To understand Level Five of the Wright Developmental Model, we jump into the idea of striving and why it’s so important for personal growth and development.

Here’s what’s covered in this episode:

Purpose and commitment

For level 5, the regressive pole is striving, the progressive pole is purpose, and the principle is commitment. 

We strive because we want things

As we strive, we start narrowing in on our purpose and commit to what we want our life to be about. We strive to compensate for something else, often found in the levels below.

Professional example

When I started my business, I chose a BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) to develop a $50 million Midwest-based consulting firm. I chose something that was so big that I had no idea how to do it, and I went for it anyway. I engaged my striving by creating fear and anger to propel me toward my goal.

Personal example

Striving and purpose can be reactive, and a lot of my personal striving has been based on fear and hurt, specifically a fear of failure. My father started a business, but he had a lot of failures in his life, so I was conditioned to not be like him. My strive for good grades, to be a good boy, to get a good job, and to succeed at all costs came relatively. Over time, as I started my business and had this BHAG, I began to see this shift toward purpose and commitment.

Striving leads to purpose

We’re always going to strive. It’s normal and necessary, part of our lifelong learning and growing to see how our purpose and commitment evolve.

Takeaway challenge

See if you can be aware of your striving and how it relates to your purpose.