Structure and Meaning – ElPropósito2 min de lectura

Vision and purpose

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Keeping any kind of order in what we do becomes a monumental task when the natural state of things is chaos. Sorting out our ideas and turning them into concrete action is one of the great challenges of this century, and it gets harder once you notice how little vision sits behind so many of our actions. Giving things direction is everyone’s job, well beyond a small circle of enlightened people. It comes from each person’s or organization’s deep reflection on past experience and on a vision of the future that gives them the steadiness to think clearly day to day.

Purpose rarely arrives as a single flash of insight or a once-in-a-lifetime event. It grows out of a whole collection of lived experiences that give us a starting point for making sense of things. Today more than ever, as we exercise our freedom, we need to find every possible way to live with a deep commitment to society. Earning a living goes hand in hand with owning our actions and with the respect we owe ourselves, others and the world.

Structure tells us when to take certain steps along the way. The meaning within that structure tells us why we take them. What remains is to accept that taking those steps is our responsibility. When something or someone else sets the steps and assigns the meaning, we also need to be honest about how aligned we are and how willing we are to accept it. Joining an organization is a clear example: you share its values, its vision of the future and, above all, its purpose. If everything lines up, all that’s left is to bring the very best of our human abilities.

A vision gives us hope. A purpose gives us structure and meaning. We always need a light at the end of the tunnel, one we may not see at first but know is there. That light is called purpose, the compass that always points north, to our own north. Doing things is the easy part. The real challenge is giving them meaning and structure, and daring to take every step we can to build a future guided by purpose.

Warm regards and all the best,

Rodrigo Baccaro

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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