Being who we really are (WWRA) is not about being great at everything.
Last week I watched "Becoming Warren Buffett" a biography that included family, friends, and Warren himself, sharing his life story and some insights into his success.
Warren Buffett is a business man, investor, philanthropist, and the second richest person in the world. At age 86 he still loves the work he does, and many consider him to be a genius. Warren has had an affinity with numbers his whole life. He has a talent
for seeing things in his way, and he has trusted that, played with it, and taken the time to nurture it, and never seemed to be
apologetic for this thing that he loves to do. So, it would probably not be outrageous to say he has been 'successful' in his life and has been living on purpose (LOP).
However, what really stood out for me in this documentary was a story that his first wife shared about a time she was sick in bed. She had asked Warren to bring her something to set by the side of the bed in case she got sick and couldn't make it to the bathroom. She tells how she heard him go down to the kitchen and rustle around in the pots and pans and finally come back up with a colander. She looked at what he had brought and explained to him that it would not hold anything because it was full of holes. He went back down and after some more rustling around in the kitchen he came back up with a cookie sheet to put under it.
What I love about this story is that many of us, perhaps even an outrageous percentage like 90% of us, would have done a better job with this task. So here is one of the richest men in the world, someone who is referred to as a genius, and we would have been more successful with this task than him. But Warren is not trying to be good at everything. He knows what he loves and lets himself do it. He is not trying to be great at everything or even great at something that many of us would consider to be common sense.
When asked what he felt had most contributed to his success in life, Warren's answer was FOCUS. (Incidentally Bill Gates gave the same answer to that question.) Focus is not about how to do everything right or well, it is about allowing ourselves to delve into what calls us, what we naturally lean towards. Focus is about indulging our passion and curiosity about something and allowing that momentum to build until it is a force in our life and perhaps in the world.
Living On Purpose is not about needing to excel in all areas of life. It is O.K. to find our niche and let that focus shine through us while we allow others to fill in the gaps by them finding their niches and shining their light.