Am I lacking Income... or Purpose?
One of the most cliché phrases we see pop up again and again within the pages of business books these days is as follows:
Don’t just make money - make an impact!
[Insert motivational cat poster here.]
It’s easy to scoff at the over-simplification of finding value in our work. After all… “I gotta pay the bills - what is this ‘impact’ nonsense? Ain’t nobody got time for that!”
However, as we work through this thought exercise to find the reason(s) we might need to reset our business, it’s worth asking this question: am I lacking a certain amount of income, or am I lacking something more - a purpose.
Is “purpose” synonymous with “impact”?
When we start a business, our goals may be rather simple. “I want to make enough money to pay the bills and do what I love!” It’s an honorable path. Gives us something tangible to work towards. It’s also a necessity, and something that will help drive us when we feel like phoning it in.
However, what happens after we achieve a certain level of profitability? After we develop a sustainable income, one that helps pay our bills?
Well… that’s when complacency can creep in, and complacency is often followed by apathy.
Apathy is the lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern.
Look at your day - have you built a job or a business? Do you spend your time answering emails and frantically completing tasks, or do you spend your time working out a vision for your company?
We’ll talk more about the difference between a job and a business later - but for now, look at your situation. Are you striving to hit a goal that is beyond just the immediate tasks? The immediate fires?
From here, ask yourself this question: what’s next for me?
What is is that you really want?
Answer this question without feeling bad about whatever comes to mind. Do you want more money or a different way of life? Do you want more free time? Do you want to serve others in a spiritual capacity? Do you want to serve your community?
The answer(s) you identify can help you realign yourself and your business, and give you something to work for that is beyond the day-to-day menial tasks.
Without a purpose - or at the very least, our next tangible goal - we are simply EXISTING. This is not enough to sustain most people, and often, we slip into a state of maintaining that existence without realizing it. As I mentioned, this feels hopeless, like treading water. Sure, we’re staying afloat, we’re kicking… and kicking… and kicking… but we’re not moving anywhere.
So pick a target. Identify something that matters to you, either in the short or long term, and let’s see if we are able to make progress towards this target through your business.
If the answer is no… well, then this may be part of the reason we’re considering whether or not it’s time to reset the business… or reset something even deeper within our life…
Let’s keep moving, and like I said in the last article about whether or not we still have interest in our chosen field, I’ll provide my own answers at the end of this exercise.
Next though - we need to ask whether or not the decision we make will have an impact on others - and what we can do about that.
🍻 Cheers, - AJ
Interested in working together? Sounds great!
I help website owners like you turn window shoppers & tire kickers into paying customers. I’m also a partner and Senior Design Lead at The Hauser Design Group where we focus exclusively on premium website development.