go. Day after day. Year after year, your life is going to be spent doing one thing ______________________________________________________________
or another. That’s a straight fact. That’s reality. And when it’s gone, you’re never going to
get even one moment of your precious time back. ______________________________________________________________
The truth is, if you don’t purposely put your dreams into your life, starting right now,
they aren’t going to show up in your next 15 years all by themselves. Nope. Not going to Look at your VALUES. This list is what you have declared to be MOST important to
happen. You’re just not that lucky. None of us are. You know it’s true—don’t you? you—what you want to LIVE each day you are alive.
Instead, your next 15 years will probably get filled up with an average collection of Now, look deep within yourself to where your dreams and visions reside. Quiet that
what your last 15 years were like, won’t they? Mediocre results are quite possible, getting inner-voice that challenges the “rationality” of what you want. Let your VALUES be your
by may be easy enough. But please give this the thought it deserves —how likely is it that inspiration, and give yourself permission to look way out into the future to a magical
you will actually live your best 15 years if you never have a clear description of what that date—a date that doesn’t even appear on your calendar: Someday.
means in real world terms and pictures? Once again, not likely, not going to happen. Not
until you can at least PICTURE what it is that you want. Promise yourself that Someday... you will live your destiny.
The act of visioning starts with sketching in something that doesn’t yet exist. There’s
no way a vague or ill-defined dream can ever become a reality. It needs real-world Please answer the following prompts without holding anything back. There are no
specifications before you can create it. Until you identify at least some of the details of limitations. Don't be afraid to think really big. Don’t worry about the “how.” We will help
your vision, you can’t even get started. And while you’re at it, as long as you’re the author, you with the “how” as soon as you have clearly defined the “what” and the “why.” We can
why not make the details as colorful, glorious, lavish and highly compelling as possible. say this with complete confidence because there are nine more Colors in the Time Prism
Once you paint a vivid picture of your vision, it’s easier to see how to achieve it. to give you the power to achieve the “how.” Take your time, have fun and please fill in as
many of these questions as possible!

The test is to ask yourself “Will this VISION give me what I VALUE MOST?”

90 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 91


My Visions, Values and My Limited Time... Things that I would like to see come true:
Achieving dreams takes time and effort. Before you go off in pursuit of a vision, make (Examples: Financial independence …A time when I can choose my work based
sure that it will cause you to achieve, or at least compliment those things in your life that solely on my desire to perform the work…Building my own home)
you value most.
• _________________________________________________________________
For the purpose of this Vision Exercise, step back look at what’s really most desirable
and let's identify the larger categories of things that are really important to you.
• _________________________________________________________________
Please list your answers to the following prompts...
• _________________________________________________________________
Things/ideas/people/events/ that are very important to me:
(Examples: My religion…My family…My investments…My friends…My vacations
to the wilderness of Alaska…Being in top physical condition…Opportunity to create)
Things I must have to be happy/satisfied/content/fulfilled:
• ________________________________________________________________ (Examples: My children must have positive lives.…I must have enough money to pay
for all my expenses…I must have friends who I can feel truly comfortable with)
• ________________________________________________________________
• _________________________________________________________________
• ________________________________________________________________
• _________________________________________________________________

• _________________________________________________________________
Things that have a high priority in my life:
(Examples: My religion…My family…My career…Skiing)
• ________________________________________________________________ Things I must make happen to be happy/satisfied/content/fulfilled:
(Examples: I must be a success in my career…I must complete the research for my
• ________________________________________________________________ new book …I must make sure that my company will succeed even without me)

• ________________________________________________________________ • _________________________________________________________________

• _________________________________________________________________
Things that I would love to have more in my life:
• _________________________________________________________________
(Examples: More time to travel…More laughter…More time to read…More
appreciation from my family for what I do for them)
• ________________________________________________________________ Things I couldn't live without:
(Examples: Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream…Friends…Good health)
• ________________________________________________________________
• _________________________________________________________________
• ________________________________________________________________
• _________________________________________________________________

• _________________________________________________________________

114 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 115


Things that I value most about me: Now go back through your list of Someday Dreams, the positive alternatives of your
(Examples: Trustworthiness…Good Humor…Integrity…Caring for others) Major Concerns, your Major Interests and Roles and compare those positive visions of
your future with this new list of items that are most important to you.
• ________________________________________________________________
Rule out those visions that are in direct conflict with your Values, and question if you
should keep those that do not produce maximum value in your life.
• ________________________________________________________________
Finally, go back through all of the visions that you identified for all your Someday
Dreams, the positive alternatives to your Major Concerns, your Major Interests and Roles
• ________________________________________________________________
and give yourself permission to go from a good vision to a GREAT vision!
You're the one making up a better life, why not create a fantastic life?!
Things I value most about others: See if there is any way you can stretch your idea to make it bigger, more desirable,
more compelling. Write in new details to each vision that make it more inspiring—more
(Examples: Positive attitudes…Honesty…Willingness to be open to new ideas)
colorful, fulfilling, enjoyable, and/or more desirable to you personally.
• ________________________________________________________________

• ________________________________________________________________ "I noticed an almost universal trait among Super Achievers,


and it was what I call Sensory Goal Vision. These people
• ________________________________________________________________ knew what they wanted out of life, and they could sense it
multi-dimensionally before they ever had it. They could not
Things that make me feel good and be happy: only see it, but also taste it, smell it, and imagine the
(Examples: Intelligent, philosophical debates…Music…Participating in team sports) sounds and emotions associated with it. They pre-lived it
• ________________________________________________________________ before they had it. And the sharp, sensory vision became a
powerful driving force in their lives."
• ________________________________________________________________
— Stephen Devore
• ________________________________________________________________
Each of your dreams can be looked at as your gifts...
Gifts that you want to give to yourself, to those you love and/or to the world
in general.
An important note. What you have now is a clear VISION for what you want to SEE
made real over the next 1, 5, 10, 15 years.
Please do not confuse this with having GOALS. Where VISION is born from your
imagination, Goals are born from a PROMISE.

The work you have now completed will serve you well
as you move from Mission to Goals. But remember,
Success On Purpose is all about the MISSION!

116 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 117


You Can Now SEE What You Want...
Great News!
For those of you who have taken the full 100 question TQ Test, now that you have As we move on to the last of our three variables in the creation of a natural mission,
completed this “Vision Exercise”, you can rate yourself a perfect 10 on the following 2 you must realize by now that these are gifts that are still in the clouds, in the gift
Factors—adding 2 more points to your total TQ Score! catalogues, in the unpublished drafts of your life story.

With the 4 points you gained from the last Chapter, and the 2 you now have, your
TQ has improved a whopping 6 points! We are well on our way to an immediate 20 “The best job goes to the person who can get it done without
boost in your Score... and a tremendous shift in your power to achieve the results you
want, and the success you desire! passing the buck or coming back with excuses.”

Mission Factor 2E: — Napoleon Hill


“I maintain a highly compelling vision of how the perfect world
would look for each of my interests and roles.”
A vision is a picture of the perfect future you want to create. The more compelling Now all you need is to make someone responsible for turning these imaginary visions
and desirable the vision, the greater will be your enthusiasm and motivation for into reality. Some one who cares more about these dreams coming true than anyone else.
achieving it. Visions connected to core personal values generate the greatest source of
power, passion and purpose. Go after all that life has to offer by creating the most That person is YOU! You must be the one, because no
valuable, ideal, desirable and admirable vision possible for each area of your life.
one else cares as much as you. To move these visions out
Mission Factor 2F:
“I can describe each of my visions in clear and colorful detail.” of the clouds and into your life, you must connect each
The act of creation starts with defining something that does not yet exist. There’s no and every dream of yours to a role that you can play to
way a vague or ill-defined dream can ever become a reality. It needs real-world
specifications before you can create it. Until you identify at least some of the details of make them come true.
your vision, you can’t even get started. As long as you’re the author, why not make the
details as colorful, glorious, lavish and highly compelling as possible. Once you paint a Now, let’s make it happen!
vivid picture of your vision, it’s easier to see how to achieve it.

Go to THINKTQ.COM/ACTUAL to update your Mission Color now.

118 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 119


my roles
ROL ES
Chapter 7 My Roles
Empowering ROLES are what make your Visions REAL.
A Thought: Now that you have completed the Values and Vision Exercises, you can SEE—truly
see—a future filled with what you value most. Now for the interesting questions.

“I studied the lives of great “How are you going to make these visions real?”
How are you going to create the future of your dreams? How are you going to live
men and famous women, and I your values? What’s missing right now from making your Vision real? What’s missing from
transforming your Vision into wonderful memories of your best life ever?"
Put directly, you must create an empowering ROLE that will put you in a position to
found that the men and make those visions real—and give you an opportunity to live your values.

women who got to the top


"Many people flounder about in life because they do not
were those who did the jobs have a purpose, an objective toward which to work.”

they had in hand, with every- — George Halas


Roles are the various parts you play in every area of your life. They are the hats you
thing they had of energy and wear as you go through your day. Your roles include your occupation, your friendships and
family relationships, your team memberships, your hobbies. It could be said that every
time you are actively participating in life, you are doing so in one role or another.
enthusiasm and hard work.” Your roles in life are all important. Each should contain what you value most. Each
must be given full authority to do what it takes to live your values... not just talk about
them... or just keep them neatly on a list in your drawer.
—Harry S. Truman
Roles are the WHO you will be while pursuing your Natural Mission. They dictate
how you will act, what you will do, what your authority is, what your responsibility is, what
your relationship is with the other players.

Most importantly, they establish what is expected of you... by you.

SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 121


First, Your Current Roles Creating A New Role
You were born into some roles. Some roles have been imposed on you over time. The purpose of creating or accepting a new role is to give you the opportunity, and the
Most of your roles, you have voluntarily created with your own free will. responsibility, for achieving a project, goal, dream or vision that is important to you.
Regardless of how you got there, every role you’re in right now deserves your absolute Dreams and goals are wonderful expressions of what you want, but they are nothing except
best performance. It’s either that or get out. As we say, there are just three rules for Roles: just some fancy “wouldn’t it be nice” ideas until a Role is created to make them real.

1. Get in cautiously. 2. Give it all you’ve got. 3. Get out gracefully. This is why, from a performance perspective, creating
empowering ROLES is your Primary Purpose in life.
The point is, if you aren’t committing 100% of yourself to every role that you are in,
you are wasting your life—and short-changing those whom you are associated with by You might have a grand Vision—perhaps even put there specifically by God
delivering less than maximum involvement. Himself—but until you create a Role that is BIG ENOUGH for you to pursue the vision,
nothing will happen. Why?
However, when you do commit 110% to every role you’re in —meaning every thing
you do—you will get back more than you ever expected. Each day will be a passionate Because nothing is going to make that vision real until you take charge!
display of full-on effort and enjoyment as you do your best to produce the most ideal
Here’s a real-world example. We at ThinkTQ.com have a project that we have been
results possible out of every role and in every situation. Work or fun, each day will be a
talking about for a year or more. It will save people’s lives. The vision for this project is
highly rewarding day—a great day—maybe your best day... every day!
not only enormous, but world-changing. It contains eight of my top ten personal values,
and seven of Kent’s. It will take a tremendous development effort over a three-year period.
It will take millions of dollars. Big Vision. Lots of what we Value is contained in the Vision.
“I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.
I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.” But...
We have yet to create and empower a Role that we believe will give us purpose-driven
— Mother Teresa success. Thus, we have yet to take any action. No movement. Why?
Why would we permit a huge opportunity to just sit? Because we take our Roles very
How do you do this? Where would this passion and mission come from? Every role—
seriously. The simple truth of the matter is that, at this time, we can not clearly define a
every part you play—must have its own dedicated Vision. Define what’s most important to
role that we are willing to assume to make this vision a success. Given the number of roles
you in each role and make that your vision for the role. Work toward the most desirable,
that we have already committed to, collectively, Kent and I don’t have the power—in time
enjoyable, compelling, inspiring and rewarding vision that you can imagine, and that vision
or mindshare—to commit to the activities required to achieve this vision.
will provide more than enough drive for you to put forth your best efforts within the role.
Right now, we simply do not have the power to take on any Role connected with this
Every Role Deserves Its Highest Destiny. exciting new project. If we proceeded right now, the project would most likely fail,
Every role—every part you play—deserves to be played to its fullest. Why have a because we would have failed to actually empower the Role. Taking on a Role without
role that produces only minimal benefit when you could define a vision for what’s most sufficient power to achieve the vision is the first step towards failure.
important to you within that role, and make that your mission for the role. If you’re going
There is no Mission. Yet.
to play the part, why limit it to some mediocre result, some meaningless level of just
getting by? It could be argued that we are smart to not “bite off more than we can chew.” It could
also be postulated that the reason we will take action only when we have a clearly stated
If you’ll look back over your current roles, I’m sure you’ll find that you almost never
ROLE that we can apply our power to, is that we are smart enough to recognize that a
overshoot your goals. (Unless, of course, your TQ is in the high 90’s!) Rarely do you ever
Natural Mission has not yet formed for this project. With no Natural Mission, there is no
produce more than you set out to do. Realize that without a compelling vision for a role,
reason to perform... no reason to set goals... or make plans... or prioritize our actions... or
not only do you not have a passionate mission, but in the end, you will only perform up
organize and optimize our time—as it relates to this new vision.
to the minimum level of what is expected of you.
The MISSION, as grand and rewarding as this VISION is, has not yet formed. There
Instead of a half-hearted attempt, why not empower a vision that will lead you to
is no clear direction for what we should do next because we have not actually created a
greatness? One that will give you every reason for performing at your absolute best.
mission to passionately pursue. Why? Because as of yet, we have not created a specific
Aspire for greatness and set your sights on being the best dad or mom on the planet, the
ROLE that we can positively, passionately pour our heart and souls into.
best employee in your company, or the best insurance agent in Des Moines, Iowa.

122 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 123


You must play your part. So Choose Your Roles Wisely.
To make a difference in your life, you have to empower a role with sufficient authority For example, let’s say one of your greatest visions is to help cure cancer. Right down
to start moving in the direction of the vision. Absent a role, there is NO performance. It to your very fabric of being, this VISION contains everything you VALUE most in life. You
is that simple. obviously have a vision aligned with your values. Now all that needs to be determined is
You can want success. You can pray for success. You can hope for the best life ever. what ROLE you will play in making the vision real.
But until you take the first step—to create an EMPOWERING ROLE for yourself, one — You can take on the role of supporter and simply write a nice check to the
that will make you fully responsible for achieving that dream, goal or aspiration—you will American Cancer Society.
remain on the outside looking in. You will be passively sitting on the sidelines, — You can become the local fund raiser for The Race for the Cure.
complaining about not getting anywhere in your life.
— You can become the Regional Coordinator for Experimental Medicine at Eli Lilly.
However, create a ROLE that contains your core personal VALUES, and your
— Or, if your gifts and talents are up to the task, you could become the chief research
VISION can now be realized in the “real” world. You will become naturally motivated,
doctor of our time—the Jonas Salk of cancer.
because the vision contains your most important values. You will start performing in that
role. You will eagerly jump to take action—moving enthusiastically toward specific daily, If this is something you care deeply about, it is very important that you find a way to
weekly and long-term goals—all set directly in the direction of your dreams. And you will become an active participant in making this dream come true. The key is to decide on the
be actively engaged to be and do your best; once you create and accept the role you’re right role for you—given your time and talents—that will permit you to live your values
going to play to achieve your vision. and make the contribution—as it relates to curing cancer.

What if you never take an active role? Fully Power up the Role...
You know this answer already. It may be where you are right now. Resigned to your Having said that, you also need to realize that you can grow to greatness. You can
fate, waiting for that chance that never quite seems to show up, which means that your EXPAND your role. This means that you can stretch the Roles leg of your Mission
dreams never show up on their own either. Instead, you might think it sufficient to just triangle, if you want it badly enough, by committing to doing whatever it takes to turn up
talk about your dreams and spend time thinking about how great life would be if they were your POWER—to gain the skills or resources required to achieve this vision even
realized. However, by never getting around to clearly identifying the qualities you will though... it may be well beyond any thing you have done before.
portray—or the activities you will perform to make them come true—your dreams will
never come any closer to becoming real than they were five or ten years ago.
"Be the change you want to see in the world."
Realize your dreams now.
Nothing is more powerful than clearly identifying the contribution you will make to — Mahatma Gandhi.
guarantee that each of your visions will come true. This is your promise for what you will
give to your role. What you will stand up and be counted on to do. Each mission you create, should you choose to accept it, becomes your job and a huge
part of your life. Each Role becomes one more reason why you are here. You are most
When you promise yourself, “This is what I will do,” you define the roles that will useful to yourself and others when you are an active participant in this crazy game of life,
make the biggest difference in your life. Therefore, always look for the BIGGEST and enthusiastically contributing your best to a worthy cause.
most VALUABLE part you can play to achieve each dream.
If, for example, you think that saving the preble’s meadow jumping mouse from
Like any good casting director in an upcoming movie, you also need to be smart extinction is important, then it should be your job—and protecting that little mouse is one
enough to make sure that your personality, current skill level and God-given talents of the reasons why you are here.
are a match for the types of activities that you will be required to perform.
If you believe that your daughter will do best in life if she has a college education,
then taking an active role in making that happen is your duty.
"The great accomplishments of man have resulted from the If you have always dreamed of spending a summer in Paris learning to paint, then
transmission of ideas, into enthusiasm, into actions." your purpose in life includes finding a way to Paris in the Springtime.
If you just love to sing, but you know you can’t make any money in it, it is your
— Thomas J. Vilord obligation to be true to yourself and find a place where you can sing—even if it turns out
to be a rather minor role in your life.

124 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 125


If you truly believe, way deep down in your heart, that children in Africa should all Your Roles Exercise…
have safe drinking water, then it is absolutely essential that you find the most influential Please fill in the following lists of Roles you are currently in:
role you can play in being a part of that solution—rather than just sit there feeling bad
about the problem. FAMILY AND FRIEND ROLES:
If you believe that the most important thing you can do for your spiritual progression (Example: Son, daughter, sister, brother, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, uncle)
is to become a Buddhist monk—sitting in absolute silence for the next three years, Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
praying for world peace—then that’s the role you must assume to live your best life now. Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
These are your dreams. It is your responsibility as a human being to make these Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
dreams your MISSION. You need to promise yourself that somehow, someway, you will Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
acquire the power to push these grand ideas out of your heart and head and into the real
Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
world. If you don’t take an active ROLE, they will remain on your someday list forever.
Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
Roles are Critical To Living Your Life on Purpose Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
It is impossible to develop a strong sense of purpose and mission without an absolute, Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
unconditional commitment to a given Role. After all, if you have no idea WHO you are,
it makes little difference WHAT you do or HOW you do it. OCCUPATIONAL ROLES:
The unvarnished truth is, that until you know WHO you are—and what you are (Example: professor, mechanic, small business owner, salesperson, manager, CFO)
willing to be held accountable for—it is not possible to fully power up your performance. Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
However, when you give your heart to a role, you have a high probability of success— Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
simply because your vision, values and roles are in congruence. You know what you want. Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
You know what it will give you and you know what you will do to get it. Nothing is going Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
to stop you now.
Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
Until you take an active ROLE, you have no Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
POWER to realize your dreams. Period.
Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
Take a moment to think about all the different Roles you play right now. Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
• What is your dominant Role?
• Is it a career role or a family role? RECREATIONAL ROLES:
• Is your role the primary caregiver to your family, or are you (Example: Poker player, choir member, golfer, hiker, movie fan, mystery book reader,
the CEO of a small business? spiritual scholar, world traveler, history student, volunteer, community leader)
• Are you a struggling entrepreneur or a captain of industry? Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
Every major interest and role in your life deserves your Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
attention. Sustained success comes from nurturing and
Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
caring for each and every role—not just one or two. Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
Each of your most important roles deserves a vision, a goal and a plan of attack. This
Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
next exercise is your chance to identify your key roles.
Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
Instructions: Once you have identified each role, reflect on how big an impact your
Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
current Visions and Values has on your passion and enthusiasm for the role. From pages
84-85, what Natural Strength do you bring to the Role? Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%

126 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 127


Now list Roles that you would like to create for yourself: What the big WHY of your key Roles?
These come from your visions, dreams, hopes and wishes. Each role we take on has to give us something of value: Good vibes, a thank you, a
(Example: 5th Level Ninja Master, Ferrari Spider owner, self-employed, homeowner, vacation smile, a word of appreciation. It can be as subtle as “I know I made a difference” or a
home owner, gardener, wife, philanthropist, retired, best friend, independently wealthy, pet warm, knowing feeling that you changed someone or something for the better. This is true
owner, executive, Congressman, senior analyst, inventor, song writer, actor, millionaire, health whether it’s a job, a position, a career choice, a friendship, a committee or a family matter.
expert, stock broker, college graduate, mother, church leader, marathoner, orphanage founder.) Nothing is more rewarding than being in the right role for the right reason.
Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___% More Great News!

Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________ For those of you who have taken the full TQ Test, now that you have completed
Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___% this “Roles Exercise”, you can rate yourself a 10 on the following 2 Factors—adding
2 more points to your total TQ Score! With the 6 points you gained from the previous
Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
Chapters, and the 2 you now have, your TQ has improved a whopping 8 points! We are
Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
well on our way to an immediate 20 boost in your Score... and a tremendous shift in
Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________ your power to achieve the results you want and the success you desire!
Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________ Mission Factor 2D:
Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___% “I maintain a current list of the most
important interests and roles in my life.”
Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________
Roles are the various parts you play in every area of your life. Every major interest
Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___%
and role in your life deserves your attention. Sustained success comes from nurturing and
Role_________________________ Natural Strengths___________________ caring for each and every role—not just one or two. You track your income and expenses,
Role aligns w/Values? Y / N, Compelling vision for Role? Y / N, Committed to Role ___% why not track your heart’s desire? Each of your most important interests and roles
deserves a dream, a goal, a plan and an action. Keep a list for each one so you can track
What do you expect to get from, and give to each role?
its current status—and the value it adds to your life.
Look at the Roles you have just listed. Each should be important to you—containing
what you truly value—or you should consider getting the heck out of the role—gracefully, Mission Factor 2G:
of course. This means with integrity and responsibility. “I can clearly articulate the qualities I will portray and the
If you are in a role that contains little of what you value, or provides little intrinsic part I will contribute to make each of my dreams come true.”
motivation for you to perform up to your full potential, you must either find value—or find Every role—every part you play—deserves its own dedicated mission. Define what’s
a way out. Being locked inside an unrewarding role always leads to unhappiness, stress most important to you in each role and make that your mission for the role. Nothing is
and misery. more powerful than clearly identifying the contribution you will make to guarantee that
There is no greater time waster—or disservice to you or others—than to stay in a role each of your visions will come true. When you promise yourself, "This is what I will do,"
for which there is little of what you value in it. Nothing is more debilitating and you define the roles that will make the biggest difference in your life.
destructive than being in a role with no sense of interest, reason or purpose.
Go to THINKTQ.COM/ACTUAL to update your Mission Color now.
Is there enough of what you truly value in each of your roles to continue them?
Engaging in powerful, positive roles is a sure cause of happiness, enthusiasm and “Not the maker of plans and promises, but rather
success. When a role contains your deepest values, you are constantly moving toward a
life filled with what’s most important to you. the one who offers faithful service in small matters.
You live your best life now, because you are in a role that expresses your most heart- This is the person who is most likely to achieve
felt values. You are passionately pursuing your mission because it has set you on a what is good and lasting.”
journey to achieve your most important visions.
—Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

128 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 129


my purpose
M Y L I F E
Chapter 8 My Purpose, My Life:
A life of purpose and possibility.
On Possibilities: We have covered a tremendous amount of material—some would say a life-time of
material—in the last three Chapters. Now, we will pull it all together!
Please take a moment to gather up your short list of VALUES, your most desirable
“We all have possibilities Someday VISIONS, and your entire list of ROLES. You have just isolated the key
variables that will provide fantastic meaning in your life. All that remains is for you to
we don't know about. assemble these variables into incredibly inspiring Personal Missions.

We can do things we don't "God gets you to the plate, but once you’re there,
you're on your own."
even dream we can do.
— Ted Williams
We have made the process easy! Simply fill in the blanks on the Mission Triangles
—Dale Carnegie
on the following pages. Begin by entering each of your top three most important ROLES
in the first three Mission Triangles. Then fill in your VISIONS and VALUES for each
Role.
When stating your MISSION, use the least number of words possible and be sure to
write it as an action—starting with a VERB (Write, build, produce, create, make, perform,
help, teach, invent, promote... etc.)
Next, pick out three of your most desired Someday Dreams and enter those in the
VISION blanks in the following three Mission Triangles. Once your Vision is written in,
fill in the remaining blanks for each triangle. As a reminder, you can always create a role
you’re not in yet.
Finally, on the last three Mission Triangles, write your list of VALUES under each
Mission Triangle and fill in the remaining blanks for the role you will play and the real
world vision you will achieve to live these Values.

SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 131


Start with Your Top Three Most Important Roles... Or, start with Your Top Three Most Desired Someday Dreams...

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132 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 133


Or, start with Your Top Three Most Important Values... Create and Empower the BIGGEST Role You Can Play In Your Life...
The Missions that you just created are now your life’s work. They are meaningful and
MOTIVATING, because they contain that which you value more than anything else.

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They are INSPIRING because you have written in the most desirable dream possible

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for each. They are full of hope and POSSIBILITY because you have created a specific role

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for yourself to play in being fully responsible in making each of them come true.

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need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe
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_______________ everything will work out for the best in the end.

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So what is there to worry about.”
Vis

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Values __________________________ — Henry Ford


As you look at your life’s purpose, please understand that by creating these future
expectations, you have just established the least that you are willing to accept in life.
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Paradoxically, you have also just created


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the highest you are willing to shoot for.


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If you feel that you have created a mission that is not important enough to spend your
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precious time on, now is the time to erase it off the page, and write in a new more
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Mission
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inspiring, more valuable use of your limited time.


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Of the missions remaining, go back one last time and first


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on

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imagine, then expand each leg of every Mission until


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Values __________________________
you have increased the size of each mission to the highest
level you are willing to attempt.
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Keep in mind that this is your only life. This is your opportunity to make sure that
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what you are willing to accept in terms of the missions you have created for yourself are
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worthy of the only life you have.


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Know that you can create as many Mission Triangles as you want, and you can
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achieve as many as you have the personal power to pursue. Ideally, you now have a well
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Mission defined mission, and thereby a deeply felt meaning for each major interest and role in
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your life. If so...


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You Have Now Clarified Your Purpose...


on

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With the benefit of the work you have just completed, your PRIME PURPOSE is
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now clear. Your PURPOSE from this moment on is to fully EMPOWER each of the
ROLES you have identified—so that you will actually achieve each of your most
Values __________________________
important MISSIONS!
134 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 135
Example of Someone’s Circle of Purpose Now Fill in Your Circle of Purpose
with Mission Triangles All Filled In. with Your Mission Triangles

(NOTE: You may include as many Mission Triangles as you like.


Download this form at: ThinkTQ.com/Downloads)

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Raise Positive, _______________

ds

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Loving and _______________

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le

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Kind Childrem _______________

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gh

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Loy

en
sb

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au

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an

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&
y/L

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Values Love, Generosity., Family

se
Values __________________________
pp

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Mission: Mission: Mission Mission
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ny

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Make Inspire & _______________ _______________
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Wife Entertain those _______________ _______________

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Laugh Close to Me. _______________ _______________
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Values Supportive, Giving, Honor Values Comraderie, Play, Caring Values __________________________ Values __________________________

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/yr

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Mission: Mission: Mission Mission
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Help 35 Families Study and live _______________ _______________


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Move This Year One World _______________ _______________

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Religion each year _______________ _______________
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Values Competency, Financial, Freedom Values Spirituality, Learning, Growth Values __________________________ Values __________________________

“A person's proximity to God is measured


by his compassion toward his fellow man.”

— Rabbi Samuel Belkin

136 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 137


A brief discussion of Time...

TIME On the following page you will find a 15-year Timeline calendar. This is a “sneak
preview”—a look ahead—at your next 15 years.
Before concluding our discussion, and moving you on to the last Chapter—Success On Please review it closely. At the top of the form is a place for you to write in your top
Purpose—there is one important variable in your formula for success that we have not 10 Values from your Values Exercise. This is important, why? So that you can connect
broached: Time. your dreams and visions to what you value most of course!
Actually, Time is not a variable at all. It is a constant.You have no power over Time. Remember, the objective is to LIVE what you VALUE most. This is the WHEN.
You have no control over Time. You cannot change the passing of Time any more than you
can hold back the waves crashing upon the shore. Time is eternal. It is also important—
very important to recognize this up-front as we are talking about the achievement of your “Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed, and
various Missions in life.
in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace
The fact is, Time is your life. Recognize this as the great equalizer—the final arbitrator
of what you will accomplish while you are here on Earth. with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a
™ different drummer. Let him step to the music which he

TQ =
RESULTS
TIME
As you will recall from our discussion of TQ in Chapter 1, your Time Quotient is a
hears, however measured and far away. It is not important
that he should mature as soon as an apple tree or an oak.”

— Henry David Thoreau


measurement of your POWER to produce RESULTS over TIME. Your TQ measures your At the bottom of the form, write in the age that you will be in each of the respective
ability to transform your hopes and dreams into crystal-clear Expectations... and to years from now to 15 years from now. For example, if you are 45 in 2007, then start with
subsequently Execute in such fashion that you actually ACHIEVE the Results Expected. 45, 46, 47, etc.
On page 136 is your list of Missions, all precisely written as statements of pure intent. In the left column, there is a place for you to jot down all of your different Missions
This is what you INTEND to accomplish. The question now turns to WHEN? from top to bottom... from MOST important to least important. Simply look at your Mission
Your missions are the EXPECTED Big R’s in your life—the Big Results that will Triangles on page 136 and transpose each here.
make you happy, proud, satisfied, and fulfilled. By your definition, these are the activities Now, think seriously about how much TIME will be required for you to achieve your
and expected Results that will give your life meaning and purpose. Missions. Small dreams and goals can usually be accomplished in short order. However,
if you have huge, World-changing dreams and visions—visions that may spawn entirely
MISSIONS
PURPOSE =
LIFETIME
new MISSIONS of their own—TIME will be a major factor. Give this some thought as your
move your perfectly triangulated Missions onto this, your field of battle.
Finally, draw an arrow from that point in time that you will START each Mission
through the number of year(s) that you EXPECT it will take to ACCOMPLISH
But to achieve your various Missions... to actually transform INTENT into REALITY the Mission.
will require the expenditure of Time... and a tremendous amount of Energy. Now that we
have the “Who,” “What” and “Why,” let’s now declare the “When.” You now have the Big Picture of your life...
Once you have completed your personal, My Purpose—My Life form, you will see—
laid out right in front of you on one single page—your future life’s story—authored by you.
“Time is nature’s way of keeping everything
Your path, your life, your destiny is stretched out across this one large block of Time
from happening at once.” from Today across the next 15 years of Time. You now have your best life laid out in front
of you, waiting for YOU to make it real.
— Author Unknown

138 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 139


140
My Purpose—My Life
My Values: ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Love, Generosity, Family, Comraderie, Play, Caring, $ Freedom, Giving, Spriituality, Learning, Growth

My Missions:
a.
Live Spiritual
Life
b.Make Wife
Laugh

SUCCESS ON PURPOSE
Raise Loving
c.
Kids

d. Financial
Independ.

e.
Inspire
Friends
Promote Per
f.
Growth
Travel the
g.
World
Example of Someone’s MY PURPOSE-MY LIFE 15-YEAR Timeline

h.
Manage Son’s
Music Biz
i. Optimum
Physical Fit.
Year: 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Age: ____
54 ____
55 ____
56 ____
57 ____
58 ____
59 ____
60 ____
61 ____
62 ____
63 ____
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65 ____
66 ____
67 ____
68 ____
69

My Purpose—My Life
My Values: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

My Missions:
a.

b.

c.

d.

e.
Now Fill in Your

f.

g.
MY PURPOSE-MY LIFE 15-YEAR HORIZON PAGE

h.
(Download the current form at: ThinkTQ.com/Downloads)

i.
SUCCESS ON PURPOSE

Year: 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Age: ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
141
One final point on Purpose...
More Great News!
So that there is absolutely no confusion at this point, let’s review the big concepts we Please allow yourself the freedom to appreciate the fantastic possibility of your
covered over the last 140 pages: future life’s story and feel how incredible it will be to achieve these dreams and visions
1. Your PURPOSE in life is to create empowering ROLES so that you can achieve that came from your heart and soul. You have done a fantastic amount of important
your Visions and live your Values. You now have a strong sense of Purpose. work—work that will pay huge dividends over the next 1, 5, 10, 15 years!
You know your Roles, and have an exciting VISION for each. For those of you who have taken the full TQ Test, now that you have completed this
2. Your MISSION is to achieve your most heart-felt VISIONS... to do what it “Mission Exercise”, you can rate yourself a 10 on the following 2 Factors—adding 2
takes to make your Vision real. That’s your Mission, and you are on it. more points to your total TQ Score! With the 8 points you gained from the previous
3. Your DIRECTION is now set in TIME. You need to move from the Chapters, and the 2 you now have, your TQ has improved an impressive 10 points! We
“here and now”, to the “there and then”. You now know the answer are well on our way to an immediate 20 point boost in your Score... and a tremendous
to the WHEN, WHERE and WHY questions. shift in your power to achieve the results you want and the success you desire!
4. Your SUCCESS is now assured—so long as you produce the Results Expected Mission Factor 2C:
over Time. This is a pure function of your TQ... your power to “I willingly trade the only life I have in pursuit of my personal mission.”
Execute up to Expectations. This POWER is now within your GRASP.
When you are working toward an ideal that comes from the heart, you are naturally
5. It is HIGH TQ PERFORMANCE over time that leads to the success you desire. motivated and driven to do your best. A thoughtfully-created, highly-desirable personal
All you must do now is extend your REACH—and Perform on Purpose. mission is guaranteed to make you highly focused, powerful and productive. Act from
6. Maintain high TQ Performance, and you will in fact become a Success your deepest values, and they will provide you with direction and satisfaction. Connect
On Purpose. Which was the entire point of getting you to this point! and recommit to your mission every day.

The key to success: Greater Results over Time... Mission Factor 2J:
No question, we filled in an amazing amount of detail over the last 140 pages, haven’t “I live each day as a testament to what I’ve declared to be most important in
we? You now have a series of crystal-clear future Expectations. All that is required for life.”
success beyond your wildest hopes and dreams is Brilliant Execution. A testament is something that provides tangible proof. The actions you take and the
Way back on page one I made the statement that the best advice I could give results you produce are living proof of what’s most important to you. The only evidence of
anyone—regardless of their calling in life—is just 4 words: whether you value something is if you make it a part of your life. There’s no getting
around this. For you to live your values, they have to show up somewhere other than a
framed mission statement on the wall. They deserve to be a part of the legacy of results
Expect More ~ Execute Better you leave behind at the end of each day.

Do you now understand the power within these four words? Do you get the connection
between your life, and what you must DO to live your best life—at every point in Time? “I think that a lot of women are made to feel that they
You have just built a fabulous foundation for true and lasting success. You are have not done the one thing that they were put on the
correctly positioned to take the next steps—turning your Missions into tangible GOALS... earth to do if they didn't do the normal thing, if they
converting those Goals into rock-solid PLANS... and applying powerful focus to transform
your Plans into a series of spectacular RESULTS. didn't take the most traveled path. And it's unfortunate.”

Just DO it! — Nanci Griffith

“Such as we are made of, such we be.”


Go to THINKTQ.COM/ACTUAL to update your Mission Color now.

— William Shakespeare

142 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 143


success
PUR on POSE
Chapter 9 Achieve Success on Purpose
By Performing on Purpose
An Inspiring Thought: We have covered an amazingamount of ground over the last 140 pages, haven’t we?!
Together, we have sliced through the mysteries of the word “Purpose,” giving you a firm
foundation upon which to create the life you intend to live.
“The riches of life—the love You have triangulated your most important Roles, Visions and Values. In so doing,
you have discovered your Natural Mission and established the Inherent Direction for the
and joy and exhilaration of rest of your life. Best of all, you are now a perfect 10 on your TQ Mission Color!

Now What? Living your Purpose... that’s what!


life— can be found only with The key Roles that you have just identified are the different parts you are going to
play in making your Visions real. They are where you will spend the vast majority of your
an upward look. precious time and energy in the years to come. These Roles will be the source of your
greatest satisfaction and meaning in life.

This is an exciting world. Its


“For what is the best choice, for each individual is the
cram-packed with opportunity. highest it is possible for him to achieve.”

Great moments wait around — Aristotle


By focusing on these Roles, and their associated Visions, you have determined what
every corner.” is truly important to you—and are now poised to take on the responsibility for making
your visions real.

—Richard M. DeVos The achievement of your top missions will ultimately be


the greatest contribution you can make to yourself, your
family, friends and to the world at large.
SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 145
You now KNOW your purpose... Is Failure An Option For Your Missions?
The achievement of your most important Visions... living your most important Doing what it takes to achieve your Vision means consistently performing up to the
Values... in a tremendously empowering Role is now your Primary Purpose for getting up task— INTENTIONALLY—at the highest level possible—every single day. This is the
each morning—and performing up to your full potential. full embodiment of what our book, The Power of TQ and 10 Choices of Intentional
As time goes on, you may discover that there are other things that are more important Excellence, is all about. It is what High TQ Performance means.
to you than what you have contemplated here. If so, that’s not a problem. Add them to your Taking actions consistent with your purpose is not only powerful—but empowering—
short list of missions—then prioritize your newly revised list to determine which of your permitting you to create the life you were intended to create. After all, how else are you
missions deserves the greatest amount of your limited time and resources. You are now an going to achieve what you set out to accomplish?
“expert” in the process. Simply work the process! When you perform up to expectations, you achieve the results expected. You are a
It makes no difference how you arrived at the individual variables within each of your purpose-driven success. Fail to meet expectations, what happens? Failure of the
missions—whether you believe you received a higher calling to be, do or have—or if each mission... failure to achieve the results desired or expected... failure of hope itself.
of your newly crafted missions was created entirely out of the work you have done in this If failure is not an option for you, you have one, and only one choice: To absolutely,
book. What matters now is that you are willing to accept the mission. positively COMMIT to doing everything you can to make sure that your mission succeeds.
You must PROMISE yourself that you will take ALL the actions necessary to live up to
It is now up to you to Perform On Purpose.
the challenge of each and every mission you create.
Now that you have answered the question, "What am I supposed to be doing with the
Good news! You can leave doubt, worry and confusion behind. You are now on a
rest of my life," it now begs you to answer the second most important question we
mission. Go achieve the mission! This, of course, takes what we call The Power of TQ
presented at the beginning of this book.
Your Purpose Establishes the need for Power.
"How in the world am I going to make this happen?" Every mission requires the expenditure of power. The bigger your mission, the more
power it will take. Again, this is a truth for which there are no exceptions.
What will it take to put each of your missions on the fast track to success? What will
you DO to guarantee that you will achieve the visions attached to each of your Roles? Once you understand the connection between your purpose and your performance,
our conversation turns inward. The new question you must answer is simply this, "Do I
If, by the way, you aren’t just a little concerned by the thought of what it will take to
have the power to make my dreams come true... or not?"
achieve your missions, you need to go back and create a more inspiring Vision of what
could be possible. After all, you will never know your true potential until you put it to the Do you have the power to achieve all of your missions within the time frame that you
test! Take Joel Osteen’s advice: Expand Your VISION! wrote down in your 15 year calendar? Will some just die on the vine, while others whither
away due to lack of neglect? Or will you supply the sustained power over time that it takes
It has been said that there are two great tragedies in life: to live your Values and achieve your Visions... in every Role you take on?
1. Not KNOWING your Purpose... As you will recall from our discussion of The Time Prism in Chapter 1, your success
potential is comprised of 10 separate, but equally important elements that drive the
2. Knowing your Purpose but not LIVING it. intensity of your performance. Given the level of work you have completed here in Success
On Purpose, the one thing we know for certain is that your Mission Color is now strong
To become a Success on Purpose—to achieve all your personal missions—will not
and vibrant —demanding the support of each of your other 9 Colors as well.
be easy. You will have to overcome all the hardships, obstacles, and difficulties that
naturally stand between you and success. No one else can, or will do this for you. Just as it takes all three variables of Roles, Vision and
You will be tested. No doubt, it will take all the POWER you can summon: Prayer,
meditation, inspiration, hard work... and as important... High TQ Performance.
Values to create a true Mission, it takes all 10 Colors of
Now that you have declared what you want, it’s up to you to make it happen. It’s time the Time Prism to guarantee the success of your Mission.
for you to step up and become an active participant in your life—to take the necessary Let’s do a quick TQ Power analysis to see which of your 10 Colors are strong and
actions to succeed at those things that you have declared to be vitally important to you. vibrant—giving you the sustained power to achieve your core missions—and which are
With High Expectations in place, you need to move on to the second half of the weak and faded—holding you back from the results you want and the success you desire.
equation for success: Brilliant Execution—a steady flow of powerful actions that serve to As you go through each Color, be honest with yourself. The question you need to
guarantee the successful outcome of your most cherished visions. answer is, do you have the sustained Color Power to achieve your mission?
146 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 147
Energy
Note. You may take the full 100 Question TQ Test online at
Mission any time by going to THINKTQ.COM/ACTUAL. There you
Attitude will automatically get a Color Chart showing your core
Set Goals
Make Plans strengths and limiting weaknesses. The test is free to all
Prioritize
Synergize registered users.
Organize
Optimize
Act Now
4. Set Goals is the fourth color because you can’t make the leap from here to your
vision all in one jump. You can’t just “DO” a mission. You need specific, tangible
For each Color, shade in your power level... milestones to give you immediate direction—which, one-after-the-other, lead to
1. Energy is the first color in the Time Prism Performance Spectrum because the even greater destinations. A mission without supporting goals is pure fantasy.
simple truth is, there are no dead peak performers. For even minimal With your top three Roles in mind, rate your ability to set clear Goals:
performance, you have to be, act and feel alive. If you don’t have the energy to do
whatever it takes—whenever required—you’ll never perform up to your true
potential. With your top three Roles in mind, rate your sustained Energy level:
5. Make Plans is the fifth color because a goal without a plan is merely a wish
without a hope. Once you’ve set a goal, you must immediately develop detailed
plans to accomplish it. You are most productive when you prepare for how and
2. Mission is the second color because, until you know what’s most important, when you’re going to take each step—well before you actually take them. With
you’re spending the only life you have on things that simply don’t matter. Lacking your top three Roles in mind, rate your ability to make rock-solid Plans:
direction and purpose, you are powerless to make a real difference in your life.
Since you completed the Vision, Values, Roles exercise, rate yourself a 10:

6. Prioritize is the sixth color because, even though you want to complete every
step of every plan, you can’t complete them all at the same time. Achieving your
3. Attitude is the third color because, even though you may have a passion for Personal Best each day means making conscious choices— deciding what can be
what’s most important, until you truly believe that you can make a real done now and what can wait until later. It’s having the self discipline to eliminate
difference—nothing is going to happen. Nothing is produced—nor even everything else temporarily—so you can focus on what’s most important right
attempted—until you believe in yourself enough to transform your passion into now. With your top three Roles in mind, rate your ability to remain focused on
action. To achieve Personal Excellence, your body, heart and mind must all your top Priorities each day:
enthusiastically say “YES!” With your top three Roles in mind, rate your your
overall Attitude:

What You Do...


Who You Are... Please take a moment to reflect on these three Colors. How brightly are they currently
Please take a moment to reflect on your first three Colors. How brightly are they burning? In a way, these Colors define WHAT you do—your ability to transform your
currently burning? In a way, these three Colors define WHO you are as a person—your various Missions into crystal-clear goals.. your ability to make rock-solid plans to support
physical strength and mental stamina... your sense of purpose and mission... and your those goals... and your ability to remain focused on the important, rather than be
demeanor, disposition and overall attitude towards life. Just for a reference point, add up consumed by the urgent each day.
these three Colors and write your number here: Just for a reference point, add up these three Colors and write your number here:

Your WHO Score = _________ Your WHAT Score = _________

148 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 149


The Big Question...
7. Synergize is the seventh color because, once your 24-hour day is filled up, the
only way you can become more productive, increase the quality and quantity of Look at your Colors. Now look at your life. Do you currently have the power to make
your results—or reduce the time required for accomplishing your goals—is your dreams real? ___ Yes or ___ No?
through the participation and contribution of other people. With your top three This, of course, is the question that we have been leading towards for the last 145
Roles in mind, rate your ability to create powerful interpersonal Synergy: pages, isn’t it? It is a life and death question. You will be spending the only life you have
to live in pursuit of your dreams and visions. What a waste of a perfectly good life if you
permit them to whither and die.

Bottom line, do you have the power to meet or exceed your expectations?
8. Organize is the eighth color because, after leveraging your results through By our way of thinking, your success comes down to just 3 things: WHO you are as
others, automating your tasks is the most productive thing you can do. To achieve a person... WHAT you do... and HOW you do things. Beyond that, there’s not much else
the results you want requires you to be as efficient and effective as possible. Even to talk about! Please take a moment to gather up your numbers and write them down here:
though you may be busier than ever before, you may be simply doing things the
hard way, or worse—just spinning your wheels, confusing effort with results! With Your WHO Score _________
your top three Roles in mind, rate your Organization skills: Your WHAT Score + _________

Your HOW Score + _________

My Total Power = _________


9. Optimize is the ninth color because the truth is, you already have all the Time
there is. There are exactly 1440 minutes in a day. To produce more of the Results The question becomes, what do you need to DO—starting right now—to generate the
you want, you’ll have to get more out of each minute you have. Nobody gets a power to virtually guarantee that you will in fact realize your visions for each of your key
second chance at the seconds they use—or the seconds they loose. With your roles? The cold hard truth is, if you do not have the power, your dreams will remain on the
top three Roles in mind, rate your clock management skills: page, dying a slow agonizing death from indifference and neglect.

How much power is enough?


If you have small visions... and are willing to play a small role in achieving them, then
all you need is a modest amount of power. Huge, complex, world-changing goals will
10. Act Now is the tenth color in the Time Prism Performance Spectrum because require a massive amount of power... applied over a sustained period of time.
nothing gets done without first getting started. Until you stop living life on hold—
Look at your Visions. Combined. Look at the size of your Roles. Combined. Now, on
nothing is going to happen. With your top three Roles in mind, rate your
a scale of 1 to 100, rate how much power you think you will need to guarantee success in
propensity to take sustained Action:
each of your roles—success being defined as achieving the Vision and living your Values.

The Size of My Missions = ______ vs. My Total Power = ______


Look at the relationship between the size of your combined Missions vs. your personal
How You Do Things... Power. If you currently have the Color Power, GREAT! You are to be commended! Go
Please take a moment to reflect on your last four Colors. How brightly are they achieve your Mission!
currently burning? In a way, these four Colors define HOW you do things—your ability
to build strong teams of people to help you achieve your visions... your organizational What can you do to turn up your Power starting right now?
abilities... your time management skills and most importantly, your ability to take the However, if your dreams and visions are greater than your Power to produce the results
sustained actions necessary to achieve your goals. Just for a reference point, add up these you desire, don’t despair. This is where your desire, and our tools, unite to provide the power
three Colors and write your number here: you will need to meet—even exceed—your greatest hopes, dreams and expectations.

Your HOW Score = _________

150 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 151


Fact: Your 10 Colors are Interdependent and Interrelated. Turn Your 10 Colors up to a solid 8-9 and no Mission will be too large!
Let’s stop and think about this for a moment. What’s the probability of your success Can you even imagine how much power you would have if you turned up each of your
if your now perfect Mission Color inspired you to boost your Energy, to work day and night 10 Colors to a perfect 10?! What kind of new dreams would you dream then? What Roles
at what you love, but every time get started, your Attitude goes bad and ends up being a would you be willing to take on with this new sense of confidence and power? How much
complete zero? What’s the likelihood of your success? (Hint: 10 x 10 x 0 = Zero. Zip.) more could you give to others? You would be wealthy, powerful and happy!
What if you took our "Miracle of the Goal" seminar, (highly recommended!) and The great news is that you can increase your power, regardless of what your power
moved your Set Goals Color up to a perfect 10—but you never got around to making Plans level is at this time and you can do it one step—one Color at a time, one day at a time.
to support your Goals... or failed to Prioritize your time? What's the probability of your Simply choose one area of your performance where you need to become more productive.
becoming a success on purpose then? (Hint: 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 0 x 0 = Zilch.) Select a Color—any Color—and starting taking the positive actions that will immediately
What if you are a perfect 100% on your first seven colors, but your Organize Color improve your overall performance. This will instantly increase your probability of success.
is running at 20%, your Optimize Color at 15% and your Act Now Color is barely 10%?
It gets better!
Bottom line? Your passion and purpose just won’t matter.
Yes, making each color brighter is the key to personal growth. In fact, just a small shift in
So what if you have set extremely high expectations for your life? You are
any one area of your performance gives you an exponential increase in personal power. How?
disorganized, waste time and never take the actions necessary to make things happen!
How much power do you actually have to produce the successful results you want in life As we said before, the 10 Colors within your performance spectrum are completely
when you are being held back by these areas of your performance? How much of your intertwined, interrelated and interdependent. When you turn up any one Color, you
precious time and power are you wasting by your failure to improve your weak Colors? power-up the intensity of each of the other nine as well. Instantly! Automatically! Without
your having to do anything else. This is what actually causes your performance to expand
Success On Purpose Is Up To You. from mediocre to excellent—quite literally, in a heartbeat.
To be a Success on Purpose—to actually achieve each of your passionately desired
missions—you must absolutely DO whatever you can to keep all 10 Colors within your Full Spectrum Power.
Time Prism at their highest level possible—at every point in time. To help clarify this idea, let’s zoom in and look at the dynamic relationship between each
Take a moment now and think of everything you could accomplish if you were a of your 10 Colors. By understanding the nature of this process, you will not only see how Full
powerful 10 out of 10 on each of your 10 Colors. What would it feel like if —at every point Spectrum Power works, but you will also see how easily you can make it work for you!
in time—your Time Prism was glowing with laser-hot brilliance? What if your There are two similar, but different views of Full Spectrum Power: The one to many
performance exhibited High TQ Performance ALL the time, rather than just sometimes, relationship... what we’ve dubbed the Full Spectrum Color Burst; and the many to many
some days? relationship... what we call triggering an Optical Chain Reaction.
Want to know precisely what a perfect 10 on each Color looks like in the real world?
It is the top-line performance we talked about back on page 10 in Chapter 1: The Full Spectrum Color Burst.
This concept is simple to understand, as you can easily see it in your life. We call it
True Success = Tremendous Positivity = High TQ Performance... a one to many relationship, because when you improve just one area of your performance,
Lively Energetic Strong Steady Invigorated Revitalized Recharged Dynamic Cheerful Rejuvenated Purposeful it affects many other areas—all at the same time.
Self-Governed Passionate Well-Rounded Inspired Creative Committed Principle-Based Evolving Devoted Responsible
Confident Enthusiastic Positive Optimistic Unstoppable Self-Assured Motivational Persistent Progressive Realistic Instantly
Energetic
Fulfilled Satisfied Motivated Explicit Wholehearted Generous Methodical Excited Diligent Well-Planned Foresightful Passionate expands the
A small Enthusiastic
Well-Informed Detailed Dedicated Competent Productive Optimized Prepared Determined Self-Directed Selective Self-directed intensity of
shift in Prepared
Appropriate Results-oriented Gratified Balanced Predetermined Focused Preemptive Disciplined Respectful Focused ALL Colors
Cooperative Charismatic Supportive Collaborative Thoughtful Empowering Appreciative Contributive Articulate Attitude Supportive in your
Systematic
Systematic Thorough Automated Procedural Practical Prompt Orderly Organized Innovative Meticulous Vigilant Timely performance
Proactive
Industrious Concentrated Engaged Considerate Uninterrupted Single-Minded Attentive Prolific Accountable Action-ori- spectrum.
ented Resourceful Self-Initiated Courageous Undaunted Eager Proactive Completion-Driven Tenacious Adventurous

With these POSITIVES driving your performance, what are the chances that you Let’s say something happens that causes your Attitude to improve, even slightly.
would be a Success on Purpose then? No question, 100%! What happens to the rest of your Colors? What happens to your performance?
152 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 153
In all cases, a small shift in your attitude causes your other Colors to instantly grow How the Optical Chain Reaction works: Up close and personal!
brighter as well. Because your ATTITUDE becomes more positive, your ENERGY To illustrate the process, here’s what will happen when you commit to improving your
improves... your sense of MISSION and purpose improves... your GOALS seem more Act Now Color—to become exceptionally PROACTIVE at achieving your mission:
achievable... your PLANS are more doable... you radiate more confidence, so people are
• When you take immediate action to turn up your ACT NOW Color,
more likely to help you, causing your SYNERGY Color to also improve.
you prevent fear, uncertainty and doubt from stealing your valuable energy,
so your ENERGY Color becomes even brighter. Because you are more
Thus, you have more POWER overall, because Proactive, you are also more Energetic.
each of your 10 Colors are now burning brighter. • Now that you have more energy to devote to living what’s most important
to you, your MISSION Color becomes even brighter. Because you are more
Of course, the opposite is also true. A poor ATTITUDE causes your energy level to Energetic, you are also more Passionate.
sink... to lose faith in your mission... to question your goals and plans. Your synergy Color
sinks, because, who wants to help a whiny old “No-it-all”?! • Now that you’re better connected to your mission, you put more of your
heart into everything you do, so your ATTITUDE Color glows even brighter.
A Color Burst then triggers a powerful chain reaction... Because you are more Passionate, you are also more Enthusiastic.
This Full Spectrum Color Burst of power then triggers an entire Optical Chain • Now that you persist with passion in everything you do, you truly believe
Reaction—a domino effect of compounded power—that radiates through every aspect of you can achieve any goal you set, so your SET GOALS Color burns even
your performance. We call this an Optical Chain Reaction because it works exactly like brighter. Because you are more Enthusiastic, you are also more Self-directed.
setting off a thermonuclear explosion within your performance. Because it has a many to • Now that you turn your dreams and visions into specific goals, you establish
many relationship on your 10 Colors, the effect an Optical Chain Reaction has on your the precise destinations required for effectively mapping future steps. So,
performance is nothing short of mind-boggling! Once any given Color reaches critical your MAKE PLANS Color burns brighter. Because you are more Self-directed,
mass—BOOM—you instantly have massive amounts of power to apply to your career... you are also more Detail-oriented.
your family... your entire life! You have the POWER to LIVE your MISSION!
• Now that you have detailed the steps in your plans, you can identify the most
The way this works is pure simplicity: Every shift in Color, either positive or negative, important ones to focus on first. So your PRIORITIZE Color becomes even
sends out a ripple effect that adds or subtracts power to each Color in its path. Because brighter. Because you are more Detail-oriented, you are also more Focused.
this chain reaction works in all directions equally, like a pebble tossed into a pond, the
• Now that you have the power to focus on what’s most rewarding, you leverage
ripple effect radiates waves of power throughout every aspect of your performance. This
your time better by finding others to help you achieve your goals. Your
effect is what explains why looking at any one area of your performance, to the exclusion
SYNERGIZE Color radiates with brilliance and power. Because you are
of others, is pointless. For lasting success, you must kept all 10 Colors burning hot!
more Focused, you are also more Synergistic.
Causes an Optical • Now that you have an entire team assembled to help you achieve your goals,
Chain Reaction... it becomes imperative that you organize your activities for maximum efficiency.
making each Color So your ORGANIZE Color burns hotter. Because you are more Synergistic,
A small you are also more Systematic.
shift in burn brighter...
causing your • Now that you systematically organize your activities, you get more value out
your Act of every minute in your day. So your OPTIMIZE Color takes on a brilliant aura.
performance to
Now Color Because you are more Systematic, you are also more Time-sensitive.
rapidly expand...
• And when you’re committed to making every minute count, you stop wasting
instantly giving
time on things that simply don’t matter, and jump at the chance to take
you the power to positive action sooner—rather than later. Now, all 10 Colors are causing your
produce greater ACT NOW COLOR TO GLOW BRIGHTER STILL—which sends the ripples
results... which is out even further!
what causes you All this from turning up just ONE Color!
to achieve your
expectations!

154 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 155


So, what will it take to produce Full Spectrum Power in YOUR life? There’s no way you can reinvent yourself by yourself!
With this immense boost in personal power, you are living the life of your dreams. It’s easy to start out with the best of intentions. But it’s also human nature to
You know this, because you can’t wait to get started on each new goal—and you get waylaid by old habits and life’s endless distractions and preoccupations.
immediately take bold action on any plan that promises to get you closer to the success One thing is certain. If you could have made these fundamental changes, you would
of each of your Missions. have—long ago. It may be difficult for you to accept, but it’s true. We all need help in
You now believe that any mission is possible—just waiting to be embraced and changing bad habits and negative traits that have been with us forever.
explored. No question, any improvement in a single Color affects your full palette of colors You have invested a significant amount of time and energy going through the last 150
from which you paint your dreams onto the canvas of life. pages or so. Now, you have an easy choice. You can close this book and put it up on the
shelf with the rest of your “good intentions”—and do nothing different. Or, you can make
Choose A Color—Either a dominant strength or limiting weakness.
the smarter choice and commit to achieving all your Missions—by improving your
Go back to Pages 148-150, and review your 10 Colors. Which Color, when burning performance—one COLOR... one ACTION... one DAY at a time.
brighter, will produce the biggest change in your life right now? Choose it.
Where can you get help?
I promise to improve my ___________________________ Color
There are two ways to get the help you need: One hard; one easy. The hard way first.
Now what? While we can’t explain what it takes 3 Chapters in The Power of TQ and You can buy hundreds of books on personal success (like we did!) and read them
10 Choices of Intentional Excellence to cover, here’s some simple advice: Identify a single cover-to-cover... listen to the supporting tapes... and go to the seminars. You can hire a
positive action you can take to improve the Color, and repeat it as often as necessary until coach... and put together a support network to keep you on track. You can find different
it becomes a natural response: ways to remember this material, but if you want to become a Success On Purpose, you
One positive Action i will take: ______________________________ must remain committed to improving the effectiveness of your performance. Daily.

Now, make a personal commitment to integrate this one action into your performance The simple way: go to ThinkTQ.com/System
as frequently as possible until it becomes instinctive—a consistent and automatic part of THINKTQ.COM is the EASY way to stay committed to your dreams and remain
your life. Each time you take this one positive action, your chosen Color will instantly connected to your performance. Our website contains a treasure-trove of resources
improve, and you will achieve a growing series of positive results that will contribute to designed to train you to produce results well beyond expectation. With tens of thousands
the final success of each of your Visions. of ideas for action, time management resources, tests and assessments, and countless
Smarter ACTIONS, performed consistently, one at a other tools available at the click of a button, you can immediately find what you need to
excel. As a reader of Success on Purpose, you may receive a substantial discount on the
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By selecting a single action, you have taken the first step down the road to being We said it before, but it’s worth repeating. Success on Purpose is not a destination. It
successful in each of your Roles. Now all that remains is for you to just DO it… just take is a journey. One that must be traveled every day. For you to achieve your dreams and
that single action with greater consistency and frequency. goals, you must remain committed to your performance, for the rest of your life. If you are
to successfully achieve your Purpose, there is no way around this:
Depending on the action you chose, it can be quick and easy: Just write your goals
onto your calendar... just communicate with greater clarity... just focus on the important You Must Perform up to Expectations.
and leave the rest to later... just look for the best in every situation and the opportunity in
every problem. This is the pure essence of High TQ Performance: The POWER to create crystal-
clear EXPECTATIONS for what you want to see happen... coupled with the POWER to
No question, performance excellence requires a constant repetition of positive EXECUTE beyond Expectations.
actions performed correctly, before they can ever become a perfected skill. There’s no
possible way to fix a Color once and consider it fixed for life. True success is found in living your Values, Visions and Roles every day—today,
tomorrow and the rest of your life. When you live your values, you are, by our definition,
Another performance truth: There is a huge difference between SEEING what needs successful. Keep all 10 Colors within your Time Prism burning brightly and you will be,
to be done, and REMEMBERING to actually do it! In fact, once you put this book up on by any definition a Purpose-Driven Success... truly a...
the shelf—where it will sit, out-of-sight, out-of-mind—you will forget virtually everything
you just learned here... in 2 weeks or less. Guaranteed. (It’s called the Ebbinghaus
Forgetting Curve. Learn all about it at THINKTQ.COM.) SUCCESS ON PURPOSE.
156 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 157
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158 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 159


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160 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE SUCCESS ON PURPOSE 161


“ For of all sad words of tongue and pen,
the saddest of these: ‘It might have been.’ ”

— John G. Whittier

162 SUCCESS ON PURPOSE

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