Jann's Blog

Why Purpose is So Important

Whitney Houston (Image via RottenTomatoes.com)

I write a lot about the value of purpose for baby boomers and why it is so important--especially as we "retire"--move on--or think about it. Without a title, platform, identity associated with a position, people often feel lost and lonely. They often don't have a reason to get up in the morning. As I said in a previous blog, baby boomers need to be concerned about purpose because the statistical trend is not positive. The rate of divorce, suicide, and substance abuse are on the rise for boomers and the rate is higher than the normal rate which is too high!

But I can't stop thinking about the loss of Whitney Houston. It was common knowledge that she struggled with drug abuse, but you never want to see it end such as this.

In our society, it is so easy to idolize celebrities because of their beauty, wealth, or talent. We think they have life made in the shade because of how they might be able to buy whatever they need when they need it. Even if that includes people to hire to make their life easy.

If this is the case, then why do so many celebrities seem to have no purpose? Why is substance abuse so common among people who seem to have it all? Eckhart Tolle, author of the books The Power of Now and A New Earth calls this "numbing." Anything we do that numbs us (i.e drinking, drugs, overeating, undereating, watching too much television, video games, gambling) takes us away from our present state is not a good thing.

Houston is just another casualty and there have been too many recently: Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, Amy Winehouse, ...

While there are no conclusive answers, I have many questions:

Not enough of a purpose?
Feel as if there is not meaning to life?
Too much time on their hands?
Too many people enabling their worst habits?
Too high of expectations for the person to live up to?
Loss of a talent so they are not what they used to be?
Aging in a society that expects you not to age?
Living in the spotlight and can't escape?
A combination of some or all of these factors?

I think this reinforces the power of purpose and being grounded. We need to be who we are and grateful for where we are this very moment.

Instead of thinking that 60 is the new 40 and 50 is the new 30, what is wrong with being a happy and healthy 50 or 60?

Lots of younger people clearly are not happy or healthy.

This makes me sad. Meaning matters.

Any insights? Thanks

Posted by Jann Freed on February 13, 2012 in Living Life, Positively Aging | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Learning from a Sage

Image via Wikipedia

As an investment counselor, my husband’s role model and mentor from afar is Warren Buffett. One of my husband’s rituals is to attend the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting in Omaha and I often accompany him. I am always struck by the thousands of people who attend and many of them come from around the world to be in the presence of Buffett and Charlie Munger, whom Buffett considers to be his partner at Berkshire.

Since my husband has read about everything written by and about Buffett, he points out the insights about leadership with me. Both in writing and at the annual meetings, I am amazed at how many of the questions have to do with leadership and life as well as investing.

Buffett is often quoted as saying, “Learning how to live is much more important that learning how to make a living.” This may be because Buffett carefully scrutinizes the people in leadership of every purchase. Berkshire’s philosophy is that they are investing in the current management who get to continue running their business. His goal is to keep them and not to replace them. So he needs to know and understand the people well.

Buffett is known for sharing his wisdom with several MBA classes every year. The students either travel to Omaha or he travels to the institution. He often starts off by saying, “I’m here to talk to you all about anything and everything you want, whether it is personal, political, or business in nature.”

One of his messages has to do with what he looks for in a manager/leader and he repeatedly says the same four things:

Passion: Does the manager love the job or love the money? He believes the owner/manager much love the business more than the money.
Intelligence—not necessarily academic: A good manager must have some intelligence and a lot of business savvy.
Energy: People have to want to work hard.
Integrity: If they don’t have this, the rest of the qualities are useless. If someone is lacking in integrity, Buffet would prefer someone who is dumb and lazy because they will do less damage. People who lack integrity can ruin a good business.

Even though Buffett is an investor, people want to probe his life experience about all kinds of topics such as: education, fears, trust, retirement, love, death, and relationships. In fact, he discourages his top managers from retiring by telling them that Mrs. B (Mrs. Blumkin former CEO of Nebraska Furniture Mart) died one year after she retired (at age 103). Buffet believes that you need to have a reason to get up in the morning and why not continue doing something you love as long as you can do it.

At the annual meeting, people know and act as if they are in the presence of an intellectual giant. When in reality, Buffett and Munger are known for “cutting to the chase” and focusing on what is most important. For Buffett, what is essential has to do with living one’s best life. He realizes that leadership and business are based on quality relationships. It is hard to have a quality relationship with people who lack integrity and with whom trust is not possible.

One story that stuck for me had to do with friendships. Buffett knows a woman who survived a concentration camp, but she was slow to make friends because she wondered if they would “hide her.” So Buffet uses the “would they hide me test” in determining who is a real friend. He believes people are rich if they have many friendships, but this is becoming more difficult in a society where people would prefer Facebook to face time.

One question that always emerges has to do with who will replace Buffett which is another way of asking “What will happen when Warren Buffett dies?” He reassures people that Berkshire Hathaway will continue to perform and not to worry. But my perception is that people are attached to Buffett’s life wisdom. To many people, Buffett has become a sage from whom they seek advice and guidance about life almost more than about investing.

Who do you know whom you would call a Sage?

Are there people who would consider you a Sage?

Posted by Jann Freed on February 09, 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Why Wisdom-keepers are Important for Leading and Living

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

I have been writing about the knowledge that is lost when people with work experience walk out the door--either voluntarily or involuntarily (early incentives to "retire" early). And people just let them walk!

We talk about how people don't seem to respect their elders as much as in the past. While there are some areas where we are not as wise--often in the areas of technology, both work and life experience have taught us so much. To this day, I am always seeking the wisdom of people who are usually much older than I.

When I first started teaching, I would seek the advice and counsel of faculty members who had the experience I was lacking. Even throughout my career, I would ask people I respected for their opinions on how to handle challenging situations either with students or colleagues. In fact, so many of my wisdom-keepers (sages) had either died or retired so it felt like my time to move on. But I still attend a conference where I look for sessions presented by people from whom I respect and admire. Just being in the same room with them I know I am going to learn something from them, something about myself, or the subject matter that I can apply in other situations. I am going to learn from the others in the room who ask questions and provide insights.

Last year, I was conducting a leadership workshop with women CPAs at a major accounting firm. As I was talking about seeking role models and mentors about life and work, one woman shared a story that I have always remembered and I paraphrase:

"My grandmother was a sage. She seemed to just know what to do in every situation. So I asked her, 'Where did you learn how to do the right thing? Who taught you to be so wise?' And she told me how about every 10 years, she would find someone who was living life in ways that she admired and she watched them and modeled her behaviors after them. So she always had a role model whether that person knew it or not."

I have always remembered that story because I think it is such as positive way to live life in the workplace and outside of work.

Recently, I was reminded of this story as I read in interview with Taylor Swift. While I probably could not recognize her music, I was impressed with her interview segment on 60 Minutes . She is one smart and wise young woman who is clear on her values and appears to be very grounded.

In the magazine article, Taylor was asked whose career she would most like to emulate and she identified wisdom keepers---people in the baby boomer generation rather than her peers. Taylor talked about how she spent time with Ethel Kennedy and said that the only time she has been start struck was when she met Caroline and Ethel Kennedy.

Taylor finds many of the people her age so affected by their fame, "where ambition has taken precedence over happiness. "But when I meet people who really embody this serenity of knowing that they have had an amazing life--James Taylor, Kris Kristofferson, and Ethel Kennedy ..."

Do you have wisdom-keepers in your life?

If not, can you identify some?

How would you benefit from finding role models? or of

To whom are you or could you be a role model?

Posted by Jann Freed on February 06, 2012 in Leadership, Living Life, Sage-ing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Five Principles to Remember for a Quality Life

Cover of Thich Nhat Hanh

I came across these "five remembrances" from Thich Nhat Hanh in the book The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation. They are embedded in Buddhist teaching, but important for all of us to remember regardless of religious preferences and practices.

1. We all grow old.

2. We all are prone to getting ill health.

3. We will all die.

4. Everything and everyone we cherish is prone to change.

5. The only thing we own are our actions.

These concepts are consistent with what I teach in leadership. They sound so simple, but yet they are so profound in how we think about life which influences how we live our life. If these are true principles, what might you want to do differently?

These remembrances remind me to:

Make the most of every minute
Accept that this is the only time I have
Not regret the past and not worry about the future
Be grateful for what I have
Look at the bright side by putting things in perspective
Remember that people are not perfect--especially me
Tell people how much they mean to me--either through notes or in person and this takes time, but is worth it
Reflect on these remembrances ...

What do these five remembrances remind you to do?

Posted by Jann Freed on February 02, 2012 in Life Renewal, Living Life, Positively Aging, Sage-ing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

The Power of Perspective for Leading and Living

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After Victoria Azarenka won the 2012 Australian Open, she paid special credit to her grandmother, “the person who inspires me the most in my life.” I guess the story behind the story is Victoria (Vika) turned tennis pro at 14 and it has not been an easy ride. She had a typical teenage attitude and was complaining to her grandmother about how hard this journey was to be a pro. Her grandmother gave her some tough love. She told her how she had been working three jobs and scrubbing floors just to survive in the old country. She told Vika that she was now an American kid, seeking "fame and glory, bucks and trophies. Shape up and get with it." In other words, if you want the glory then this is the price to be paid. And the rest is history. Putting life in perspective is a good thing to remember.

One quote I like it:

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

There are so many times in life when if we just put things in perspective, life is better and we can see more clearly.

There is a story that I often share in leadership classes and workshops from the book A Shot Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen. This is the story:

"I found one of my best teachers on the boardwalk at Coney Island many years ago. It was December, and I was doing a story about how the homeless suffer in the winter months. He and I sat on the edge of the wooden supports, dangling our feet over the side, and he told me about his schedule, panhandling the boulevard when the summer crowds were gone, sleeping in a church when the temperature went below freezing, hiding from the police amid the Tilt-A-Whirl and the Cyclone and some of the other seasonal rides.

But he told me that most of the time he stayed on the boardwalk, facing the water, just the way we were sitting now, even when it got cold and he had to wear his newspapers after he read them. And I asked him why. Why didn't he go to one of the shelters? Why didn't he check himself into the hospital for detox?

And he stared out at the ocean and said, 'Look at the view young lady. Look at the view.'

And every day, in some little way, I try to do what he said. I try to look at the view. That's all. Words of wisdom from a man with not a dime in his pocket, no place to go, nowhere to be. Look at the view. When I do what he said, I am never disappointed."

Interestingly, I had a similar experience in 2004 when we were in Hawaii.

There were street vendors lining the beach and I wanted to buy a woven basket made out of palm leaves. The man did not have one exactly as I wanted, but he said he would make it and I was to come back later. I asked him when he would be there because we were going here and we had to be there. And then we had a reservation here and an appointment there and ...

He proceeded to tell me that I needed to slow down. He wanted to know could I be so busy while on vacation. How come I was not relaxing? How could I have so much to do?

Then he told me how he lived on ocean front property and often just looked out at the ocean. He said the ocean had such a calming influence on him and that I should just sit and watch the waves. It was only when he pointed to the ocean and said, "That is my front yard--right there!" that I realized he was homeless. He lived right there on the beach--under the tent that he was using to protect him from the sun.

So when things start to bother me, I try to remember to "look at the view." Look at the view.

Why is it so hard to remember to look at the view?

Why is it so challenging to put things in perspective?

If we can only remember, "this too, shall pass."

Posted by Jann Freed on January 30, 2012 in Leadership, Living Life | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Lost Knowledge Does Not Have To Be Lost

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Within the last six months, I have had conversations with two different friends who have "retired." Both people worked for Fortune 500 companies in different parts of the country. I was intrigued with some of their comments and I could relate. In fact, I wrote an article about lost knowledge Download BR Knowledge Walking Out Door last spring and they were reinforcing much of what I wrote and actually how I also felt making my transition.

Both of these friends had worked for the same organization for several decades and both had been successful. I will call them "Dick" and "Jane" to protect their confidence. Jane worked in a bank and told me that so much of her effectiveness was based on relationships she had developed with clients over the years. When she left, she was surprised that no one asked her for advice, tips, or trade secrets. She had records and files kept on clients and no one asked her anything. Does this make sense?

"Dick" told me that when he decided to leave, he could not believe that no one really asked him anything. He had been making significant decisions for many years and much of this was based on close relationships with customers and clients. Again, no one asked for his advice or asked him to write standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Likewise, I had spent 30 years trying to perfect the art of teaching. Even after writing a book on teaching and learning and attending professional conferences for years where the focus is on how to become a more effective teacher, I was still tweaking courses based on student feedback. I would have been so willing to conduct a workshop for newer faculty members on what I had learned from three decades of experience, but no one asked. I almost felt as though I owed it to the institution since my expenses had been paid to learn, yet no one asked.

I plan to continue to attend the Organizational Behavior Teaching Conference (OBTC) because of the emphasis on teaching and learning. It has been the best conference for me to learn about facilitation, student engagement, and interaction. It would have been so easy to put together a faculty workshop, regardless of discipline, for anyone who is committed to enhancing learning. In fact, it would have been nice to either have the faculty members who were "retiring" to each conduct a workshop (if desired) or to have a panel discussion where we share best practices.

But this did not happen. Knowledge was lost when Dick, Jane, and I walked out the door. What continues to amaze me was that no one seemed to care about the lost knowledge. I know I was a better teacher as I gained more experience, attended teaching conferences, and learned from others.

Are you better at what you do now?

What have you learned that you could share with others?

What do you know from which others would benefit?

How could your knowledge be shared?

It seems so logical that we would want to capture the knowledge in some way. Instead, it seems that the common practice is to let the knowledge walk out the door and this makes no sense to me. If I were one of the leaders in the organization, I would change this practice. I would make people realize how important they are to the organization and I want them to share their insights, advice, and wisdom with everyone else who would benefit.

What do you think? Doesn't everyone win if we try to listen to the wisdom of the sages?

Posted by Jann Freed on January 26, 2012 in Leadership, Sage-ing | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)

Navigating Life's Transitions is Important

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Navigating life's transitions is so important and even more important than I thought. Last week I shared these thoughts at the local chapter meeting of the Association for Women in Communications. While there were a few people there who read my blog (thank you), I thought I would highlight the main points for other readers:

So much emphasis in "retirement planning" is placed on MONEY. Yes, we have to have enough to get us through, but once we have ENOUGH, there is so much more to life!
Since there are four generations in the workforce, it is important to understand life transitions in order to relate with and influence a variety of age groups.
The older I get, the more I realize life is a series of transitions.
We are living in uncharted territory with no life map. The baby boomer generation has a different vision of aging than our parents. But too much emphasis placed on external aging—look younger, botox, plastic surgery of all kinds.
Most of our life is scripted for us--get married, have children. Elementary, middle school, high school, college. What should life scripts look like when most people spend as many years after a long career as they spent in a career?
I am on a mission to RETIRE the word RETIREMENT. We are not retiring, but we are moving on. This phase of life is being called: Third Act, Second Half, Mid-life transition, encore phase or encore career.
After 30 years of teaching at Central College in Pella, I “moved on” so that I can create a life and business in the Des Moines area. I am getting involved in activities that were impossible to me when I worked out of town. But figuring out what you want to do in this next 30 years, is not about having money or being smart. It is about intentional, conscious, decision making and planning. While life does not always go as planned, it helps one not drift through life.

Why is all of this important?

When is mid-life? The average life expectancy in the US is about 80 so 40. So mid-life is sooner than you think.

People go through life changes—mid life crises usually in their 50s. Empty nests, divorces, people losing jobs in this economy or given incentives to “retire” early, spouses die (we have lost three male friends all in their 50s in the last five years). Death reminds us that life does not last forever. Are we spending our time in ways that matter?
Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of the book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People and When All You’ve Ever Wanted is Not Enough, said that mid-life is when people change their focus from looking ahead and asking how high can I climb on the ladder to looking behind and asking what difference am I making with my life?
With transition often comes loss of identity—married now single, parent now empty nester, employed now unemployed or self employed.
Between 1992 and 2008 substance abuse treatment admissions for those 50 and older more than doubled in the US. That number is expected to grow.
Older adults accounted for about one of every eight seeking help for substance abuse in 2008. While the 50 plus populations grew by 21% those seeking treatment in 50 plus increased by 70%. Treatment professionals believe the actual number of older people with substance abuses is many times larger than those seeking help. We have had two friends go through treatment programs this past year.
Family law experts who examine divorce trends at the National Center for Family & Marriage Research state that married partners over 50 divorce at a much higher rate than do married couples generally. Over the past 20 years, they say, the divorce rate for 50-plus couples has approximately doubled, whereas it has actually decreased slightly for America's married population overall.
Depression. Lost. Despair. Suicide rates among middle aged people are going up. Using data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau, Idler and her colleagues tracked suicide rates between 1979 and 2005. By 2000, most people ages 40 to 59 were Baby Boomers and the suicide rate started climbing steadily for these middle-age ranges. The researchers found significant increases of more than 2 percent per year for men, and more than 3 percent per year for women, from 1999 to 2005. (By 2005, all those in the middle-age group were baby boomers, defined as those born between 1945 and 1964.)

Thoughts on transitioning

Have a plan. Similar to when we were planning out daycare. Always have to think ahead. Once I got daycare figured out, where would they go to school and what do to about after school. You can’t start thinking college as a senior in high school. But so many people do not plan for the next phase. My parents: Time to move to a place that offers assisted living. Can’t wait too long. Have to be able to walk in. And if you wait too long, who cares where you go or what services are offered?
Have as much control in the next phase as possible. Script it out. Network. How to use your creativity. Some professions naturally allow people to stay engaged and involved—artists can continue to do their work. When you are self-employed, no one is going to tell you to stop doing what you are doing. I know a lawyer who took early retirement from the state of Iowa so that she can be a full-time self-employed potter. Professors can read, write, and teach. Peter Drucker the Father of Modern Management was still writing and speaking until he died at age 94. But corporations and governments are cutting costs and people who are vulnerable are people more towards the top who are making more money.
Metaphor: Imagine yourself in a jungle swinging on vines. It is easier to let go of one vine when you see another vine within reach. Where is that next vine for you? Can you find it now while you are still employed? Actually I understand why people have affairs because most people do not want to be alone!
Marc Freedman is the author of Encore and The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Mid-Life. Jane Pauley has a segment on the Today Show called My Life Calling. She also writes a column for AARP magazine on how people have discovered their calling or encore career. Even the popular book in its 40^th anniversary What Color is your Parachute has a new section at the end titled: Finding Your Mission in Life. We are stronger, healthier, and smarter and living an average of 30 years longer. What are we going to do with this time?
Bottom-line: Think about your skills and talents and ask yourself how you want to be using them. How do you want to spend your time? What would give you meaning? Pleasure? Joy? How would you know your life mattered?

Posted by Jann Freed on January 23, 2012 in Leadership, Life Renewal, Living Life, Sage-ing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Chrysalis Conversations: The Wisdom of Leadership

If you live in the Des Moines area and you are interested in leadership, I encourage you to take advantage of Chrysalis Conversations. As a member of the Chrysalis board, I am making sure that people know about these conversations. Click on this link and make sure that you go to the bottom to see the bios of the speakers.

You can buy individual tickets or buy the series of three. You can also buy a VIP series (or VIP for a single speaker) that includes a signed copy of a book and a reception with the speaker after the presentation. The tickets are reasonably priced so mark this on your calendar and suggest this to your friends. Our model of that of the Smart Talk series, but more affordable and more intimate. The presentations about going to be in the State Historical Building which has a lovely auditorium. In fact, the feel is similar to when Smart Talk was at Hoyt Sherman Auditorium.

Thursday, February 23: Sally Helgesen is talking about the Power of the Female Vision.

Wednesday, April 18: Margaret (Meg) Wheatley is talking the how the future of the world depends on women.

Thursday, May 24: Yours truly will be talking about what I learned from thought leaders about leadership. I also will briefly summarize what the previous two speakers shared since not everyone will buy the series tickets. (As a board member, I am donating my time for this series.)

Both Sally and Meg were two of my 100+ "sages" interviewed since 2004. Since I interviewed most of the sages over the telephone, I have not met Sally or Meg and I can't wait. They are nationally recognized authorities so check out their websites. This has been a personal journey that I continue because of my quest for learning from the masters. I continue to interview people who I believe fit into the "sage" category.

What I have learned is the basis of my book that I am revising this spring. While I have had numerous working titles, the current title is In Search of Wisdom: What I Learned from Leadership Sages. This accurately reflects what I did and what I am trying to do by writing the book--share what I learned with others.

The reason I must get this book in print and why I can't let go of it is because this journey has changed my life. I know from experience that what I learned can change your life also---or at least give you something to think about as you lead yourself and others.

I would love to see you take advantage of one or more of these opportunities to learn more about leadership. Just today I ordered two tickets for the series as I plan to take a friend. I hope to see you at the State Historical Building this spring.

Posted by Jann Freed on January 19, 2012 in Leadership | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Favorite Leadership Quotes

Cover of Martin Luther King, Jr.

What are you favorite quotes about leadership and life?

These are the quotes that you have on your desk, refrigerator, in your wallet or purse, that somehow inspire you and keep you on track. One of my goals this semester is to set up a "Weekly Words of Wisdom" (WWW) section on my blog that you can subscribe to if interested. If I am really organized, I might send them out every Wednesday but they would be weekly.

One of my role models for this is Simon Sinek. His website is www.startwithwhy.com. If you sign up, he sends out DAILY notes to inspire and I think these are his original thoughts. Sinek gained visibility for his book and himself after he conducted a TED talk. I recommend subscribing to his notes to inspire because I think they are quite thought provoking.

While I might have a mixture of original words and quotes, my plan is to share the statements that make me think. I often have my favorite quotes, printed on postcards and then I mail them or hand them out in classes and workshops. Since I am a fan of "party favors," I like to have take aways for participants and students.

For example, this is one of my all-time favorites:

"Leadership is more about how to be, than what to do." Frances Hesselbein

What are some of your favorite quotes?

If you send me the quote and the source, I can include them in my WWW.

Since today is the day we honor and celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr., I want to remind everyone to dream. Have a dream and go after it. There are so many wonderful quotes from Dr. King and it is hard to believe how young he was when his life was abruptly cut short.

I think we spend a lot of time on goals, when dreams are more inspiring. But everytime I hear the word "dream," I think of Dr. King.

Posted by Jann Freed on January 16, 2012 in Leadership | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

As a Person and as a Leader: What word best describes you?

Cover via Amazon

One of my hobbies is to read about interview questions or what people like to ask in interviews. I was always trying to best prepare students for the job search. Now I like to read about questions asked of people at executive level positions because one of my goals is to coach people on how best to discover an encore career or to help people transition into the next phase of life.

Since I say that the most important person to lead is yourself, knowing yourself inside and out--strengths and weaknesses--and now understanding life's transitions is critical for leading oneself in the second half of life.

So when is the second half of life? If the average life expectancy in the U.S. is about 78 years of life experience, then the second half comes earlier than we think! And the time to prepare for it is now. In fact, Dan Buettner in his book The Blue Zones has identified nine characteristics he calls Power 9 to help us understand the keys to longevity.

John Donovan, the chief technology officer at AT & T, asks:

"If your professional colleagues were going to put three words on your tombstone--I mean literally three--what would those three words be?" And then he asks a follow-up question: "Instead of three, what's the one word?"

When Donovan was asked what his three words were, he said that when he was younger, he wanted the words: smart, leadership, and inspirational. Now that he is older or has more life experience, he would like the word "wise" and he said he doesn't feel that he has accomplished that yet.

As I thought about these questions, my immediate answer was: persistent, creative, and authentic. If I had to condense to just one word, then I would say "persistent." Most of the accomplishments in my life I can trace back to my persistence. Many people would have given up and I just kept on--hoping that whatever it was would pay off.

But ultimately, I would like to have the word "Sage" on my tombstone. But I am not there either. Becoming a sage is a journey. I hope I get to live long enough to continue on this path. Wisdom is not a given. It comes from processing the highs and lows of life experience.

What would be your three words?

Your one word?

This exercise reminded me of the blog post I wrote about "What is your sentence?" If you had to summarize your purpose in one sentence, what would that be?