The Greatness ProjectTM

The Energizers February 2006

When Monday morning arrives, do we feel energized by the prospect of tackling fulfilling work? Or do the week’s tasks seem so daunting and draining we would rather return to bed? What energizes us to strive toward our own achievement? In Human Accomplishment (Harper Collins, 2003), Charles Murray identifies individual and cultural sources that energize human accomplishment.

First, Murray acknowledges that excellence requires hard work. “Fame can come easily and overnight, but excellence is almost always accompanied by a crushing workload, pursued with single-minded intensity.” Few people achieve excellence or greatness without working extraordinarily hard, although most who are passionate about a goal don’t view what they do as hard work. Time and effort simply fly by as they engage in this drive to achieve. Still, this drive requires an enormous amount of energy. Energy needs fuel.

Murray points out that purpose is a significant source of energy. From studying great individuals and great achievements, Murray suggests that “The willingness to engage in such monomaniacal levels of effort… is related to a sense of vocation.” (He hedges on the common definition of vocation as being “called by God,” offering a more generalized definition that focuses awareness of one’s life mission; their purpose.)

What we do with this sense of purpose is a great source of energy. Our challenge lies in becoming aware of our purpose and then remembering it so we feel renewed and refreshed on a daily basis.

Next, Murray suggests that autonomy is another significant source of energy. For him, “a major stream of human accomplishment is fostered by a culture that encourages the belief that individuals can act efficaciously as individuals, and enables them to do so.” For individuals, autonomy is defined as the belief in one’s individual power to fulfill life purpose through action. This concept does not preclude individuals from working together, but emphasizes the point that creativity may ultimately come down to small solitary acts.

Much of the energy derived from autonomy stems from an awareness that life purpose can be pursued despite obstacles, disagreement, peer pressure, or confrontation. The more an individual willingly stands alone to achieve a goal, the greater the energy that person will generate. And if the surrounding culture supports autonomy, creativity and achievement will be all the greater.

Our research indicates that many people can identify some purpose in life, whether a long-term goal, or a temporary one. Most of us, however, are challenged by our lack of autonomy. Whether we are unwilling to challenge a culture, stand up for a new idea, resist the urge to give in to pressure from others, we short change ourselves by dodging the countercultural possibilities that creativity and achievement demand. Autonomy requires realizing that pursuing our goals may take us out of the mainstream. Are we willing to accept the realities of true autonomy and thus energize our pursuit of greatness?

The Greatness Project^TM is researched and written by:

Scott Asalone & Jan Sparrow