The Five Levels of Purpose

“Space, the final frontier.” – Captain James T. Kirk. The exploration of the unknown excites us with the prospect of new adventures. No one desires a life of boredom and drudgery. We want to live a life of purpose and have a significant impact on the world.

We are seeking purpose.

From space exploration to religion, industries were created by people seeking the destiny that will bring meaning to their lives.  Seeking destiny is such a driving force, that people are often willing to risk their lives for it. This intrinsic force is responsible for some of the greatest breakthroughs in history. 

There are five levels of purpose, each growing in intensity and motivation.  Depending on the task, a person is aligned with a certain level.  Also, a person can be at two or more various levels at the same time for different reasons.  For instance, a person goes to work because he needs to pay bills.  However, his passion is the non-profit organization he created to help the homeless.  So how do we categorize each level?

The five levels are based on their purpose: 

• Level One – A Reason
• Level Two – A Cause
• Level Three – A Belief
• Level Four – A Life’s Work
• Level Five – A Higher Calling

Level One – A Reason

The simplest form of purpose is to have a reason for the action. 

The reason needs to be proportionate to the action. It can vary from a simple need to a complex desire. Also, the reason must justify the action; it has to feel right.  

In the 1970s, a university psychology department posted a theory on why people comply with the desire of others.  They believed that people were social creatures who would rather comply than be confrontational with others.  The professors wanted to test this theory.

So, they set up the experiment in the university library. One professor gathered a small coterie of classmates to run the experiment.  These students were of different backgrounds, sexes and races. The diverse set of demographics would be part of the data collection.

The students were given three scripts to use.  Their goal was to stalk other students who were going to use the copier machine. At the moment they were about to pay, the student running the experiment would interrupt them and say one of the three scripts. The goal was to see if the person would let the other student cut in front of them. 

The results were unexpected.

If a simple reason was given, and the amount of effort to let the person cut in front of them was low, they had a 93% success rate. 

But their chances were reduced if the perceived effort was high.  So, if the person at the copier only had one page to copy and the experimenter had twenty, the experimenter was likely to be turned down to cut in front of them. 

This means that most people will comply with a request if they deem it reasonable and easy.  

A deeper reason is needed to comply with a bigger request.  People need a sense of understanding so that they can justify the actions.  

Level Two – A Cause

What is worth fighting for?  A cause!  Correcting a wrong can make a difference. It becomes a justification for our actions and efforts. 

A short story.

The screams could be heard from the cargo container. It sounded like wild animals who were trapped in hell. But they were not wild animals; they were children. 

After leaving the NFL, Tim Tebow started a foundation to combat human trafficking. According to the foundation website, over 40 million people are trafficked every year as part of a $150 billion a year business.

After discovering this problem, Tebow supported the cause with his status and money. The amount of money and effort he pours into solving the problem is no small measure and he shows no indication of doing less. 

This is just one example of a cause in the world that became a call to action. The cause inspires others to put in huge amounts of effort. But even with that effort they may be hesitant to lose what they have.  It may not be enough to inspire sacrifice.   They will give if they can.

To move someone to sacrifice and do the impossible, it takes a higher level of purpose.  It takes a belief. 

Level Three – A Belief

When someone believes in an idea, they believe in its truth.  In turn, they are willing to fight for that idea and its meaning. 

We feel righteous in our actions and that gives us confidence.  Many people have a strong belief in their political organization. Many workspaces forbid discussions of politics because it is so divisive. Civil discourse is difficult when everyone believes they are right. 

I once went to a counter-KKK rally when I was in my late teens. The local KKK chapter had decided to protest a Holocaust display at a local Jewish Education Center near Orlando, Florida. They believed that the Holocaust never happened and received the permit to state their beliefs in front of the center.

There were twenty KKK members lined up behind the mobile fence set up by the police.  They had a bull horn and were displaying confederate flags. Soon, hundreds of people from the neighborhood arrived to counter protest their presence. 

The event went on for six hours with both sides shouting back and forth. The news highlighted the half a dozen instances when the protests turned into chaos. 

At the end of the day, the KKK packed up and left.  What was the point?  Was it to get attention? Did they really believe that the Holocaust did not happen?  Did they believe that they had the right to be there? I will never know. What I do know is that belief is a powerful motivator and gives people a purpose for their actions. Even if those actions are wrong. 

The next step on the purpose scale is going from having a belief to having a life’s work.

A Life’s Work

When someone is in their “life’s work”, they are willing to sacrifice to accomplish their goals. They believe that they cannot fail even when all other evidence would suggest otherwise.

When Elon Musk started his rocket company, he did not know anything about rockets and invested everything he had into the company.  He took the chance to make it successful.  

Imagine you are Elon Musk in the control center. You are about to launch your third rocket into space. The other two blew up on the pad and this was your last shot.  You personally funded this final rocket launch. If it failed, the company would be bankrupt, and you would be completely broke. 

The countdown begins. You hear the massive roar of the engines as they ignite.  The exhaust unfurls over the ground like a fluffy blanket.  And finally, the rocket lifts off successfully into space!  Faith has finally met reality.  And now you have a commercial rocket company.  

Your success depends on your level of commitment.  When those endeavors become your life’s work, you sacrifice everything for that idea. 

This unwavering dedication can make great things happen. If you connect dedication with serving a higher calling, you have purpose driven actions that can change the world. 

A Higher Calling

Mother Teresa, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr., PhD, are great examples of people who were completely devoted to a higher calling. They sacrificed everything for their ideas and felt that a higher power was on their side. This complete faith provided the confidence to achieve the impossible. 

What is it like to have a purpose so strong that you feel compelled to act regardless of the consequences? Would the fear of death even stop you?  

Reaching this level of purpose is rare. It takes a combination of self-actualization and a cause so great that it inspires millions of people. 

Mother Teresa lived her beliefs completely as she dedicated her life to helping the poor.  She became such a trusted symbol that others generously donated to her charity.  In the end, her charity was worth billions of dollars. 

Gandhi became the symbol of civil disobedience and nonviolence. Through sacrifice, he inspired thousands of people to act as one.  Eventually, he convinced the British government to leave India without any aggression.

Martin Luther King, Jr., PhD did not only have religious faith, but he also had faith in humanity’s ability to be compassionate during the turbulent 1960’s. He became a symbol of the civil rights movement and changed the way American’s thought about race. 

Serving a higher calling takes complete dedication.  The person feels as if they do not have any choice. That is how compelling this level of purpose is. 

Conclusion

These five levels of purpose: “A Reason”, “A Cause”, “A Belief”, “A Life’s Work”, and “A Higher Calling” increase what a person is willing to do to achieve goals.

Not all ideas need a full sacrifice. The commitment is proportional to the effort needed to bring the idea into existence. 

In 1997, I had no real career opportunities.  Then, I saw the movie, Starship Troopers.  That is all it took to for me to join the United States Air Force.  

When my first enlistment was ending, 9/11 happened and now I had a cause to fight for.  After 23 years of military service, this was my life’s work. I was dedicated to the overall mission and being the best at what I did. 

After my retirement in June 2021, I realized that my actual higher calling was serving others and passing on what I learned about leadership.  This is what I think about 24/7 and drives every action I take.  

The final takeaway I want you to remember is that purpose is a choice. It is not a destiny, or something bestowed upon you. The more you commit to a purpose, the higher the level of impact you will have. And hopefully, this is what brought you here to this blog: to find your purpose and be the best leader you can be.