Connecting with Our Childhood Dreams

Finding clarity in a purpose that fulfills us through even the toughest issues we deal with as leaders will require a definite answer to the question Why do you do what you do? Like the vast majority of people I know, the field I ended up in for the bulk of my adult life had very little to do with what I dreamed of being when I was a kid. With that being the case, I think it’s important to really consider what caused us to fantasize about those things to begin with; not just the fame and fortune that may have been associated with being an all star athlete or a movie star, but what aspect of it really appealed to us?

I guess as I think about it, there was a short period of time when I wanted to be a baseball star. I was really good, too - except for the running, hitting, and catching parts… But in complete transparency, I can’t recall a single time where I aspired to play any other professional sport even though the money and fame were certainly there. I think what drew me to baseball more than the rest combined was what I still enjoy about it today; it’s a team sport where even the smallest actions can contribute to the end results, there’s a ton of strategy involved, it’s not just about brute strength, and several of my family members enjoyed it.

Here’s where you may be asking, “Did Cindy leave Wes unsupervised again? Where’s he going with this?” While that’s often something to ponder, hang with me a bit here…

Every time Cindy and I work with groups or individuals today, we put a tremendous amount of energy into making sure whatever it is that we’re sharing can be easily received and can translate into action steps that achieve results. In baseball terms, we stack our lineup to have the best chance possible of getting on base and we make adjustments as needed. And just like the theme in Moneyball, we constantly drive the point that even the smallest action steps repeated with intention over time will produce results - as long as we measure the right things, like how often the guy gets on base…

It didn’t take all that long for me to come to terms with the fact that I’d probably never play baseball beyond farm league. But if I work to connect some of the most stressful things I do even today to the things I enjoyed most about baseball when I was a kid, the things that led me to briefly dream about doing that when I grew up, I can feel a sense of fulfillment that I just don’t get by simply going through the motions. The challenge is in tying these seemingly very different things together. When we’re able to do that, and ensure it’s around a purpose we can be passionate about, the work part becomes a much lighter burden. Then we just need to create a plan (or even better, a system) to keep it in front of us. But this requires understanding a few things about why we do what we do so we’ll pick up there next time…