'Purposeful Change': The Way Forward

A colleague of mine from Omaha, wrote me asking what I meant by "purposeful" change. I created a working definition of purposeful change at that says, "Purposeful change is systemic change that is controlled, evolutionary, and enduring." Yet, I wonder if I can come up with any better definition of purposeful change than: "doing it on purpose" (whatever "it" may be). That means that I must deliberately choose. I have a purpose, and goals. And, more than that, the goals that I choose must have genuine value. It's not just any random goal — I choose to keep myself, as they say, "on purpose".

In a classical SWOT analysis, the third element is "opportunities". So, for the moment, lets focus on opportunities. We really don't have to worry about the "T" in SWOT (that is, "threats") because opportunity and threat are two sides of the same coin. Wherever there's an opportunity there's a threat; wherever there's a threat, there's an opportunity. Since I have a choice, I'll choose to focus on the opportunity. I've already seen enough of what happens when I focus on the threat!

Staying "on purpose" means that I choose to accept those opportunities that pull me (and my community) forward. All my strengths and all my relationships and all my self-knowledge and powerful choices only work for me when I am able to see the way that leads forward. The whole universe is all about change. It's not standing still. It's becoming more diverse, more organized and more conscious. When I stop creating distractions for myself and pay attention, I feel it. I know when I'm aligned with that power, and I know what to do when I'm not.

Whether or not we like to think about it, we have a spiritual self. It is that part of us that’s in touch with the creative power in the universe and intuitively knows its destiny. Our destiny participates in a small way in the destiny of the entire universe. When we pay close enough attention to it, we realize (we recall) that we are not being pushed along by fate, we are being drawn into the future by destiny. This is no small force. It’s our collective destiny, our collective purpose, that inspires the universe to evolve.

I imagine myself riding this creative force of destiny. It's not like riding on a moving walkway at an airport, where, if I just stand still, I'll eventually arrive where I want to go. It's much more like surfing a giant wave. That's how I picture it for myself. I need constantly to exert pressure to control my forward motion but, most critically, I have to be constantly alert, intensely aware of every nuance of movement so that I can shift my balance in anticipation of what's coming next. I can’t afford to lose track of my course or lose sight of my ideals for even a second. These ideals are derived from my appreciation of the universe: in its diversity, organization, complexity, and awareness.

This isn't about mere survival; it's not just about ‘change or be changed.’ It's about life's greatest adventure, which is nothing less than making a difference. It's having a say in the future. The dinosaurs had no choice. As conscious beings, we do have a choice. Constantly striving to create purposeful change is our destiny.



In future articles, I'll present seven life strategies that work together to create purposeful change anywhere: in our personal lives, our families, our businesses, our communities, our nation, or our world. The principles are all the same. All we need is the awareness. The opportunities are always there.



'Purposeful Change': The Way Forward - To learn more about this author, visit Les Brown's Website.

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