Mindset Matters - Episode #156 - Throwback Thursday - The 5 "P"'s to Motivation

Summary

Episode Summary: Mindset Matters - Episode #156 - Throwback Thursday - The 5 "P"’s to Motivation

Release Date: October 24, 2024
Hosts: Patrick O. and Stephanie Hanlon
Podcast: The Everyday Millionaire

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Introduction

In Episode #156 of The Everyday Millionaire titled "Mindset Matters - Throwback Thursday - The 5 'P's to Motivation," hosts Patrick O. and Stephanie Hanlon engage in a deep exploration of the various factors that drive human motivation. Drawing from personal experiences and professional insights, the duo breaks down motivation into distinct categories using the framework of the "P's." This episode serves as a valuable guide for listeners seeking to understand their own motivational drivers and how to harness them for personal and professional growth.

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The 5 "P's" of Motivation

1. People

Patrick and Stephanie begin by discussing how some individuals are primarily motivated by interactions with others. Patrick explains:

Patrick O. [08:29]: "People who are motivated by other people are in the energy of that. They like the accountability part of it. They like the acknowledgement part of it."

Stephanie adds that while being around others can provide support and encouragement, over-reliance on external validation can lead to people-pleasing behaviors.

Stephanie Hanlon [11:04]: "If you're a people motivated person that you're really looking to that support of going, 'Wow, you got this. Couldn't have done it without you,' overdone can turn into people pleasing."

Key Insights:

• Strengths: Enhanced teamwork, accountability, and mutual support.
• Potential Pitfalls: Risk of losing individual direction and excessive dependence on group approval.

2. Purpose

The conversation shifts to purpose, emphasizing its role in providing a deeper sense of fulfillment.

Patrick O. [12:56]: "When people come away, they are feeling motivated or inspired to be their greatest self. Can I live my life in a better way? Can I be my best self?"

Stephanie underscores the importance of connecting individuals to their "why" to ignite genuine passion.

Stephanie Hanlon [13:37]: "When you connect people to what it is that they say they want, if we can figure out why they want it, then we're connecting to purpose."

Key Insights:

• Strengths: Long-term fulfillment, alignment with personal values, and meaningful impact.
• Potential Pitfalls: Difficulty in identifying purpose can lead to stagnation.

3. Pursuit

Pursuit-driven individuals are characterized by their competitive nature and dedication to achieving specific goals.

Patrick O. [17:35]: "Pursuit people are generally competitive. They want to be the best by outworking and outlasting the competition."

Stephanie notes that pursuit is often about self-improvement rather than external competition.

Stephanie Hanlon [17:35]: "It's about being their best selves. It comes from knowing that what they've done is going to pay off."

Key Insights:

• Strengths: High levels of discipline, resilience, and goal-oriented behavior.
• Potential Pitfalls: Risk of burnout, reluctance to seek help, and possible alienation from others.

4. Pressure

Pressure-motivated individuals thrive in high-stakes environments and often perform their best under tight deadlines.

Patrick O. [21:17]: "I will literally leave it to the last two days and I'll put in 10 hours in the last couple of days to get that presentation put together."

Stephanie observes that while pressure can drive performance, it can also lead to stress and aggressive behavior.

Stephanie Hanlon [24:33]: "That pressure can be really... It can be hardcore."

Key Insights:

• Strengths: Enhanced focus, ability to meet tight deadlines, and surge in productivity.
• Potential Pitfalls: Increased stress levels, potential for mistakes, and negative impact on well-being.

5. Passion

Passion is often cited as a key motivator, but Patrick and Stephanie delve into its complexities.

Patrick O. [24:33]: "The fifth P that we're gonna talk about is passion. And this is one that you and I bump up against in terms of supporting people around."

Stephanie challenges the conventional wisdom of "following your passion," suggesting that purpose should precede passion for sustainable fulfillment.

Stephanie Hanlon [25:09]: "I don't believe that find your passion and profit will follow... I believe that purpose allows us to identify what we're passionate about."

Key Insights:

• Strengths: Deep emotional engagement and sustained interest.
• Potential Pitfalls: Passion without purpose can lead to lack of direction and financial instability.

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Integrating the P's for Balanced Motivation

Both hosts emphasize the importance of a balanced approach to motivation, suggesting that relying on a single "P" can lead to vulnerabilities. They advocate for understanding one's dominant motivators and integrating multiple "P's" to achieve a more holistic and resilient motivational framework.

Patrick O. [32:06]: "If you can be passionate about your purpose and you can profit from it, that's a pretty great place to be."

Stephanie echoes this sentiment, highlighting the need for depth and variety in one's sources of motivation.

Stephanie Hanlon [33:27]: "Profit is not the only thing that can drive people. If it is, it's going to get really shallow."

Key Insights:

• Holistic Motivation: Combining multiple motivators leads to greater fulfillment and adaptability.
• Self-Awareness: Recognizing one's motivational drivers is crucial for personal growth and overcoming challenges.

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Personal Reflections and Conclusion

The episode concludes with Patrick and Stephanie sharing personal insights and acknowledging each other's strengths. Stephanie celebrates Patrick's birthday, highlighting the supportive dynamics of their partnership.

Stephanie Hanlon [34:33]: "Happy birthday, babe. I love you and this was fun."

Patrick wraps up by encouraging listeners to reflect on their own motivations and seek fulfillment through understanding their purpose.

Patrick O. [35:05]: "If you found value in the podcast, please take the time to rate and review and share with others. Share with your friends."

Final Thoughts: This episode provides a comprehensive framework for understanding motivation through the lens of the "P's." By dissecting each motivator and discussing their interplay, Patrick and Stephanie offer listeners actionable insights to identify and cultivate their own sources of motivation, ultimately guiding them toward becoming Everyday Millionaires in their personal and professional lives.

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Notable Quotes:

• Patrick O. [08:29]: "People who are motivated by other people are in the energy of that."
• Stephanie Hanlon [11:04]: "Overdone can turn into people pleasing."
• Patrick O. [12:56]: "Can I live my life in a better way? Can I be my best self?"
• Stephanie Hanlon [13:37]: "If we can figure out why they want it, then we're connecting to purpose."
• Patrick O. [17:35]: "They want to be the best by outworking and outlasting the competition."
• Patrick O. [21:17]: "I will literally leave it to the last two days and I'll put in 10 hours."
• Stephanie Hanlon [24:33]: "That pressure can be really... It can be hardcore."
• Stephanie Hanlon [25:09]: "Purpose allows us to identify what we're passionate about."
• Patrick O. [32:06]: "If you can be passionate about your purpose and you can profit from it, that's a pretty great place to be."
• Stephanie Hanlon [33:27]: "If you don't have the other five or six Ps, how deep is your life."

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By offering a structured breakdown of the "P's" and integrating personal anecdotes, this episode equips listeners with the tools to analyze and enhance their own motivational strategies, paving the way for sustained success and personal fulfillment.

Transcript

[Patrick O.]

Hi there, and welcome to this episode of the Everyday Millionaire Mindset Matters podcast, where I'm joined by my wife, Olympic mental performance coach Stephanie Hanlon. Franci. In these episodes, Stephanie and I have a conversation about the different aspects of what we refer to as Mindset Matters because we believe that for those who are awake, we are living in and through the most impactful time in history. Your view of the world is the filter for how you will experience the evolution and changing dynamics of it. Our intention is to provide you with ideas, nutritious food for thought, and some tools that you can use to help you in being your greatest self and living your best life. Listen in. Enjoy. Hey, folks. Welcome to the Everyday Millionaire Mindset Matters podcast. Stephanie, hello.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Hey, hon.

[Patrick O.]

Now, some people don't realize that we're not in the same room when we do this podcast, by the way. You know, they're not realizing, like, why do you say hi that way? Well, it's because we're not in the same room. And so if you're listening.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Or the same building.

[Patrick O.]

Or the same building, that's why. So just a little bit of, you.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Know, I haven't seen you in a while, babe.

[Patrick O.]

At least ten minutes. Okay, so we've got another great show lined up and a conversation. You know, I did a podcast with an old friend of mine. I just recorded it a couple days ago with Alan Khan. Now, Alan Khan has been a guest on the Everyday Millionaire podcast. I think this was his sixth time, by the way. Six times. And he's so popular and he's so good. And we had just a fabulous conversation. But it was interesting that it really kind of inspired me, but also drove the conversation for the podcast that we're going to do today, which is all about performance. And we were going to title it the five Ps, but we realize there's probably more like six or seven. But let's start with the first five. How's that?

[Stephanie Hanlon]

And you know what? This was really inspired for me when I was in Florida a couple weeks ago with the Ice Academy in Montreal, and we were doing a workshop with the PSA, which is the Professional Skaters association, through US Figure Skating. And Betsy Butterick, she was presenting this PowerPoint, this conversation about how people are motivated and what motivates them. Are they motivated by impact? Are people motivated by challenge? Are you. What are you motivated by? Because as a coach, we also want to figure out what people are motivated by. We're all motivated. Motivated by different things. And you know how I feel about motivation.

[Patrick O.]

Well, it's interesting because we both get asked that question often, which is, how do we motivate people? And. Or how can we motivate you? Like, so if a potential client is coming in, I need to be motivated. Well, okay, we're not motivation coaches. So, you know, it's an interesting dynamic that people, they don't necessarily understand it, but that's what we're here to do. We're adding some clarity to it. If we can get this first few minutes of our podcast and what the hell we're talking about here is the five P's. Let's get to it. We're talking about motivation, and I'm going to throw to you in just a minute. We're talking about motivation. What we've come to understand and that we have really, over the years have learned is that some people are motivated by other people. So in other words, what gets me going is other people. And then that's a. That's a P, by the way. People starts with P. And then that kind of falls into the box of impact. So motivated by impact with people and with purpose. And then the challenge. There's some people are motivated by challenge, which is pursuit and pressure. Those are the challenging sides of it. You actually added another one called profit, and I kind of looked at this and said, you know something? We're missing passion. So so far, we're up to six Ps, right?

[Stephanie Hanlon]

And you know what's interesting? If we talk about ourselves and we look at, you know, are we motivated by impact or as a. As a person, am I motivated by challenge? And I look at us as a couple. Me, I'm impact full on. I truly believe you're motivated by challenge. We're in the. We're in the two different quadrants. So if you're watching us on YouTube, you know, there's things that we can talk about and we can't really share a screen yet, but there's two different ways of looking at how people are motivated. And when you think about the word motivation, it's move to act. Motivate, Move to act. You break the word down. And what moves you. So I look at what moves me is purpose. It's am I making a difference in somebody's life? I'm not a huge people person. As an introvert, one of the jokes that people say about me all the time is that I'm not that nice of a person, but I'm really committed to everybody's outcomes. I'm not nice, but I'm kind. So when you think about Purpose and people, to me, they're not super aligned. On the other side of the scale, there's pursuit and pressure. A lot of people look to competition or they look to something that creates pressure on them, that motivates them. So if we think about the four quadrants, people, purpose, pursuit and pressure, I think it's really important that we break it down so people understand what motivates them or what motivates the people around them.

[Patrick O.]

Well, you know, it's interesting that this brought up some thoughts around how we operate, you know, what is our operating system. And I'm using, you know, some language that I haven't tapped into for a while, and that' because of my recent conversation with Alan, when we look at our operating system. So when we consider these things, you know, people purpose as an example of what motivates us. So let's break that down. Pursuit and pressure. Now, I like pressure, but I'm not particularly competitive. I don't believe I am anyways. I mean, some would argue I'm very competitive with myself in terms of how I push myself. And I think that's where the pressure comes into play. And I think we would be doing everybody a service if we kick this off with some, I guess, definitions of what this all means. But before we do that, because we're trying to grow our YouTube channel, it's a reminder that if you're listening to this on audio, so I have to say that we're blowing it out of the water in terms of listenership on the audio side. You know, literally tens of thousands of people listen to our podcasts, the plural, you know, every month. And we're trying to grow our YouTube channel. And so for those of you who are listening to audio, if you'd like to see our smiling faces, come on over to YouTube like us, share, subscribe, you know, hit the bell, get the notifications. All of the things that we do to get the algorithms fired up to create a community of mindset matters. So we are working on that now. Okay, I think that's all I got to say about heading over to YouTube. And for those of you who are listening to audio, remember to share the podcast comment. You know, actually you can send an email to coincanada.com Throw in those files. So when we look at the definition of all of these things, we can start to consider, well, what is this that you guys are trying to talk about? And if we're motivated by people, it really means that we like to be around other individuals. When we got a project going on we need that support of others, the encouragement of others. Those who are motivated by other people in the room, you know, often are using the phrase, you know, I couldn't have done it without you. And. Well, that's probably very true. Nobody's just saying it. That really is how they feel about it. And they actually are feeling really fulfilled when they're appreciated by those that they participated with. And that's a big difference between those. And let's say for you, who's a little bit of an introvert or a lot of an introvert, where that works for you, but it's not.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Actually doesn't drive me.

[Patrick O.]

It doesn't drive you. So, you know, when we look at people who are motivated by working with other people, they want to be in that energy of others. And I like that, personally. I like that.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Well, think about Breakfast Club, for example, in Rain. It's like finding accountability partners, for example, and feeling like you're relying on other people and they're relying on you. And it's very motivating to help move things forward. But I don't see, for me, other people helping me get to my goals. I get that I can make a difference, but I don't actually look to other people for acknowledgement.

[Patrick O.]

So there's a part of it that you're just in the energy of it. You know, people who are driven by people motivated by other people are in the energy of that. They like the accountability part of it. They like the acknowledgement part of it. And if you're with a group of people who like other people, then there's just a lot of energy in there. And, you know, for those of you who are motivated by people, it just seems, well, of course that's how it all works. No, it's not. Not everybody fires on those cylinders and don't feel that way. You know, where they can get stuck? For example, people working with people is when they don't feel like they're needed, they're valued, or they're part of the group. So in other words, if you're working with a bunch of people and you're like the odd person out, then of course, that could in fact shut you down and you're going, what the hell am I even doing here? These people don't even like me, or I'm not being a contribution or whatever the story is that they have. And so at that point, some people will start to people, please to try and be part of the group. So there is a psychology to all of this, which is to say what motivates you and understanding the circumstance and the environment you need to create for yourself to actually get involved and to move a project.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

We know the ins and outs of insurance can be frustrating. We'll help you get the carbon that works for you and fits your budget. Visit oregonhealthcare.gov to get started today. It's funny that you say that, is that there's a line that our strengths overdone become our weaknesses. So think about if you're a people motivated person that you're really looking to that support of going, wow, you got this. Couldn't have done it without you. Overdone can turn into people pleasing. Right. So you think about that term is like our strengths overdone become our weaknesses.

[Patrick O.]

Yeah. And we've seen that many times and I've experienced that personally and learned those lessons over time. Now, we're going to keep going through this because the next one on the list is one that you and I, and many, by the way, this is so important that is driven by purpose. And you know, people who are motivated by purpose are inspired by their, I guess we'll call it their cause, their reason for doing it, or they're calling. Yeah, that's another. Yeah, that's some language. There's some, you know, they're calling their purpose, which is something that's greater than them. You know, I know that I'm driven by purpose to make a difference in other people's lives, to actually drive others into what's next for them. In other words, can I motivate you? Can I inspire you? Can I share some wisdom that will get you closer to the outcome? That's my purpose. So when I kind of distill that is actually one of my calling cards, is being your greatest self and living your best life. So that's all to say that in my world, in terms of how I look at purpose, when people come away, they are feeling motivated or inspired to be their greatest self. Can I up my game a little bit? Can I live my life in a better way? Can I be my best self? So that's always my purpose when I'm having conversations with people. And it's been that way for a lot of years where it's like this podcast. We don't get paid to do a podcast. We do a podcast because it's part of our purpose, which is to inspire, to motivate, to share knowledge and hopefully support people in being their best selves, living their greatest lives, to actually up their game. So that's the reason that we do this podcast as one example. That's just part of our purpose.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

When you think about purpose and what tends to work is that for me, I feel honored. I feel, I feel like if I'm supporting somebody to be their best, the best version of themselves, and that's my purpose, then that aligns with the decisions that I make. And bigger than that, it's about connecting people to their why. I don't know what everybody's why is, why they're doing things, why they're motivated. But when you think about when you connect people or I connect people to what it is that they say they want, if we can figure out why they want it, then we're connecting to purpose.

[Patrick O.]

So, you know, when you look at the real estate investment network, when we look at that as a business model, you know, one of the things that's really great about the real estate investment network is we support others in achieving their goals of whatever financial definition they have, financial freedom, security, certainty, and they happen to do it through investing in real estate. So if we can support people in doing that, for me, that is a really, you know, big part of how I want to live my purpose, which is to support others in achieving their goals. In this case, it happens to be through real estate. Through our coaching programs, we're supporting people in achieving their goals by breaking through whatever barriers they might have, whatever challenges, you know, coming into the context of self awareness. These are all things, these are all part of our purpose. That's why we're on this earth. From our perspective, we're here to support others in living their best life. So that's part of what drives us. And it's such an important part of what we do. I think it kind of manifests in every conversation that we have. It often seems to go that direction.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

You know, what's really funny about that is that we get so excited about that. One of the things that we have to look about is, you know, when you get stuck is that if I can't want success for other people more than they want it, right? And if I'm seeing a purpose, if I'm seeing cause to action, if I'm seeing efforts showing up in a measurable way, and it's amazing and I'm excited about it and. But they don't. That's really disappointing for me that, that, you know, from a purpose, as a purpose driven person, if I can't link people to their purpose, I really get stuck and I have to really take a look at that. And I think for people that are purpose driven. Pay attention to where you get stuck.

[Patrick O.]

That's a tough one. And you know, we often say this as coaches is that we can't want something for somebody more than they want it for themselves. And this is a perfect time, by the way, to throw in a little bit of an infomercial to say we've launched our shift program. You can go into the description or the link below and or the show notes to find out the shift program, the details of it. If you want to inquire or find out more about the program, then you can reach out to that contact in the registration page. We'd love to have you join us. Okay, so we talk about purpose, and now we're going into what else motivates people.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Pursuit.

[Patrick O.]

Pursuit.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Pursuit.

[Patrick O.]

Yeah. So this is an interesting one. So, you know, by definition, when we look at pursuit, pursuit, peoples are competitive by nature. They seem to be very competitive. It's funny over the years how many people we've met, they're going, oh, I'm not competitive. Oh, yes, you are.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Yeah, you are.

[Patrick O.]

They don't see it in themselves. And that's always an interesting one. So if you don't think you are competitive, it's sometimes good to ask a close friend, do you think I'm competitive? And you'll find out the answer to that question. So pursuit people are generally competitive. They want to be the best by outworking and outlasting the competition. Now, I have a little bit of this in me, that pursuit. You know, I always say, my shoulders are wider, my skin is thicker, I'm going to push through. That's a little bit of the pursuit in me, but it's not competitive as in, I want to win. That's the biggest thing for me. Now they're going to go to the field on their own or track on extra reps to their workouts. So again, I'm competitive with myself. My trainer says, Do 10 to 12. I'm always going to do 12. I'm rarely going to do eight or 10. And so that's part of me. And the fulfillment comes from knowing that their discipline and hard work help them achieve their goals. And I have to say, for me, that's a big part of what I do. But it's not in a competitive way with others. What about you?

[Stephanie Hanlon]

I think for in my world, in the last 12 years with, working with Olympic athletes is what generally drives athletes is pursuit. They want to become an Olympian. They want to commit, they want to win. They want to not just, you know, I've been able to reframe it. It's not like beating other people. It's about being their best selves. It comes from knowing that what they've done is going to pay off and knowing that who they've had to become to achieve that, that's the pursuit in itself. So when you have specific goals and that you're working on them on their own timeline. See that's the thing is that with Olympics, for example, we're working back from a quadrennial. Every four years there's something that's happening, but we have a four year window. So we get to design and decide what you're doing. And you can be trusted, you can be trusted to do the work. The people that are driven by pursuit really honor independence. They honor the ability that they're going to do it. They don't need to be motivated from outside. They don't need to be whipped or they don't need to be told they're, you know, that they suck or they're not moving in, you know, at the right pace. They know people that are pursuit driven know that there's an Olympic Games every four years and they're working backwards from that.

[Patrick O.]

So where people can get stuck in the pursuit is when they hit an obstacle and they don't think they can surpass it on their own. So they bump up against whatever ceiling of limitation that is. And maybe they don't necessarily feel comfortable reaching out to anybody. That is a sign of weakness. So there is this, that's the self awareness part of it. We're not talking about that today. But there is a self awareness where in the pursuit they bump up against the obstacle. It shuts them down. But because they have a, I guess they're not driven by the people part of it. They don't want to share that I'm stuck or that they're stuck.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Yeah, that's true.

[Patrick O.]

And so then they kind of shut down because of that. So they can get also get stuck when it's mandated that they rely on others to follow that program to achieve those goals. And especially if the goal wasn't set by them for themselves, that will shut those in pursuit down. So these are qualities. So if you're listening to this still and you're wondering where do you fit in this? You know, we've looked at it and we've gone, okay, we've talked about am I motivated by people, am I motivated by purpose, am I motivated by the pursuit of things and, or am. And finally, am I motivated by pressure and Pressure people thrive on the sort of high stakes environment. So in other words, I know for myself, I like pressure. And it's funny. The pressure doesn't have to be the judgment of others, although that could be a consequence. I'm going to just speak for myself. If I have a deadline of two weeks, I will literally leave it to the last two days. It could be a huge project, a big presentation. I could be having to present to 500 people. I know this about myself I'm sharing this, is that I will literally leave it to the last couple of days and I'll put in 10 hours in the last couple of days to get that presentation put together. Maybe it shows up. Maybe I'm not as good at presenting as I think. But anyways, I just know that I operate better under pressure and I put that pressure on myself. And I've observed that over the past couple of years particularly. And anyways, that's all I got to say about that. I'm just calling myself out.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Yeah, you totally are. And what's really hilarious is that before this conversation, I don't think you would have called yourself a pressure motivated person. But, you know, hearing you disclose the fact that you wait till the last minute, especially because when we do this podcast, you want to be super organized and control and have notes and all this stuff, and I'm like, let's do this. We can do this talk. We can riff. But you are pressure driven. And what's really funny is that you like to be the last line of defense. You like to be the hero. And I love that about you. And ultimately is that that helps me. It helps me keep motivated. It keeps my morale high. It keep. It allows us to keep score. Like, I know that I'm not a huge pressure person. I don't like pressure. I will rather just go and sit by the pool and relax, you know, rather than enter the pressure game. I don't like leaving things to the last moment, but I like that you do. I like that you do because it actually forces me to look at things and to move things forward with urgency.

[Patrick O.]

Well, it's interesting that we bring this up, you know, because as you're just speaking right now, I'm thinking about that. And I do love the pressure, by the way. I don't know that it's, you know, I come in last minute to be the hero. I don't think that's my kind of my thought around it, even subconsciously. But I do like to know, or I like people to know that if I'm in that, because I'm also part of that process of I like people around me is that I am a line of defense. So in other words, I got you. That's how I think about it, is that you can count on me that if we need to get this done, we're going to get it done. And I don't care if I'm going to go 247 because of the timelines, I'll just get it done. That's what you can count on me for. So I don't know. That's the kind of pressure that I operate the best under, knowing that I can pull it off. I have a lot of confidence in myself to do that. I don't know. What's your. What's your thoughts on that, coach? What's your thoughts on that, coach?

[Stephanie Hanlon]

No, I get that ultimately, when I hear you say that, I don't know if I 100% agree. Just because you do have a bit of a hero complex, like, you like to be the person that brings everything home. But where. Here's where. What's interesting is where you get stuck. Where you get stuck is when there's no kind of clear finish line. My experience, I'm not saying it's right or wrong. I'm just saying there's no clear finish line. And. And if you're motivating other people and you're really rah rah and all that stuff, but it eventually has to end with a result. Like what? Some sort of success or some sort of event that you can celebrate. And I know that when you have a great rain event, for example, and you have that moment of relief and you can relax and like, that's a big deal. But sometimes if. If things are like, just kind of going along and we're just doing stuff for fun, like you just really get stuck and you just push through. And sometimes you can be a bit of a dick and it's not fun for me or for the people around you because that pressure can be really. I don't want to use the word aggressive, but it can be hardcore.

[Patrick O.]

Oh, that's because you're not driven by pressure, which I am. So then that is part of this conversation. Now. We've only covered four P's and we gotta keep moving on here. The fifth P that we're gonna talk about is passion. And this is one that you and I bump up against in terms of supporting people around. They're going, I just don't have any passion or I don't know what I'm supposed to be passionate about. People tell me I'm supposed to follow my passion. I have no passion. Passion, passion, passion. What the hell do we, you know, what do we want to say about that? I mean, I've got a thought on it. You share your thoughts on it.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Yeah, I do too. And unfortunately, I think, I don't know if we agree on this one. But when I feel and see people trying to find their bliss or find their passion and then they're being coached or they're being told that find your passion and profit will follow and find your passion and your life will be amazing. I actually don't believe that because I believe that on so many levels is that purpose allows us. When we can identify our purpose, we become passionate about things that matter to us. And that what, what brings a tear to your eye, what, what fires you up, what do you love to do? Doesn't come from that passion first. Do you know how many starving artists I know because they're passionate about their art or they're passionate about their acting, or they're passionate about something, but there's no way to live a life like that. But if you flip it and go, what if my purpose is linked to my passion? And you flip it, but if you put passion first, I don't know, I, that's, I really struggle with that.

[Patrick O.]

Well, I think that people overall can be confused by passion and purpose. I like and agree with what you said, is that, you know, ultimately if you have a really clear purpose, you can be very passionate about it. And I believe that both you and I have done a pretty good job over the years of understanding what our purpose is. And we're pretty passionate about it on a kind of a day to day basis. It's how we live our life. It's how we make decisions around our businesses. It's how we move forward. Now, that's to say this for somebody who's struggling, you know, and when we're working with coaching clients or even within the shift program, it's really how do we help people get to what their purpose is? And it gets a little complex because what is your purpose? And you ask yourself, well, why am I even here? What am I doing? Why am I doing what I'm doing? And of course we see it with, for example, parents. You know, part of their purpose is to raise their children in a powerful way. You know, to really make a difference in the world is to raise amazing children from a parents. And I know I'm generalizing, but that could be a very Clear purpose. But what happens when those kids get to the point where they don't need you so much anymore? You know, these are things that start to shift. And are kids a real purpose? I don't know. That's a course, a whole big debate.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Oh, wow. We should do a whole podcast on that.

[Patrick O.]

So when we look at purpose, it's always about something far greater than yourselves. And that, of course, is often for many is the gift of children. So let's take that one off the table for now and just say that I'm looking or you are looking at your life and saying, what is my purpose? Why am I here? Where can I make a difference? We've talked about this many times is where do you get to be a contribution? Where do you make a difference in somebody else's life? You know, we have had, you know, different segments where we've talked about where do you get to show up to bring your gift, to elevate those around you in a powerful way? And is that your purpose? Now? This is a conversation that kind of seems normal to us. And I'm bringing this up because Alan and I talked about this on our podcast. I mean, this is a guy who has worked with literally tens of thousands. I mean, he's 73 years old. He's been originally part of the landmark series, the landmark coaching programs. He was significant in that. Like, he's literally worked with thousands. And he said it's the biggest. One of the biggest challenges that they face is people finding their purpose.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Yeah, I think because we've conflated passion and purpose, you know, And I think the difference is that if we can remove the emotion of passion and link it to purpose, then I think a lot of the people that we work with are the people. I don't know a lot about the landmark work, but I understand that it's very powerful and it's extremely inspiring for many, many people. But when you remove passion and say, okay, I know what you love to do, I know what you're passionate about. Like, maybe you're passionate about the environment, you want to save the whales, but you can't do that if you don't have a purpose. You don't have a driving. Why. Why are you want. Why do you want to save the whales? Why? Because what I've discovered over the years with my clients is that a lot of times the passion becomes the excuse. It becomes an excuse not to actually commit to their purpose, commit to the long term pain. And that's the other p. Is that there's A lot of pain if you're driven by passion, less pain if you're driven by purpose, in my experience.

[Patrick O.]

So there's a couple of things around all of this is that understanding that fulfillment lives in contribution when you're being a contribution to others. So if you can sit back and go, why am I here? What is my purpose? Well, you know, at its core your purpose is to be a contribution outside of yourself. That is really why we're on this planet, I believe. Now some of you may be saying, you're full of shit, Francie, and I don't agree with you, and that's fine. But really look at where do you get your fulfillment from? Where do you feel the best is when you're generally for most is when you're making a difference in others lives. And that's what we are trying to kind of in a long conversation get you connected to, which is around the purpose. Now to expand on that because there's one other P that we didn't touch on and that was profitable because here's the thing about it, you can live your purpose, which is bigger and greater than you. It is outside of you, but is profitable. It is a way to. I mean, it's kind of an ideal situation when you get to make a difference in other people's lives, to be a contribution, to live your purpose, to live that life that lights you up and be paid for it. And that's a pretty great place to be. And so when we can be passionate about our purpose and we can profit from it. Wow, have we ever got a winning combination? Because we want to get out of bed in the morning, we want to go do what we love to do, we want to interact and do what lights us up. And that's a pretty big deal. And we've been pretty blessed, you know, in spite of all the challenges that we have faced over the years or the pressure, or the pressure, it's probably my fault, I'm saying is that that is really a great life to live. And I can tell you that within the programs that we've coached with the people we've coached is that is always where we want to direct people. What is it that you're all about in your life? What do you want to add to that?

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Well, I think the biggest thing is that we take all of the P's and we see what motivates individuals. Like we're all motivated by different things. But what if, just consider for a moment, is that in our lifetime, what if we are connected to people? What if we are connected to purpose, what if we're connected to pressure? What if we're connected to profit and purpose and all the things? What if it's all one thing? What if we look at our lives and don't say we're just. We're motivated by, you know, profit? Well, you know, what if you're only motivated by profit? That's really limiting and, you know, yay for you for making a shit ton of money or something. But if you don't have the other five or six Ps, how deep is your life? We have one life. Life is short. And we have an opportunity to make a difference right now in our world. You know, profit is not the only thing that can drive people. If it is, it's going to get really shallow. Pressure is not the only thing that drives people. Honestly, when you think about pursuit, if you're only just driven by one thing, it's going to get really old. Because eventually, when you get that Olympic medal or that Stanley cup, now what? Right back to our conversation about now what?

[Patrick O.]

People come and people go. So whatever it is that motivates you, the first step is always to bring your awareness to what it is that, you know, lights you up. What is it that kind of inspires you and motivates you and then creating the environment for yourself to do that. So if you're feeling on an ongoing basis for an extended period of time, unmotivated or unfulfilled or feeling like you're not making a difference in this world, or asking yourself, why the hell am I even here? One of the conversations that is good to enter, one of the awarenesses to bring yourself to is what is my purpose? What really, in fact, lights me up, where I'm making a difference in the world that isn't just about me. And so these are conversations that are incomplete. Let's face it, it's not a complete conversation. But if we can get you asking yourselves some questions, then that will lead to hopefully bigger and greater things. Stephanie, I'll leave the last words for you. Kind of. I always wrap it up.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

Thanks, babe. Like, when you think about it, I just want to acknowledge, you know what? Happy birthday. We had a big week. We had our anniversary. We had your milestone birthday. We've had people here for, you know, 10 days, and then we had a couple of days of just chilling. So I just want to acknowledge you and thank you for driving this podcast and. And finding a place and being patient with me. That's the other P. There's a lot of P's.

[Patrick O.]

I don't know how patient I am, but anyways, thank you.

[Stephanie Hanlon]

You are, you're patient with me because you know my issues and my lack of ability to focus. And you, you give me a place to express and which is my purpose. So happy birthday, babe. I love you and this was fun.

[Patrick O.]

Beautiful. Thanks, everybody. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for listening. If you found value in the podcast, please take the time to rate and review and share with others. Share with your friends, as it is my goal to always improve and to provide the highest value for you, the listener. If you have any comments, suggestions, or questions you'd like answered, please email me at [e-mail]. that's [e-mail]. i look forward to hearing from you. And until next time, Patrick O.