Commit To Your Purpose

Today I want to share some thoughts about purpose. How to be purpose-driven on a sales call, on a service call, really any part of your life. I’ll also share a quote with you from a guy who you’ve heard me speak about before.

James Allen was a brilliant writer 150 years ago and I just want to share some thoughts from one of his essays and talk about how it really impacts all of us as we go to work each day.

Purpose Is Highly Concentrated Thought

Allen says, “Purpose is highly concentrated thought. All the mental energies are directed to the attainment of an object, and the obstacles which intervene between the thinker (that’s you) and the object (the thing you want) are one after the other broken down and overcome. Purpose is the keystone in the temple of achievement.”

So we talk a lot about focus and concentration. I happen to believe that one of the key factors of success is staying very focused and having a purpose and knowing what you’re trying to accomplish.

And that purpose on a sales call could be, for example, the purpose of building the relationship and hopefully closing the deal. That kind of stuff.

But it’s important to really have that purpose and be really committed to it. And James Allen tells us, “All the mental energies that are directed to the attainment of an object, and the obstacles which intervene between the thinker and the object are one after the other broken down and overcome.”

Commitment Range

What that means is the more that we are committed, the more we are focused on our purpose, that will help us overcome any obstacles that we face on the way. In other words, if our commitment is very, very soft, we’re not really committed to being the very best comfort advisor or very best service technician, then we’ll let little things get in our way. It’ll be very easy to find excuses for poor performance.

But if I’m super, super committed, and I have a strong, focused purpose, then that intensity is going to help me push through any barriers.

Here’s another example. Let’s say you’re in a city and you have a family member, somebody you really love, a child, a parent or whatever, and they are being held captive 50 miles away. And you know you have to get there to save them, otherwise they’re going to die or be seriously injured.

The intensity of your purpose to get there and save them would be unquestionably strong, right? It’d be very, very intense and nothing would get in your way. Like if you were driving there and your car broke down, you’d jump out and steal somebody else’s car. If you had a flat tire, you’d fix it and keep going, right? If you got in a wreck, you’d walk away from the wreck, get another car and keep going.

Nothing would get in your way. Nothing would stop you because your commitment towards achieving that purpose of helping that loved one is so intense. But if you’re driving 50 miles to help a stranger, that would be different, yes?

Let’s say there was some kind of fundraiser event for homeless people, and you’re driving there and you got in a car crash, you might say, “Ah, well, I tried, but, you know, I’m just not going to make it.” Because the purpose, the commitment, the intensity is not the same.

Channeling Purpose

So the point is this – the more committed you are to your purpose, the more willing you’re going to be to keep pushing, and the more easily you’re going to overcome the objections. In sales, on a service call, we’re going to have objections every single day. People are going to tell us, “I want to think about it. It costs too much.” Right? “I’ve got to get three bids.” Or whatever it is.

If your commitment is kind of half-assed, then you’ll give up when customers raise those objections. But if your commitment is intense, if you are focused and you are purposeful in your approach and you have a strong need, strong desire to achieve that purpose, you’re not going to give up.

So think about that on your next call. You want to make sure that you are dedicated, you are strictly committed to achieving your purpose because purpose, as James Allen says, is the keystone of all achievement. Have a great day. We’ll see you soon.