Baseline – ElPropósito5 min de lectura

Our best self: what it means and how to get there

What does it mean to be our best self? How do we get there? Is there a final point where we become a version that can’t be improved? Both words, best and self (in Spanish we say "version"), imply constant improvement, the wish to reach an unmatched level we can be proud of. The next question I ask myself is: why would anyone aim to be their best self? In projects, a baseline is set when the plan is drawn up at the start, and it becomes the reference for measuring progress, the point we compare execution against to see how we are doing. Every measure of "how well we are doing" against what we set out to do comes from the baseline. Life is a project that takes us from point A (birth) to point B (death, and for an organization, hopefully more than 100 years of life). In between there is a purpose to fulfill, because that is what we came into this world for. That baseline is called purpose, and it is our point of reference.

What does living by a purpose involve? First, having a stated purpose is very different from having none. The best organizations have put into words, and deeply believe in, statements that set out their identity, their rules and their north, and make clear where they are headed: values, mission, vision, promise and so on. Can 100% of what happens in an organization be in tune with those statements? Realistically, almost never, since there is no such thing as perfect planning or perfect control. In between lies free will, always exposed to triggers and to acting against what is right. Even so, we have added one more degree of perfection to the formula: purpose, the why and the for whom the organization exists. Every organization that has put it into words knows, consciously, the fundamental answer to why it is in this world. It holds in its hands the chance to reach its highest degree of perfection, as long as it lives by those statements.

What does a person or an organization that lives by its purpose look like? Virtuous. We all have eyes on us, watching with interest and expecting our best every day. Those of us who are Christians know that God knows everything and sees us constantly; He is our main stakeholder. In organizations we talk a lot about stakeholders, and they all expect our best. We have stakeholders in our personal lives too. For me, the ones who matter most are my wife, my children, my family and my friends. My life purpose statement begins "to be the best father, husband and friend…". That is clearly my baseline. It marks my point A and my point B. If I say I want to be my best self every day, all I need to remember is that my ultimate end, my objective of objectives, my point of perfection, the reason I am in this world, is this: to be the best father, husband and friend. Quite a task, isn’t it?

What pulls us away from our purpose? Whatever is easy. Stealing to cover a need is simpler than building a savings habit, which takes time. Everything that demands no effort or dedication pulls us away from our purpose. To live by our purpose, we have to accept that perhaps the best strategic word we can learn is no, which means learning to give up many things. Those tradeoffs are what confuse many organizations along the way, and they may be the main reason organizations end up acting against their values. Organizations become truly strategic when they learn to say no to the many projects, activities or decisions they shouldn’t take on, because with everything they turn down, they can look back at their purpose and ask: so what can we say yes to?

Without that statement, how will we know what giving our best means, for ourselves and for those around us? Being our best self comes down to being clear on our purpose in this world and choosing to work every day to live by it. Every decision we make against our purpose takes us further from that best self. The great advantage of knowing our life purpose is that it never leaves, however far we stray. It keeps setting the course, a flame always lit to show us the right way. Our purpose is the philosopher’s stone that turns us into alchemists who change our decisions into gold. If we want to turn everything we do into a precious metal we can offer ourselves and others at every moment, we have to choose to walk, and to make every decision, in tune with our purpose.

Warm regards and all the best,

Rodrigo Baccaro

P.S. This week’s VELA:

• What I was watching: Sound of Freedom. Agustín Laje’s interview with Eduardo Verástegui. Because of my children, because of the Christian values that define me and because it is part of my life purpose, I will defend this cause and fight so that more and more people learn about the evil being done to children, today more than ever.
  – What I was listening to: Eric Edmeades on Jordan Peterson’s podcast. The highlights for me were what being homeless in Canada meant to him, and Peterson’s analysis of how to tell whether someone is going to become a dictator.
  – What I was reading: Beyond Order. Specifically, I went back over rule 8: "Try to make one room in your home as beautiful as possible."
  – What I was learning: The art of governing yourself. A superb interview with General José Gan on Pepe García’s channel.

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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