Sometimes The Purpose Isn't The Purpose

Why we should look for the meaning behind the meaning.

It’s respray season in the ag retail world, and as a chemical rep, this is the season I have most dreaded since taking the role. Most of the time, pesticides work as they are intended. But, the few times they don’t, whether it’s due to environmental factors or otherwise, are the times we hear about it. To support our products, we spend time walking the fields where issues occurred, talking through better management practices to avoid it the following year, and simply listening to frustrations.

On this particular day, I’m headed to walk another field where my product didn’t do what we expected it to do. As the retail seller and I make a turn onto another country road, he suddenly hits the steering wheel. “I went the wrong way,” he says. “I’m so sorry, we’ll have to turn around.” I assure him it’s all good, I make wrong turns my fair share of the time, too, and we go back to our conversation about the field conditions.

Yet, on our way to the next field, he makes a similar mistake. “I know these fields like the back of my hand,” he says. “I’m so sorry, I have a lot on my mind this week. I shouldn’t be making mistakes like this.” I assure him, once again, that it’s okay. This time, I probe a bit more, and ask how he’s doing—actually, not just on the surface. As he begins to spill out how he’s dealing with delays on his home projects, in-laws coming to visit, and feeling inadequate in his job, I start to realize just how much weighs on not only his mind, but all of the ag retail sellers I work with. A role like that is incredibly challenging for many reasons, not the least of which is the pressure they have to constantly meet the expectations of the farmers they serve. And, as we make it to our final field stop of the afternoon, I start to think more deeply about the purpose of my own role.

Have you ever had a moment where you realize the reason you thought you were doing something is not actually the real purpose of why you’re there? Maybe you took a class because you needed it for your degree, but you end up making a lifelong friend in a group project and realize that’s the real reason you were in that class. Perhaps you took on an extra project at work because you hoped it would earn you some extra brownie points with your boss, but you ended up learning something you didn’t know you needed to be more effective at your current role. Regardless of the scenario, I think many of us find ourselves in situations where what we thought was the purpose actually turns out to be just a side note. That was me, walking non-performance claims on a hot June afternoon with my customer.

You see, as he and I looked at weeds that didn’t die, my mind kept running back to our earlier conversation. Here I was, thinking my purpose was to help him identify how to improve weed control next year, when all along the bigger purpose was something entirely beyond the water hemp in the field; I fully believe my purpose that day was to be one of very few people in his working circle who could remind him that his value was not defined by how “perfect” he was at work, and that it’s okay to be a human like everyone else, with work and family and life in general all wrapped up together. Yes, we talked through the weed control situation, but just about everyone in this industry can do that. Not everyone is willing to think beyond the work and listen to the people, though, and I’ve learned that type of listening is a gift I’ve been given with which to serve others. Until this moment, I assumed it didn’t apply, at least not much, to my job as a chemical rep. Now, I’m realizing it may be my primary purpose.

If you’ve been reading along with me for awhile, you know I’m big on application. So, what, if the purpose of my job isn’t what I think it is? Does it change anything about how I go about my day to day life? I think it does, for two primary reasons:

1) In moments where we don’t feel like the intended purpose is worthwhile, or it’s not even present, we can find value in the underlying purpose.

There are days in my job where I can see clearly the sales progress I’m making and how my work as a rep is helping my customers, whether it’s through a program, more product knowledge, or a training event. Yet, there are many more days where it’s not easy to see whether or not I’m making that type of progress. Those days are when the underlying purpose of being a supportive, genuine, thoughtful human for my customers is the only way to see how I’m adding value. The more we can see the purpose of what we’re doing, the more driven we are to continue giving our best. What does this mean for you, whether in your job, schooling, or other areas of your life? Where might you be capable of doing more if you start to shift where you look to measure your progress?

2) Even if we feel we’re fulfilling the intended purpose, we can do even more for those around us when we’re aware of the underlying purpose.

Have you ever tried to do a task where you didn’t know the objective? Maybe it was a poorly-explained class project, where you and your group mates fumbled through only to be told by your teacher you did it all wrong. Yet, how can we achieve an outcome we don’t know is there? The same is often true for our underlying purpose. Yes, occasionally we will accidentally bring some value even when we don’t know how or why, but the impact is exponentially higher when we know the deeper purpose of why we’re in the rooms we are. Having seen glimpses of what my deeper purpose in my role can be, I’ve made a more deliberate effort to change how I approach my customers: I aim to listen to who they are as a human, not just my customer, first. I focus on the person more than the product, understanding their challenges before I try to come up with a solution. Typically, fulfilling the underlying purpose requires some type of mindset shift.

What are you doing with your life right now where you struggle to see the purpose? Maybe, you’re not looking deep enough, or you’re letting others tell you what the purpose is. Tomorrow, when you wake up, make it your mission to look for the underlying purpose in whatever it is you’re doing, and I promise you will find deeper fulfillment than you thought was possible.

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Journal Prompt of the Week

Where are you struggling to find purpose? What do you think might be the deeper purpose that can help you find more fulfillment?