Living & Working On Purpose

From Confusion to Clarity about Your True Life Purpose

The first how-to manual to take individuals from confusion to clarity about life’s greatest question, Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life(EliteBooks, 2007).

"A gentle and heartfelt guide to the fundamentals of living a life rich in joy and contribution.Brad’s style is accessible and user-friendly, and his book a compendium of thought-provoking questions and deep convictions.” —Gregg Levoy, Author of Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life

Enjoy an excerpt from this life transforming book that is enhancing people's lives around the world, and receive a subscription to Purposeful Pondering Ezine for a regular serving of inspiration and insights into how to bring more purpose, passion, and play to your life.

Be sure to place 'admin@lifeonpurpose.com' into your spam protection acceptable list, and don't worry, we won't share your information with anyone. That's bad internet etiquette as well as bad karma.

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How to Avoid Going Nuts Over Results

The Purposeful Paradox of Purposeful Play
==============================================

"Purposeful Play: Approaching a project, goal, or task with a willingness to play and experiment.

The secret to purposeful play is being committed to a particular result or outcome without attachment. Purposeful play is a way of being that can be especially powerful when you’re engaged in a Purpose Project."
~~ One of the Power Tools for Living On Purpose found in Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life.

What would you say most people's relationship to results are especially when they're not producing the results they expected?

Look for yourself. How to you respond or react? I know for me, it's often with a "Oh no, what's wrong with me... Or with another person... Or with the situation as a whole?"

In other words, most of us can become pretty nutsy when it comes to results.

We live in a culture where there are few higher compliments than being known as a "result producer." But what happens to our peace-of-mind when we fail to produce the desired results?

We go nuts, right? Why is that?

===============
Is Your Identity Tied to Your Results?
===============

The downside of living in a culture where it's a red badge of courage to be known as a result producer is that when the results aren't happening our identity is challenged. It goes something like this:

"I'm a result producer and the results aren't happening so I must not be."

And before we know it, we're caught in the grip of the fear, lack and struggle that comes with our lives being shaped by the Inherited Purpose. (This distinction is touched on in the fr.ee book excerpt you should have received access to when you subscribed to the ezine. If you don't have a copy of it, send an email to lopi9-313388@autocontactor.com )

You see, the Inherited Purpose -- this false sense of who we are that comes from our past interpretations about life -- feeds off of result -- or more accurately feeds off of the need to produce results.

But if we're not our Inherited Purpose, then who are we? If we're not the story we've been telling ourselves for most of our lives about ourselves -- about being a result producer or the other side of the coin, not being a result producer -- then who are we?

===============
When Who You Are Isn't Your Actions or Results, Who Are You?
===============

I know this can sound like a bizarre question to ask yourself especially if you've always known yourself as either what you do or by the results you produce or fail to produce, and truth be told, that's most of us.

But consider for a moment that we're not our actions and we're not the results of our actions. Then who are we?

Consider this: You are the ARTIST of your life. Sit with that for just a moment. I know you've probably heard that before but hang in with it for a moment or two as though you're hearing it for the first time.

And if you are the artist of your life, what are your paints and brushes with which you paint your masterpiece? How about:

~ Your thoughts,
~ Your Emotions or feelings, and
~ Your actions which include your speaking/communication

And like an artist gets to choose not only what medium with which to work but also which colors to use, and where to place the paint, etc. you get to do the same thing with your thoughts, emotions, actions and words. And in the process you can either paint a masterpiece of your life or a picture not worth sticking on the refrigerator.

===============
Shifting Gears with Purposeful Play
===============

So, what does this all have to do with results and going nuts around failing to produce results. Well, this is where "Purposeful Play" comes in. Let's look at the definition again:

"Purposeful Play: Approaching a project, goal, or task with a willingness to play and experiment.

The secret to purposeful play is being committed to a particular result or outcome without attachment. Purposeful play is a way of being that can be especially powerful when you’re engaged in a Purpose Project."

Yes, it is possible to be committed while remaining unattached, though it does take ongoing practice and persistence. Here's how it often works.

You create a project or goal and determine what the results will be that will measure its success (or someone else does this for you if you're part of a team or business, etc.)

Then you tool along playing like the point of the game is about producing those results, and in fact, in most of the world, it really is all about those results -- which is where we start to get attached.

But a Purpose Project has a different primary purpose. The primary purpose of a Purpose Project is for you to be, be known and to express your life purpose in the world. That's really the reason someone creates a Purpose Project. And since a Purpose Project also has results that you can measure, you then play the game AS THOUGH it's about producing those results -- ie, you play fully committed to the results while remaining unattached to them.

How? By remembering the real reason and purpose for the project is for you to be, be known and to express your life purpose. Simple, right? Well, yes, but not always easy.

===============
A Simple, True-life Example
===============

Ann and I recently created a Purpose Project known as Living the Fulfilled Life Program -- Purposeful Prosperity Edition, and one of the results we're committed to achieving is to have 8 participants in the program. (more info is at http://www.lifeonpurpose.com/lfl

So, we've been playing full out as though it's all about having 8 people in the program, while regularly reminding ourselves that the real purpose behind the project is for us to be our life purposes, to be known as our life purposes, and to express our life purposes in the world being of service in this way.

And yes, I catch myself from time to time getting attached to whether or not we're producing the results, and in that moment of reminding myself what the real purpose of the project is, I can let go of that attachment.

So, below I've included some information about the program, as a way to continue to create and express my own life purpose as the artist of my life.

And you get to choose to read it or not... And it's my hole that you're be guided to participate in the next program. It really is going to be awesome. And in the meantime, if you find yourself going a bit nuts at work or elsewhere in your life over results, try a little purposeful play. It can be a powerful tool to bring you back to a peace-of-mind that hard to describe but so yummy to experience.

It's an important part of living a life on purpose.

How to Avoid Going Nuts Over Results

The Purposeful Paradox of Purposeful Play
==============================================

"Purposeful Play: Approaching a project, goal, or task with a willingness to play and experiment.

The secret to purposeful play is being committed to a particular result or outcome without attachment. Purposeful play is a way of being that can be especially powerful when you’re engaged in a Purpose Project."
~~ One of the Power Tools for Living On Purpose found in Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life.

What would you say most people's relationship to results are especially when they're not producing the results they expected?

Look for yourself. How to you respond or react? I know for me, it's often with a "Oh no, what's wrong with me... Or with another person... Or with the situation as a whole?"

In other words, most of us can become pretty nutsy when it comes to results.

We live in a culture where there are few higher compliments than being known as a "result producer." But what happens to our peace-of-mind when we fail to produce the desired results?

We go nuts, right? Why is that?

===============
Is Your Identity Tied to Your Results?
===============

The downside of living in a culture where it's a red badge of courage to be known as a result producer is that when the results aren't happening our identity is challenged. It goes something like this:

"I'm a result producer and the results aren't happening so I must not be."

And before we know it, we're caught in the grip of the fear, lack and struggle that comes with our lives being shaped by the Inherited Purpose. (This distinction is touched on in the fr.ee book excerpt you should have received access to when you subscribed to the ezine. If you don't have a copy of it, send an email to lopi9-313388@autocontactor.com )

You see, the Inherited Purpose -- this false sense of who we are that comes from our past interpretations about life -- feeds off of result -- or more accurately feeds off of the need to produce results.

But if we're not our Inherited Purpose, then who are we? If we're not the story we've been telling ourselves for most of our lives about ourselves -- about being a result producer or the other side of the coin, not being a result producer -- then who are we?

===============
When Who You Are Isn't Your Actions or Results, Who Are You?
===============

I know this can sound like a bizarre question to ask yourself especially if you've always known yourself as either what you do or by the results you produce or fail to produce, and truth be told, that's most of us.

But consider for a moment that we're not our actions and we're not the results of our actions. Then who are we?

Consider this: You are the ARTIST of your life. Sit with that for just a moment. I know you've probably heard that before but hang in with it for a moment or two as though you're hearing it for the first time.

And if you are the artist of your life, what are your paints and brushes with which you paint your masterpiece? How about:

~ Your thoughts,
~ Your Emotions or feelings, and
~ Your actions which include your speaking/communication

And like an artist gets to choose not only what medium with which to work but also which colors to use, and where to place the paint, etc. you get to do the same thing with your thoughts, emotions, actions and words. And in the process you can either paint a masterpiece of your life or a picture not worth sticking on the refrigerator.

===============
Shifting Gears with Purposeful Play
===============

So, what does this all have to do with results and going nuts around failing to produce results. Well, this is where "Purposeful Play" comes in. Let's look at the definition again:

"Purposeful Play: Approaching a project, goal, or task with a willingness to play and experiment.

The secret to purposeful play is being committed to a particular result or outcome without attachment. Purposeful play is a way of being that can be especially powerful when you’re engaged in a Purpose Project."

Yes, it is possible to be committed while remaining unattached, though it does take ongoing practice and persistence. Here's how it often works.

You create a project or goal and determine what the results will be that will measure its success (or someone else does this for you if you're part of a team or business, etc.)

Then you tool along playing like the point of the game is about producing those results, and in fact, in most of the world, it really is all about those results -- which is where we start to get attached.

But a Purpose Project has a different primary purpose. The primary purpose of a Purpose Project is for you to be, be known and to express your life purpose in the world. That's really the reason someone creates a Purpose Project. And since a Purpose Project also has results that you can measure, you then play the game AS THOUGH it's about producing those results -- ie, you play fully committed to the results while remaining unattached to them.

How? By remembering the real reason and purpose for the project is for you to be, be known and to express your life purpose. Simple, right? Well, yes, but not always easy.

===============
A Simple, True-life Example
===============

Ann and I recently created a Purpose Project known as Living the Fulfilled Life Program -- Purposeful Prosperity Edition, and one of the results we're committed to achieving is to have 8 participants in the program. (more info is at http://www.lifeonpurpose.com/lfl

So, we've been playing full out as though it's all about having 8 people in the program, while regularly reminding ourselves that the real purpose behind the project is for us to be our life purposes, to be known as our life purposes, and to express our life purposes in the world being of service in this way.

And yes, I catch myself from time to time getting attached to whether or not we're producing the results, and in that moment of reminding myself what the real purpose of the project is, I can let go of that attachment.

So, below I've included some information about the program, as a way to continue to create and express my own life purpose as the artist of my life.

And you get to choose to read it or not... And it's my hole that you're be guided to participate in the next program. It really is going to be awesome. And in the meantime, if you find yourself going a bit nuts at work or elsewhere in your life over results, try a little purposeful play. It can be a powerful tool to bring you back to a peace-of-mind that hard to describe but so yummy to experience.

It's an important part of living a life on purpose.

Quick Tips for Bringing More Purpose, Passion & Play to Your Life

Boomers On Purpose - Redesigning & Redefining Retirement is the current theme we're exploring with our Living & Working On Purpose Radio Show that's airing through Exceptional Wisdom Radio. It finally dawned on me after 3 months of having weekly radio shows, that we could further explore the radio themes through our Living & Working On Purpose Blog and here in the ezine, so be on the look out for this starting to occur. Here the show we aired this week and the one slatted for next week:

April 16 -- Ann Fry of ItsBoomerTime.com -- Born on the first day of the boomer generation, January 1, 1946...Ann started It's BoomerTime℠ as a way to cope with turning 60 and embracing it, rather than hating it.

April 23-- John Gomperts of Civic Ventures and Encore - Why retire when many Boomers are realizing that they have 20+ years ahead -- plenty of time to create an Encore Career -- productive work filled with purpose and meaning.

Our show airs on Wednesdays from 5-6 pm EDT at: http://exceptionalwisdomradio.com and are also archived for listening at your convenience. You can even download them to your MP3 players.

Now, let's explore 5 new tips for bring more passionate purpose to your life:

6. Watch Your Thoughts Like a Hawk.

Our thoughts have a powerful influence on how we experience life -- the meaning we ascribe to what happens as we go through our days. So, it makes sense to become increasingly aware of our thoughts, especially the automatic ones that seem to 'just appear.'

Someone cuts you off in traffic and immediately you think -- "Look at that jerk? How dare he/she do that to me?" And if we're not careful we're flicking them off before we even consider that just maybe they never even saw us before they changed lanes.

7. Watch Your Emotions Even More Closely.

More often than not, attached to those automatic thoughts are some powerful emotions that have an even more powerful influence on our experience of life. In the example above, typical emotions would include anger, agitation, indignation, and revenge, none of which contribute anything positive to our day. Our thoughts and emotions are the basic building blocks that create "Molecules of Meaning" which creates the context for our lives and how we experience life? Being aware of them is an important step to being able to let go of them, and in the 'empty space' to create meaning that contributes to life.

8. Set an Intention for the Day.

Setting an intention for the day is a powerful way to stay focus and on purpose. The intention to be joyful, to be playful, to be compassionate are just a few examples. Or, as Abraham-Hicks suggests, you can 'segment' you day with different intentions. For example, my intention while writing this article is to be of service and to inspire. When I have my session with my coach later today, my intention will be to gain clarity and focus for what's next at Life On Purpose.

9. Add Value to Life for the Pure Joy of It.

One of the common elements of a purposeful life is being of service. Adding value to life for the pure joy of it is a great way to know and to experience living on purpose. Look for small ways to add value to the people around you, and that includes to yourself. Remember, you are part of the world as well, so a little “purposeful pamper” is also allowed. In fact, it’s a great way to receive a double dose of joy — as your giving to yourself and as you are graciously receiving.

10. Complete Your Day with Gratitude

I know of no more powerful way to complete on a day filled with passionate purpose than with gratitude. Counting your blessings will allow you to drift off into peaceful sleep and to awaken with a renewed commitment to bring passionate purpose to the new day.

Quick Tips for Bringing More Purpose, Passion & Play to Your Life

Quick Tips for Bringing More Purpose, Passion & Play to Your Life (Even If You Don't Clearly Know Your Purpose Yet)

Well, my week of Rest & Rejuvenation turned into about a week of Rest, Rejuvenation & Recovery when I came down with some viral bug that extended into a 2nd week of recovery.

Being sick is real contrast that allows me to more fully appreciate how great it feels to be healthy most of the time, and that's about the best thing I can think to say for it.

It's great to be healthy and back on purpose again.

Can you believe we're already into the 2nd quarter of the year? How on purpose did you find yourself in quarter #1? More importantly, how can you bring more passionate purpose to the rest of the year. That's what today's article is about.

Here are 10 quick tips for making 2008 your most purposeful year yet. (5 now, and 5 more in a couple of days)

1. Carve out time for self reflection and for purposeful planning: So many of us have been sucked into such a hectic, frantic pace of life that we rarely take time to consider whether we're heading in the direction that will ultimately serve us. Often what happens, is we go, go, go, until something like an illness, or a catastrophe lays us out, and of course, when we're sick or in a crisis, is not always the best times to quietly reflect on life.

S.T.O.P. -- It's a powerful coaching tool that stands for:

S. Step Back
T. Think
O. Organize Your Thoughts, &
P. Proceed

One of the most important things to think and reflect upon in my opinion is:

** Who am I as a spiritual being and what is my purpose for being alive? **

2. Is life being shaped by love or fear? As you go through your day, at times when you feel frustrated, anxious or just “off,” ask yourself this question:

“Is my life in this moment being shaped by Universal Love, or by fear?"

When you hear the phrase, Universal Love, know that includes a sense of abundance and a willingness to flow with life, and when you hear the word, fear, know that it includes lack and struggling. If the answer if fear/lack/struggle, then ask this question: “If I were to pivot in this next moment and allow my life to be shaped by love/abundance/flow, what would be different and what could I create?” Try it for a week and see if it doesn’t bring more purpose and passion to your life.

3. Make a list of at least 10 things you love to do, that excite you, and that you are passionate about.

Then look beyond the ‘doingness’ of these to see who you are and what you experience while doing them. (Examples may be peaceful, connected, compassionate, etc.). See if you can find the common thread of central theme that connect at least some of the items on your list together. These common threads are likely to be elements of your true purpose, so ask yourself, ‘how can I experience more of these common threads?”

4. Who Do You Greatly Admire and Why?

We often admire people we want to emulate, and by realizing who they are and why we admire them, we can begin to bring more of their positive qualities and attributes to ourselves. Focusing on who these people are, more than what they do or have, will bring their qualities of being into perspective. They may be real people we know or know about, historical figures or even fictional characters. When you identify someone you greatly admire, ask yourself, “How can I bring their qualities and attributes to my own life this day?”

5. Bring Fun and Play to Your Life.

Since one of the benefits many people who know their purpose report experiencing as they live true to their purpose is fun and play, ask yourself how you can bring more of these to your life today, whether or not you know your purpose. When we’re not living true to our life purpose, we often operate from a place of fear, lack-based thinking, and believing we need to struggle to survive. In other words, we take ourselves and our present situation much too seriously, so start by lightening up. None of us are going to get out of this alive!

Stay tuned for 5 more powerful quick tips in a couple of days.

Cleaning Up Your Sea of Meaning - Audio

I thought I'd offer something a little different to the world today, and that is a short, 5-minute audio article entitled "Cleaning Up Your Sea of Meaning."

After listening to it, I invite you to post your comments. Want to take an even braver, more courageous step? Post an insight you gleaned from the audio and what action you could take to integrate the action into your life.

If you're not sure what action to take, post the insight and perhaps I can offer some suggested actions.

Listen and enjoy:

Be Do Have: An Overview of the Life On Purpose Perspective

Since Oprah and Eckhart Tolle have begun their web cast series on awakening to your life purpose, some people have asked me to comment on various aspect of Tolle's book and perhaps in some way compare it to the work of the Life On Purpose Process. So, I thought the following video that gives an overview of the Life On Purpose Perspective that is foundational to the Process would be a good place to start. Be aware that the video is 30 minutes in length. You may want to pause it a few times and reflect upon what you've watched or go through it all at one time.

I recommend before watching the video you take a moment to download and print out the Be-Do-Have Model.

Download bedohave8.08.07.jpg

If you find the video evokes some thinking, please leave your comments and/or questions. I'll do my best to answer whatever questions you have. And if you'd like to learn more about the Life On Purpose Process, I recommend you either start with a copy of the book, Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life, or the Virtual Home Study Course.

Download bedohave8.08.07.jpg

Tolle's Take and the Life On Purpose Perspective

I love getting mail from Purposeful Pondering Ezine readers, even the occasional one that's not so positive, though I admit, the positive ones are my favorite.

I recently received this message:

"I loved your teleconferences and I look forward to reading your book that I won. I, too, am reading Tolle's book (The New Earth: Awakening to Your Life Purpose), and I was hoping you would give a more in-depth analysis. You as an expert, talking about his book in a much more specific way would have been fascinating!"

I've been pondering about how might be the best way to engage in a 'more in-depth analysis,' which could include where Tolle's approach and the Life On Purpose approach mesh and where they differ, and to be able to do this interactively with others.

What came to me is the Living & Working On Purpose Blog -- that's right. Right here.,

So, I'm inviting you to explore this rich conversation with me, and I promise more in depth analysis, my 'expert' take on the subject, and to pull no punches.

And I request your input, comments, and questions be left on the blog. Especially Questions. I'll do my best to answer them.

And stay tuned. More about this HOT topic coming soon.

My Take on Ekhart Tolle's A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life Purpose

Wow, over 350,000 people are registered for an online class that starts on Monday. It's gotta be the biggest online event in the history of the internet. And what's the topic?

Life Purpose

In case you're one of the 3 people on planet Earth that hasn't already heard, Oprah is teaming up with Ekhart Tolle to conduct this online class on Tolle's book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life Purpose.

And more than a few people have asked me, "What do you think about Tolle's book on purpose?" Well, I'm going to respond here for all to read and enjoy... Here's how it started:

"She did what? I can't believe it. She picked the WRONG BOOK."

That was my first reactions when I learned that Oprah had announced that her next book of the month club selection was Ekhart Tolle's A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life Purpose.

Luckily it didn't take me long to discern that what was speaking so loudly in my head was not me -- not me in my finest moments -- not me as a person dedicated to living an inspired and inspiring life of purposeful, passionate and playful service.

No it wasn't me -- the true me, the true spark of the Divine that resides within me.

It was my Inherited Purpose. It was the me that over the years I've become pretty familiar with and over time have been able to embrace, love and notice quickly enough to keep it from shaping all of my life.

Tolle refers to this part of people as the ego, and as he points out we all have an ego that we often misidentify as ourselves, and he does an excellent job of distinguishing how much our lives can be shaped by the different facets of the ego.

It's my take that we all have both a collective ego as well as a unique aspect of that ego that I refer to as the Inherited Purpose. You see, my early childhood year's experiences were my own. No one else on the planet had those exact experiences. On top of that, my own self interpreted those things that happened in a unique way, so my Inherited Purpose is unique to me, and yours is unique to you.

The trick is uncovering it well enough that you can then notice it when it starts to take over and shape your life in the present moment of NOW. When you do, knowing your Inherited Purpose so well becomes a powerful means for staying on purpose, which I believe is why so many people acknowledge Passage #3 when they uncovered their Inherited Purpose to be one of the most life enhancing parts of the Life On Purpose Process.

THE DIVINELY INSPIRED PURPOSE TAKE

Upon pausing and being with the news about Oprah and Tolle, I then had the opportunity to 'create' an interpretation that was more in alignment with my true, Divinely Inspired Life Purpose.

And so, here's my take from my true life purpose -- Wow, what an incredible opportunity for the planet, and especially for all of us dedicated to helping others awaken to their life purpose...including me and Life On Purpose Institute.

You see, I'm clear that my book and the Life On Purpose Process is unique unto itself and has tremendous value for people. I didn't write The New Earth. I didn't have to because Spirit commissioned Tolle to write it.

That freed me up to write Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life.

The Divine is masterful at delegating.

DIFFERENT QUESTIONS -- DIFFERENT ANSWERS

And who benefits? We all do. I know I'm benefiting from reading A New Earth for the second time, and I plan to attend the online classes where my schedule allows. I believe many people who are awaken by Tolle's book will eventually find their way to Life On Purpose Institute, just like many people who have read Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life, have been attracted to Life On Purpose.

Why?

Because Tolle's and Warren's books address the question -- what is humanity's purpose? What is the purpose of human existence. The Life On Purpose Process answers a different question -- well guides people to answer this question:

What is my personal life purpose? Who am I as a unique spiritual being and what was I sent here to planet Earth to be and to experience that has the power to shape all of my life and all that I do?

That was the question that Spirit commissioned me to explore and expound upon.

And who knows, A New Earth was originally released in 2005, so it took Oprah 3 years to get around to recommending it. Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspire Life came out in 2007, so if Oprah stays on schedule she'll get around to recommending Life On Purpose in 2010 .

But you don't have to wait until then. You can start with a fr.ee excerpt by sending a message to lopi9-313388@autocontactor.com or go to http://www.lifeonpurpose.com and complete the simple form on the home page.

Or if you're ready for some guidance in answering that question for yourself, order your personally autographed copy of Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life at http://www.lifeonpurpose.com/books and I'll include a 69-page workbook as my way of saying thanks for investing in yourself this way. That way you won't have to write in your copy of the book unless you really want to.

The Catch-22 of Living on Purpose

"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates

"I’m in a hurry to get things done
Oh, I rush and rush until life’s no fun.
All I really got to do is live and die,
But I’m in a hurry and I don’t know why."
~~ I’m in a Hurry by Alabama

These two quotes point to the dilemma facing many people today. We want a life that's worth living, but we're in such a hurry, rushing around that we don't take the time to examine our life even long enough to figure out why we're in such a hurry.

It's one of the greatest obstacles people face that keeps them from living a purposeful and meaningful life. TIME -- well actually the lack of time. Well, to be completely honest, it's the lack of taking the time to examine their life, which is a little different than not having the time.

We all have the same amount of time, right? 24 hours per day.

But many of us have filled so much of that time with 'off purpose activities' that it appears like we really never have time to become clear about why we're really here, and without becoming clear about our life purpose, we have no hope of ever designing our life to be a reflection of our purpose.

"Off purpose activities?" What are they, you may ask.

Well, these are the activities that we feel we have to do, should do, must do, gotta do....all of which stem from either fear, a sense of lack or a need to struggle to survive.

And then there's a second set of "off purpose activities" -- those things we do to recuperate from all the shoulds, have-tos, musts, etc. You know what I mean. Vegging out in front of the TV is probably one of the biggest ones. Others might be drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, popping tranquilizers, sleeping pills, or other downers, and excessive working. Yep, we're right back to frenetic doingness as one of the great 'off purpose activities.'

Now, don't get me wrong. I love work. My work is one of my favorite ways of expressing my purpose. But if you're working, working, working so much that you never take the time to rest, rejuvenate or reflect upon your life, well, then it has become an off purpose pattern.

So, who's got time to even ponder the questions -- Why am I here on planet Earth? What is my divinely inspired purpose? Take a class, read a book, be a part of a seminar series to finally, once and for all, answer that question, and then learn the tools that can be used to design a life on purpose?

Let me get back to you on that....as soon as I have the time.

But even as you make the excuse, you know in your heart that it really would make a real difference IF you did take the time, but where to begin? After all, it seems like the first thing is to get your life in order. To get that job that pays better so you don't have to work so many hours, or to finally get your house and office organized so you're not wasting so much time looking for the lost items you put away somewhere safe so you wouldn't lose them.

And you wonder why you feel like a dog chasing your tail...or is it you're chasing your TALE -- the tale you keep telling yourself about not having the time.

WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?

I realize there are many people out there who truly want to live a more purposeful life, and that's why you subscribe to Purposeful Pondering Ezine and/or check into this blog. But so many are so busy that there doesn't ever seem to be the time to slow down long enough to reflect upon what would bring a deeper sense of purpose and meaning to your life

So, how to start? Well, after months of pondering upon this dilemma, I've come up with something I truly believe will make a difference.

One of my favorite principles is captured in the old riddle -- "How do you eat an elephant?"

Answer -- One bite at a time.

So, how do you bring a deeper sense of purpose to your life? One small step at a time. And what are the steps to take. Well, why not use a proven approach that has already assisted thousands to bring such clarity of purpose to their life.

And as of today, I'm excited to offer you the LIFE ON PURPOSE VIRTUAL HOME STUDY COURSE as a simple, effective, and flexible way to once and for all, clarify your life purpose one bite at a time.

Your schedule too busy to fit in a class, even a teleclass series? I understand?

Budget too tight to hire a coach at the moment? I understand.

With the LIFE ON PURPOSE VIRTUAL HOME STUDY COURSE, you take small steps towards clarifying your life purpose from the comfort of your home... on your time schedule... from anywhere in the world.

Small steps. A little bit here, a little bit there. Record your favorite TV show so you can skip through the commercials then use the time you save to take one small step... then another and another.

"But what if I get stumped along the way?"

Support is as close as your computer with SERENITY -- a place to rest, restore and rejuvenate the Spirit... And get your questions answered as you travel the Purposeful Path. And during our initial launch we're including a limited number of Charter Memberships to Serenity - our online community, when you make an investment in your life on purpose with the VIRTUAL HOME STUDY COURSE.

Ok, check in with your heart. What does it say? Does it say: "Yes, you know it's time. You've used up all the excuses. It's time to step onto the Purposeful Path."

Well, now it's easier than ever. Just take a look by going to http://www.lifeonpurpose.com/course.

What do you have to lose? More important, imagine all that you have to gain. Take control of your life by taking control of your time... One small bite at a time.

Come on, click on over to http://www.lifeonpurpose.com/course . Take that next small step for yourself. You really do deserve it.

THE BOOK THAT FINALLY ANSWERS THE QUESTION: What is my personal purpose in life?

You know the book I'm talking about, right? LIFE ON PURPOSE: Six Passages to an Inspired Life. But rather than tooting my own horn, I thought I'd let a few other people toot it for me.

Below are just 3 of the over 20 positive reviews that people have been kind enough to share on Amazon.com but first let me make you a special offer.

FR.EE WORKBOOK

If you feel called to invest in this book and order it from Amazon or another source on the web, if you send in your email receipt, I'll send you a fr.ee workbook that includes all the assignments that are in the book so you won't have to write in your book (unless of course you want to.)

Send your receipt to admin@lifeonpurpose.com and we'll zip the workbook to you in a PDF ebook format.

Now, what are others saying about LIFE ON PURPOSE: Six Passages to an Inspired Life?

It's not about doing, it's about being, August 15, 2007
By M. Noble (Denver, CO) -
Do you live life in a state of perpetual overwhelm, running from one task to another, always doing, doing, doing, but feeling like you're getting nowhere? Do you ever wonder why you live the life you do, and how you could make it better? Life on Purpose, Six Passages To An Inspired Life is a valuable tool to help you get on the way to living a more conscious, fulfilled life.

It's available at: http://lifeonpurpose.com/amazonlopbook

Accidentally on Purpose, November 20, 2007
By H. S. Norton "Finding Answers"

By accident I came across this book, looking for marital advice I came across a web site that had really nothing to do with what I was looking for and one of the recommended readings was "Life on Purpose" so I bought it. What could it hurt?! It is great! I have started reading and each time a question comes up or a test is given, what ever it is, I pull out a blank sheet of paper, write it at the top and answer it but if I have trouble answering the question I finish reading and come back to my piece of paper. Then I add it to a three ring binder and am creating a workbook of sorts that I can go back and refer to. This helps you see your progress and gives you a "paper trail" so you can see where you are and where you came from. It has really opened my eyes and makes you think and see things from different angles than you normally would. I recommend it. What could it hurt?

It's available at: http://lifeonpurpose.com/amazonlopbook

The Most Purposeful, Practical and Effective Guide!, November 18, 2007
By Ricardo Flores-Clar (San Antonio, TX) -

It's fairly easy for many people to agree that we all came to this world for a purpose. That we have a divine reason to be here, with our specific set of gifts, to put them at the service of the world and all those we come in contact with, and transform our lives to be a reflection of our divine purpose. The big question is "HOW?" Dr Swift's book - "Life on Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life" is a practical and inspirational guide that walks you by the hand through the process of first reaching clarity on the why are we here question, and then on the second stage, how to make our life a reflection of that divine reason.

It's available at: http://lifeonpurpose.com/amazonlopbook