Infinite Purpose
Replace finite outcome goals with a purpose that never ends
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 78%
Infinite Purpose swaps outcome-oriented goals ('get a six-pack', 'turn over three million pounds') for never-ending process purposes ('be fitter', 'make my business the healthiest and happiest it can be'). Humphrey argues the human mind immediately moves on after any goal, so an outcome focus torments you before you reach it and disappoints you once you do. Because an infinite purpose has no end, it keeps passion and meaning permanently at the centre of the work and pulls you through the process that actually produces results. If you do reach a summit, that becomes an additional layer of joy rather than the sole justification, so you are protected either way: the process itself is the reward.
Origin
Jake Humphrey adopted this after interviewing entrepreneur Susie Ma (Tropic Skincare) for the High Performance podcast and seeing she ran everything on an infinite purpose. He keeps a wooden block reading 'Infinite Purpose' in his study as a daily reminder.
Core principles
- 01The goal is a full stop; a purpose is infinite and keeps pulling you forward
- 02Focusing on the outcome takes you away from the process that actually gets you there
- 03The brain immediately moves to the next thing after any goal, so goals never satisfy
- 04Passion and purpose stay alive only when the aim can never be 'completed'
- 05Enjoying the process is the parachute if the summit turns out to be empty
How to run it
- 1
Catch your outcome goals
Write down the goals you currently frame as endpoints, such as a body-fat target, a revenue number, or a status you want to reach.
Pro tip Notice any goal phrased as 'when I finally get X' — those are the ones to convert.
- 2
Rewrite each as an infinite purpose
Reword the goal so it has no finish line: 'get a six-pack' becomes 'just be fitter'; 'turn over three million' becomes 'make my business the healthiest and happiest it can be'.
Watch out If the reworded version can still be 'ticked off', it is still a goal — make it open-ended.
- 3
Put passion and purpose at the centre
Anchor the purpose to why the work matters to you, so passion and meaning stay attached to the daily process rather than to a distant prize.
- 4
Measure by process, not arrival
Judge yourself on how engaged and immersed you are in the process, treating any milestone you hit as a bonus rather than the verdict on your effort.
Pro tip Keep a visible reminder — Humphrey uses a wooden block on his desk — so the framing stays front of mind.
In the wild
Humphrey describes how he used to set outcome resolutions: 'get a six-pack' and 'turn over three million pounds this year'. He now sets infinite versions instead — 'just be fitter' and 'make my business the healthiest and happiest that I can make it'. Because these have no end state, they keep him engaged year-round rather than chasing a single number he'd feel empty about hitting.
→ Motivation that persists past any milestone instead of collapsing once a target is reached.
Humphrey frames the podcast's purpose as 'to have engaging and interesting conversations with high achievers that allows our listeners right across the world to reach a high performance life more often'. He points out this can never be completed — there is no 'great, I've reached high performance, I'm done' — which keeps passion and purpose permanently at the heart of the work.
→ A durable, self-renewing source of meaning; Humphrey says he has never felt as useful in 20 years of broadcasting.
Common mistakes
Chasing the summit as the whole point
Making the outcome the sole justification means the mind jumps to the next thing the moment you arrive, so the win never satisfies and the effort feels wasted.
Disguising a goal as a purpose
If the rewritten aim can still be finished and ticked off, it is a goal in disguise and will produce the same emptiness.
Is it for you?
Best for
People who keep hitting goals but feel hollow afterwards and want durable motivation.
Not ideal for
Short, clearly-bounded tasks where a single concrete deadline genuinely is the whole job.
From the transcript
“the great thing about infinite purpose is that it's infinite so the infinite purpose for the high performance podcast is to have engaging and interesting…”
“focus on the process and you will get to your goals anyway ... focus on the outcome is the very thing that takes you away…”
From the episode
How To Build A High Performance Mindset - Jake Humphrey - #408
Jake Humphrey