Toward Lasting Change

© 2025 Luis A. Marrero. Boston Institute for Meaningful Purpose

When change efforts fail, we tend to look for visible causes.

We examine behavior.

We measure engagement.

We assess motivation, mindset, resilience, and skill.

These matters—though important— are not where change originates.

Motivation is not a starting point.

It is an outcome.

What sustains effort over time depends on whether a person can make a coherent sense of:

-->What is happening

--> Why it matters

--> What responsibility do they hold

--> What aim are they actually serving

When those meanings align, effort feels willing and sustainable.

When they conflict, motivation erodes—even among capable, committed individuals.

This is why so many initiatives begin strong and quietly decay.

Others intervene at the level of behavior, while leaving the organizing layer of meaning unexamined.