Unique Definitions – ElPropósito4 min de lectura

Success lives in purpose

Every outward action starts as an inward one. How well the reaction turns out depends on where the first push comes from. An organization that wants its strategic plan to succeed knows there’s one big, essential step before any plan: knowing itself. It’s no accident that a SWOT ends with a list of everything that can be improved or done better. In the same way, a person can, and should, get to know themselves, with honest self-criticism and real objectivity, to know where to focus before investing in growing as a person or a professional. It isn’t an easy exercise. For an organization working on strategy, it means committing to a set of initiatives and plans that will demand investment and discipline to execute. For an individual, it also takes investment, very often of time and discipline.

Once the foundations are fully in place, meaning a purpose, a critical look at where we stand, a vision of the future and an outline of the main steps to build it, we have much of the answer. We still need a couple of extra ingredients, and determination is one of them. Determination is what gets done the things we long for. It’s the spark that keeps discipline alive through hard times, exactly when keeping execution on course matters most. We can be clear on the goals, the plan and the resources, and have most of what it takes to execute. Without discipline and determination, though, execution is at serious risk.

The definition of success lives in purpose, in the purpose we share. It’s worth reflecting on as we work out what success means. In my case, my life purpose begins with "to be the best father, husband and friend…" My definition of success lies in fulfilling those three great things I long to be. The same goes for an organization with a defined purpose. Its definition of success depends on how each of its decisions connects with that purpose. Whatever we do that’s out of step with a purpose is usually a waste of resources. There’s plenty of talk about defining success and whether it depends on what others have achieved. One thing I find worth reflecting on is that life begins and ends the same way: we arrive with nothing and leave with nothing. What we build in between is what has to be aligned with a purpose.

Success in purpose depends on the effort and discipline we bring, day after day, to what gives our lives meaning. It comes from setting, on the basis of honest self-assessment and a sharp awareness of where we are today, a horizon we can keep building toward with the determination to reach a place that brings fulfillment and well-being.

Warm regards and all the best,

Rodrigo Baccaro

• P.S. This week’s VELA:
• What I was watching: An interview with María Kodama. I confess Borges is one of my unfinished subjects, or rather one I’m behind on, which keeps me from graduating from school in spirit (in body, I graduated long ago). This interview with the great Jaime Bayly is among the very best, and getting to Borges through his wife is fascinating
  – What I was listening to: Jordan Peterson. One of the most powerful messages I’ve heard from him (hard for me to say, since everything of his I’ve read has influenced me deeply)
  – What I was reading: Wilson Popenoe. This book is in my top 10. I’m rereading it for the third time, which ties it with Don Quixote. I’m at the fascinating part where he travels through Guatemala in search of the avocado
  – What I was learning: About bulldogs. After more than 20 years without a pet of my own (or one that adopted me), a beautiful adopted bulldog has joined our home, and I’m learning about the breed. The closest we ever came was a boxer named, as it happens, Bruna. I admire his nobility and how, within a couple of seconds, he knew I’d be his owner. His name is Bruno, he’s a great dog, playful and smart, and he’s my shadow. Thank you to his previous owner for the trust. He’ll always be in good hands

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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