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Hi Team,

Josh is currently away for two weeks building houses in Cambodia for extremely underprivileged families. His Instagram posts have been truly inspiring. He and his co-workers are living and working in brutal conditions, but he has already stated that the long hours of toil in 100% humidity away from his family "is so worth it and has changed his life". Josh's personal sacrifice has prompted me to think about some really big questions; such as "what is really important in life?"

This is a big question and not easy to answer, but for what it's worth, I'm going to give it a go!
The most compelling answer that makes the most sense for me is in a book called "Outliers" written by Malcolm Gladwell. In Outliers, Gladwell states that in order to be happy and fulfilled, Humans need two things. "1, to feel connected to a community or family & 2, to do productive work."

Connection with others and productive work gives your life purpose. So being productive to the benefit of others is what life is all about. Sounds simple doesn't it?? But how do we all try to find this deep purpose (other than by sweltering in Cambodia for a few weeks)? Gladwell has a few tips which make a lot of sense.

"Being happy and fulfilled in the work you do is both a gift and a purpose", Malcolm Gladwell.

The best way to do productive work that has a real purpose is to do what interests you and make the most of the opportunities that are presented to you. For me, building beautiful houses is both productive and creative and has an incredibly positive impact on our client’s lives. Completing a project and handing it over to the clients, (as we did last week), gives me a huge sense of satisfaction. For me this is when creativity and productivity really come together and helps to fulfill my true purpose; which is "to improve our clients lives through good design and an enjoyable building process."

The real challenge most of us face is turning your passion and purpose into a long term successful carrier. Over time, passion fades and purpose dwindles, and to stay on track for the long term you must be able to do productive, meaningful work every single day, "that's what gets you out of bed each day.

For me the other consistent driver or motivator in my work is striving for constant improvement in myself and my business and a big part of this is teaching others what I know.

"If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path", Buddha.

Thanks for reading,
David.