Nobody can tell you what your purpose is, but once you have found it, you will be inspired to take action and others will be happy to follow you.

Obstacles that loom large for others will disappear. Fear and self-doubt will also disappear, because passion dissolves fear. You will live in your most courageous self and realize your personal mission.

What’s Your One Thing?

Executive and sales teams we’ve worked with regularly give one another the finger (not the middle one) and greatly appreciate the gesture!

Where did this use of the finger originate? It comes from the 1991 movie “City Slickers,” an entertaining flick that combined philosophy and comedy (a “philomedy”)! In the movie, Mitch, played by Billy Crystal, and two of his buddies head off to New Mexico to “find themselves.” They take on the roles of cowboys and participate in a cattle drive headed by Curly, played by Jack Palance, a crusty but wise, tough-as-nails trail boss. After a rough beginning to their relationship, Mitch and Curly engage in a conversation that went like this:

Curly: “You know what the secret of life is?”

Mitch: “No, what?”

Curly: “This.” (Curly holds up a single, crooked, arthritic-looking index finger.)

Mitch: “Your finger?”

Curly: “One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that, and everything else don’t mean sh#*!”

Mitch: “That’s great, but what’s the one thing?”

Curly: “That’s what you’ve got to figure out.”

Curly’s message is simple yet profound, and it’s at the heart of becoming a high-performing individual or organization.

We can all be high performers. Both high performance and genius are created where our greatest passions and competencies intersect.

For example, the only person I’ve ever known who could make me belly laugh until I cried, anytime she wanted, was a developmentally disabled woman named Ruth Ann. Ruth Ann struggled with many things, but she was a genius of subtle humor and she loved to make people laugh and made it her personal mission to do so. Creating laughter was her one thing and she was brilliant at it.

Individually, each of us needs to figure out: what’s my one thing? When we do and choose to pursue our purpose, life becomes simpler, less confusing and more focused — putting us on the path to high performance in whatever we choose.

Have you figured out your one thing? Thanks for sharing.

For questions about this post or for information on becoming a fearless leader, contact Dr. Cathy Greenberg and The Fearless Leader Group at (888) 320-1299 or by email at hello@fearlessequalsfreedom.com.