Back in April, I started a series of themes of the week based on a book I had been reading at the time by John Maxwell and Rob Hoskins called, Change Your World. The book was so impactful to me that I decided to do a series of podcast episodes, videos, and posts about it.
It was a nine-chapter book, but I knew I wanted to do a final episode as a wrap-up and as an introduction to the project/mission that the book was a catalyst to get me started doing.
However, while I was making my way through the series over the last two months, I read a couple of other books. One of them was saying and amplifying the same messages that Maxwell and Hoskins were giving us in Change Your World.
So, I decided that this week’s wrap-up would focus more on that book and the messages in it that were powerful and in line with what we have been talking about over the last couple of months.
The book is called Thought-Leader Launch, by Aurora Winter. While it is a really good book in many ways, and I believe you can get some good messages from it, it is actually written for people who consider themselves “thought leaders” who are looking for multiple ways to help get their brand more exposure.
Don’t let that scare you away from reading the rest of this post. I am not going to be talking about anything like that. I am going to tell you about the messages that were so impactful and so in line with what I have been talking about throughout my time writing about Change Your World.
Your MTP
Aurora Winter talked in her book about Your MTP. This is a concept I had heard others mention before, but I don’t remember if they used the exact same term for it.
You may be asking right now, “What is ‘Your MTP’?”
Your MTP is Your Massively Transformative Purpose.
Now consider what term you heard A LOT from Maxwell & Hoskins—Transformation.
The whole book Change Your World was about transformation.
After all, that’s what transformation is—making a change that transforms you.
The moment I read the chapter heading, Your Massively Transformative Purpose, I saw it as a sign. Someone was speaking directly to me. Someone was telling me that I had to read this chapter.
Winter said, “Your Massively Transformative Purpose is your North Star, your fuel, your magnet. It will make you unstoppable. It will make you compelling. It will attract support from unexpected quarters. Your clear intention is the firm foundation upon which everything else is built.”
I felt I was receiving another sign.
She continued, “Your purpose springs forth from the depth of your soul, fed by your unique life experiences…. You are unique, and your purpose is unique. You are the only person alive on planet earth who can fulfill your MTP precisely as you will. Therefore, it is both your joy and your responsibility.”
Yep. She was telling me I need to develop my Massively Transformative Purpose.
Because what I had been thinking about for months was something that was unique to me in some ways and right in line with my purpose in life that I had established for myself years ago.
And that purpose has provided me great joy over the last 40 years, while at the same time being what I have felt to be my greatest professional responsibility.
She also says that you should, “Define your Massively Transformative Purpose. A powerful MTP has a strong polarity. It is a magnet. It will repel and attract. Your tribe will say, “YES! I agree! How can I help?”
While some people will think you’re crazy or won’t like your MTP, those people who you would consider as being part of your tribe will be completely on board with you.
As you read my MTP below, I think many of you will be saying, as she put it, “YES! I agree! How can I help?” for I believe many of you will relate strongly to my MTP.
Buckminster Fuller
She then had numerous quotes and ideas from and about Buckminster Fuller. Fuller was an American architect, systems theorist, writer, designer, inventor, philosopher, and futurist. He is credited with many patents and inventions.
But the story of his transformation to bring his purpose to the world was what was so powerful. I won’t go into all of it here. Read the book, or do a Google search to find out about him.
But I will talk about a couple of his quotes that spoke directly to me.
Fuller had a bad string of luck with some really bad things that happened to him that had him in a total state of despair. In fact, it was so bad, he was going to kill himself. He then had a vision in which a voice spoke to him, telling him he had no right to kill himself.
Whether you believe such things can happen ultimately doesn’t matter. He believed it happened, and it led to him completely changing his life.
He decided right then and there not to kill himself and to live for a higher purpose.
So I vowed to keep myself alive, but only if I would never use me again just for me—each of us is born of two, and we really belong to each other. I vowed to do my own thinking instead of trying to accommodate everyone else’s opinions, credos, and theories. I vowed to apply my own inventory of experiences to the problems that affect everyone on planet earth.
I loved the concepts in that quote. He decided to always live for others, not for himself. He also decided not to be so concerned with other people’s “opinions, credos, and theories.”
Boy, did those two ideas hit me. Most of my professional life has been about others, mainly kids. I have devoted my life to trying to provide kids the best opportunities for positive experiences, both in the classroom and in the athletic arena.
However, all too often in my life, I have worried way too much about what other people will think of me or of my words, beliefs, and actions.
I have talked about this with you over the last few years, while vowing to change.
And yet, here I am, still fighting this flaw. I will probably continue to fight it throughout the rest of my life.
But that is no way to live if you’re going to fulfill your Massively Transformative Purpose.
So I need to keep focusing on doing what I need to do to fulfill my MTP and not worry so much about what you or anyone else is thinking of me, my MTP, or how I am going about fulfilling it.
There are many more great quotes from Fuller in the book, and once again, I encourage you to read it. But now, it’s time to talk about
My Massively Transformative Purpose
Winter told us to write down our MTP, followed by a series of “I am” statements.
Here is my MTP, followed by my “I am” statements.
My Massively Transformative Purpose
To help ALL kids have a positive, joyful, & impactful educational/athletic/activities experience. I will do this by working directly with kids. I will also do this by training and working with the adults involved in the kids’ experiences to be positive, encouraging, supportive, & empathetic Leaders of Significance in their kids’ lives. I am a conduit between those with the means to help financially support the training of those adults to the adults who will have great impact on the kids and then to the kids themselves who are seeking to receive that positive impact.
- I am positive.
- I am inquisitive.
- I am compassionate.
- I am empathetic.
- I am helpful.
- I am enthusiastic.
- I am disciplined, driven, focused, and fearless.
- I am a communicator.
- I am a catalyst for helpful change.
- I am a connector, bringing different people together to create great experiences for everyone involved in them.
Most of what you read in this purpose and the “I am” statements have guided me for the last 40 years, and I hope they will continue to guide me for the rest of my life.
Some of it, however, is new. It is a direct result of what I have decided to do with my new venture.
While my mission has not changed much, the way I want to be able to work at it and achieve my mission is going to be altered a bit. You will be hearing more about that next week.
I encourage you, too, to write down your MTP to help give you a direction, a focus, and of course, a purpose to zero in on as you make your way through life. And then write down the “I am” statements to give you an idea of who you need to be to fulfill it.
Moonshot Goal
Aurora Winter also talked about writing down your Moonshot Goal. She says that you should, “Step into a bigger vision for the global difference you can make.”
Sound familiar? While they weren’t talking global, weren’t John Maxwell and Rob Hoskins talking about the difference you can make by changing your world?
Your Moonshot Goal can help you do just that.
She goes on to say, “Think big, then 10X it. You are capable of much more than you think. … If you can help others persevere in the face of obstacles, your message is worth sharing. … If your expertise and experience can help others be healthier, happier, wealthier, your message is valuable.”
YES to every one of those ideas! When we create our MTP and then figure out a large goal to shoot for to achieve it, we can accomplish so much more than if we just stroll along through life, just handling things as they come up.
Take the time to create the purpose and the direction you want for life.
Figure out the plan for how to achieve them.
And then start taking action!
It is the only way for you to achieve your MTP.
So what is My Moonshot Goal?
I’m saving that for next week when I tell you about the mission that I am starting to work on and the ways I want to make it happen. You will also hear how you can be a part of it.
I think you’re going to want to be involved in this mission/project in some capacity, so make sure you come back next week to hear about it.
And if you don’t want to wait until next weekend to find out what it is, make sure you check out Monday’s Great Quotes for Coaches podcast episode or Wednesday’s video over on the SlamDunk Success YouTube Channel.