# Become a Master of Staying Focused on Your Mighty Mission

An episode of [The Daily Mastery Podcast by Robin Sharma](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1521068608), 1 Sep 2026, 5:45.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1182776/episodes/19735612-become-a-master-of-staying-focused-on-your-mighty-mission.mp3

I find myself thinking about the people who show us what it truly means to serve humanity. And when I think of that kind of leadership, Nelson Mandela tops my list. His grace. His courage. His forgiveness. His kindness. No matter how busy he was as president of South Africa, he always had time to shake the hand of a cleaner, offer a word of encouragement to a server, or share a laugh with a child. The true measure of a person is how they treat those who can do nothing for them. As I think about it, though, I believe the real secret of his magic was that he was an absolute master of staying focused on his mission. Through times of ease and nights of darkness, he relentlessly stayed true to his ideal of a free and democratic South Africa. A place where all could flourish, regardless of their skin color or ethnic origin. My latest book “The Wealth Money Can’t Buy” is full of fresh ideas and original tools that I’m absolutely certain will cause quantum leaps in your positivity, productivity, wellness, and happiness. You can order it now by clicking here. FOLLOW ROBIN SHARMA: Instagram Facebook YouTube

## Transcript

My life changed when I stood in Nelson Mandela's prison cell a number of years ago. I
still remember taking the ferry from Cape Town to Robin Island, and it was a rainy day.
And then I engaged a guide to show me around. So I went to the limestone quarry where
Nelson Mandela worked. Did backbreaking labor for about seven hours a day for, I
believe, seven years because of the labor. The sun radiating off the limestone damaged
his eyes, the dust damaged his lungs. But the real intention of him working in the
limestone quarry was to torture him. Why? Because the limestone was not used for
anything. It might have been used for some of the streets, but essentially his work had no
purpose. And when your work has no purpose, and when you have not connected with
some mighty mission for your life, whether it's to be a great gardener or a great human
being that uplifts people each day, maybe your mission is to launch a startup that will
allow people greater ease and happiness, or better health. Maybe your mission as a
teacher, for example, is to, in hard resources, uplift young lives and inspire kids to be
curious. All I know is that by not having a purpose, they tried to defeat Nelson Mandela.
And then I saw the courtyard where he actually would exercise each day. And little did
the guards know by the tomato plant, which I saw. That's where he and his fellow
political prisoners would hide the manuscript he was working on for a long walk to
freedom. And then I walked by the propaganda office where they would actually redact
and black out, or not even give letters from his family to Nelson Mandela again, to torture
him and to break his spirit. Imagine that you don't receive a letter while you're in prison,
where your wife is updating you and telling you what's going on with the family. You
don't receive letters from your children. Perhaps Nelson Mandela actually said his biggest
regret while he was in prison was he wasn't allowed out of Robben Island to attend the
funeral of his eldest son, who was killed in a car accident. And then I was led up a few
stairs from the courtyard and to a cell. There were these bright white lights down the
hallway, and the guide opened up the door and led me into Nelson Mandela's prison cell,
where he spent 18 years of his life. And I was stunned at what I saw. There wasn't even a
bed. There was just a a woolen carpet. There was just a little desk where Nelson Mandela
would write letters to Winnie and write his thoughts. And he was a member of The 5AM
Club, and he would get up and he would run on the spot. In a world where we make
excuses and give away our power, why we can't get up early and give ourselves the
victory hour to prepare ourselves for consistently great days in those difficult times. He
would get up at 5 a.m. and he would run on the spot and he would shadow box and he
would do push ups. And my life changed that day. And I looked over at the guide and I
said, did you know Mr. Mandela? And he said, yes, I knew. Mr. Mandela said, as a
matter of fact, I served with him for about eight years. And I asked the guide, what was
he like? And he paused and he said, oh, that man was a humble servant. And through soul
set work you will get to a place where the voice of your ego turns down and your selfish
small self that is scared of the world starts to dissolve and you will start to become a
humble servant. And that doesn't mean your week. It means you're strong, doesn't mean
you can't have money and nice things and a nice house and fame, fortune and applause.
But you're not addicted to them. You're not like a hamster on the head on a treadmill.

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.