This is a continuation of a three part series on discovering your #purpose. If you’re reading this first, I invite you to first check out Part 1
“Champions have to have the skill and the will. But the will needs to be stronger than the skill”
– Mohamad Ali 🥊
In Part 1, you discovered your unique skill that will equip you to strive towards your purpose (and colonize Mars! 🔴). Knowing what you are uniquely skilled at is an asset that lasts you a lifetime 💪. Skill is a critical component of achieving great outcomes. But it is insufficient. As any high performer will attest, the real mark of greatness happens in the rough reps 🔁. Stories of high performers, both real and fictional, inevitably entail key parables of wins that came from endurance through powering through pain, not soaring with skill. So how do you figure out what behaviors inspire your willingness? Both in the good times and the pain?
Rocky Balboa was not the more skilled boxer, but had more will to defeat Ivan Drago.
“Time isn’t the main thing. It’s the only thing.”
– Miles Davis 🎺
Figuring out where you’re willing to invest your time takes some soul-searching. I want you to imagine you are gifted 10,000 “learning” hours 🎁 🕞 over the next three years. You choose when you use the hours, you are granted ample salary, free family care, and any resources you desire: the best teachers, trainers, locations, tools etc. Your goal is to practice a behavior / skill until you master it 🎓. Sounds pretty cool, right? There’s one catch. Under no circumstances can you change your selected skill to master once you’ve started your hours. So when you’re on your 500th rep of what you’re practicing, and it’s not working well, and you’re struggling to continue…you have to stick with it to reach your mastery goal. Or lose the gift, and access to more gifts of hours 🎁. What would you choose to master? What makes it important to you? How confident are you that you won’t get bored of it?
This is a fantastic exercise to do with a significant other, family, or friends; those closest to us tend to notice what lights up our eyes more than we do 🤩. Take turns sharing that which you observe and see what you learn. Use this worksheet to list your “wills”. A key question to explore when you start noting down potential “will” behaviors, is what makes it important to you? If you find yourself drawn to learning to be a master drummer 🥁, what is it about drumming that inspires that will? Are there parallels to other behaviors on your list? You might find that you are drawn to creative pursuits that require extreme precision and discipline. What larger circle can you draw around this “will” that might afford you insight into what motivates you?
What if my skills / wills are mismatched?
A question I often get asked in my coaching practice is “what if my “wills” and “skills” don’t overlap ☯︎? What if I have a passion for artistic pursuits but no innate creative skills? Or if I am incredibly skilled at debating, but I can’t stand debate?” You are not alone. If you find yourself in this situation, consider the following:
- Will trumps skill: Heed the wise words of the greatest boxer 🥊 of all time: “will” needs to be great to unlock maximum potential. Any “skill” you’ve listed that doesn’t match a “will” is not going to be a skill you never unlock to full potential. Without “will”, it’s untapped.
- Don’t accept a mismatch: If your stated skill is unlocking human potential and your will is mastering drumming 🥁, don’t despair so quickly. Similar to the Mars colonization, every skill will be needed if you draw the circle wide enough 〇. You might just be the right person to coach and support high performing drummers, as you know how they think and can merge your will to drum with .
What if my will changes over time?
Like all aspects of ourselves, our “wills” evolve as life unfolds 📖. However, research has shown how remarkably similar our passions typically remain over a lifetime. It’s worth reviewing your will but be careful not to conflate fear of failure with a feeling of apathy.
So take a moment, reflect in your metaphysical mirror🪞and consider how you would use 10,000 hours. Next week in our third and final installment on uncovering #purpose, we will explore the needs we must “fill”. Until then, good luck uncovering your “will” and feel free to share how your introspection unfolds in the comments and in your worksheet.