Here’s a good boy with, unfortunately, a very non-magical stick.
A boy named Leo heard a legendary story from his older brother Nick: somewhere in the great swath of woods behind their house was a little green stick, and written on that stick were words that would bring happiness to all mankind.
It was a made-up story, but a good bit kinder than most pranks older kids play on younger (I was taken snipe hunting more than once before I figured it out).
It didn’t matter to Leo when he found out the stick wasn’t real. He chased it all his life with every word he wrote. His full name? Leo Tolstoy.
Tolstoy’s books brought joy to millions for more than a century after he wrote them. But they weren’t quite the green stick he was looking for. He kept writing and thinking, but never found it before he died. He asked to be buried nearby those childhood woods, perhaps hoping to continue the search.
There is no green stick
Not literally, I mean. Nobody’s going to unearth a verdant Russian twig and find the secret to human happiness scribbled on it. But Tolstoy’s pursuit of that earthy branch transformed his life and work.
I’d like to think that every bit of truth and beauty in Tolstoy’s writings were done in imitation of the mythical writing on that stick he couldn’t find.
You could look at Tolstoy’s green stick as a failure in goal-setting: it was simply too unrealistic, like a monk seeking immortality through meditation or a kid shooting hoops in his backyard dreaming of the NBA.
I think it’s about transcendence.
Tolstoy knew three things: writing, sitting in chairs, and staring deep into your soul.
Why are you doing what you’re doing?
Tolstoy’s reason for being wasn’t finding something that fell off a tree. It was healing the hurt in the heart of every human being. The stick was a powerful story that gave shape to his healing goal. Tolstoy was a storyteller, after all.
Early in your career, you were just trying to survive. Get just enough to pay the mortgage. Once you had a business, get just enough to make payroll. But at some point, you had enough that you weren’t worried about surviving. You thought of something else: thriving.
Every person wants to be part of something bigger. They want their life to have some transcendent meaning. Your business is part of that. Answering “why you do what you do” does many things.
It clarifies your grand vision. If you know why you do it, “what to do next” becomes much clearer. Knowing the “why” helps you sell your team and your customers on that vision too.
It motivates. A reason for being helps us push through the savage wilderness of deadlines, meetings, interpersonal conflict, and all sorts of other modern swamps and brambles.
It satisfies. This is more important than you think. Nobody can look back on their life and say “I didn’t screw up.” Everyone has regrets. Being able to say “I built something good” is hugely satisfying. This is true even while you’re building it.
If you don’t have a “why” for your business or organization, that’s okay. It’s a big question without easy answers. You shouldn’t sit on your hands though, just waiting for the answer to come to you. We’ve helped lots of businesses around Western NY (and beyond) find those answers.
Give us a call. We’d love to help you see your purpose and vision more clearly.