What One Man Teaches Us About Purpose

I want to tell you a story about Richard.

I’ve been wanting to include him in the blog for weeks but haven’t been able to find the right time.  Today just feels right.

It feels right because this Sunday marks blog número 26, which means I’m halfway through my challenge of publishing every week for a year.

Whether you like it as much as I do or not, we’ve had the pleasure of spending every Sunday evening together for 26 straight weeks — that’s approximately 1.5 hours of our lives (26 x 3.8 min per article) shared in this newsletter.  We’ve laughed, we’ve learned, and we’ve probably found each other in the spam folder a few times.  Lately, I’ve been chatting with more and more friends about my blog, and they always ask me the same thing:

“Why are you doing this?”

To answer that question, I want to first tell you about Richard.

I don’t really know Richard.  In fact, I found him rather annoying for the first few months we came in contact with each other.  He’s always parked in the middle of the sidewalk, and his definition of “talking” tends to involve a high-pitched megaphone.

So who is this man?

It turns out, Richard is the guy who sits on his walker in front of the federal courthouse in Miami every day of the week.

No matter if it’s 95 degrees or the onset of a Miami thunderstorm, Richard is there with his drab green military fatigues, bucket hat, and signed American flag.  Using his ever-present megaphone, Richard records phrases about how the US government violated his rights as a Vietnam War veteran and plays them over and over and over again.  It’s rather brutal to listen to.

I passed Richard for months on end and listened as his protest changed ever so slightly.

Finally, I decided I had no choice but to stop and talk to him.

I’ve read Richard’s story and his letters to President Obama and Congress, but to this day, I still don’t fully grasp the details of his protest.  However, that’s not why I bring him up.

Richard is the headliner of today’s blog because he is the embodiment of purpose.  That man picked a cause, and he will do whatever it takes to advance his objectives…  Even if it involves baking in the Miami sun with a screeching megaphone.

In many ways, I think we should all try and live our lives more like Richard.

182 days ago, I launched this blog because I felt the need to reflect on my own life, business, learnings, etc. and hopefully inspire others to do the same.  I made a commitment, both personally and publicly, to promote the spread of knowledge.

And just like Richard, I will be there every week to see it through no matter what it takes.

That, my friends, is why I share with you each weekend.

See you next Sunday at 8:30pm.  🙂