Success versus Greatness - What’s your meaningful mission?
Mar 14, 2023
What’s the difference between success and greatness? I work with entrepreneurs who have achieved both success and greatness, but I believe what has made them successful, is their greatness. And by that I mean, their meaningful mission and values that drive their contribution.
The 3 Ps of a Meaningful Mission
I recently listened to a podcast interview with former elite athlete, author, podcast host and entrepreneur, Lewis Howes where he shared his 3Ps framework for a meaningful mission. This framework resonated so much with me so I’m going to share it with you.
What I love about this is that it not only gives you a framework to align who you are with what you do, but it grounds it in a deeper meaning around contribution. So for those of you who are successful, but lacking a sense of connection and alignment with what you do, or you want to aim beyond success, the the Ps of a meaningful mission are: Passion, Power, and Problem.
Passion
Passion is your interests, what drives you, what you’re curious about. For me, my passion is actually that thing I had as a kid that drove me to ask so many questions all the time and read so much. It’s my curiousity and yearning for knowledge. It’s why I chose to do three different degrees in totally different fields. I never thought my passion for learning could actually be anything more than a personality trait.
Power
And that brings me to the second P: Power. Power is your talents and gifts you have right now that you’ve developed over time. Reflecting on this I realised that I naturally took on the role helping others learn by mentoring and teaching them and sharing my knowledge. Then, when life led me down the path of teaching, that’s when I truly found my gifts. My power, I realised, is supporting, empowering, and educating others.
Problem
The final P is the problem that your passion and power together can solve. I found this the trickiest one, because how do I take my passion for learning and understanding everything I can, and my power of nurturing, teaching and educating, to solve a problem? Then I realised, I’m already doing it.
After teaching, I went on to work for universities where I developed online courses from business to technology, to education, to psychology. But I really wanted to make the education frameworks used in formal learning, available to course creators so they could make their courses better. So, the problem I solve is helping entrepreneurs make courses more educational so that they not only make money, but make a difference.
My meaningful mission
Reflecting on my passion, power, and problem, I created my own meaningful mission that reflects my values:
To curiously educate and empower entrepreneurs to develop courses that not only make money, but make a difference.
Writing your meaningful mission
If you want to write your own meaningful mission, as yourself:
- Passion: What excites, interests or drives you? What are you curious about?
- Power: What is a skill, characteristic, or ability that you have developed that makes you feel empowered?
- Problem: What problem can your passion and power solve to make a positive contribution?
Are you aiming for success or greatness?
Link to podcast episode: The Mindset of Greatness feat. Lewis Howes
