Living & Working On Purpose

Saturday is "Love My Back Day"

Today is officially Love My Back Day. You see I've had a history of lower back problems dating all the way back to my veterinary days, starting when I tried to pick up a Saint Bernard on my own (Ironically, he belonged to a chiropractor), then later that same day went and played a rousing game of racket ball, where I really screwed something up in my sacral iliac region.

Despite being told by a surgeon that I'd need back surgery, I elected to go a more conservative, natural approach. Now, some twenty years later, I rarely have more than an occasional mild strain. Except this week, my lower back has been reminding me of our history together. Not sure the source of it, but I do know the healing power of love, thus the pronouncement of "Love My Back Day." I may even extend it to Love My Back Week.

It actually started yesterday when I loved my back and the rest of my body that my lower back is integrally connected to, to go to my acupuncturist, a healing modality that has done wonders for me over these twenty years. Today, I started calling in some of my 'back massage debt,' from my wife and daughter. They both love back rubs and I've given a bunch, so they are lovingly joining me in this special day.

I also keep releasing the concern I have that my back will not be back to normal by Wednesday when I'm due to head out for a book tour to Atlanta. I believe it will respond well to my loving, healing attention, and the truth be known, it's not the end of the world if I can't make the trip. Disappointing, yes, world ending, no.

So, anyone reading these blog entry, please take a moment to send me some loving, healing energy and direct it to my back. I'm so grateful for all the support it's given me for 58+ years, and especially for the past twenty when it's had to deal with some pretty challenging times.

Now, all together: I love my back... I love my back...

(Written from my bed where I'm lying 'flat on my back.')

Spiritual Renewal at UMMAS

This past week my family and I attended the Unity Ministers of the Mid-Atlantic States Retreat close to our home at the Kanuga Conference Center. This is a wonderful opportunity for spiritual renewal and reflection at one of the most peaceful, beautiful settings in Western North Carolina.

Highlights of the 4 day conference included:

Watching my daughter be of service by volunteering to take people to and from the main meeting room to the dining area by driving them in one of the Kanuga golf carts. She took this on herself, sparked by a serendipitous happening the first night. As we came out of the first night's gathering, and prepared to go home, an elderly lady asked if we knew anyone who could drive a golf cart, pointing the the cart next to our car. Amber piped up that she knew how then promptly took the driver's seat and drove them to their desired location. The next day she couldn't wait to return to Kanuga and to her new volunteer position as chauffeur.

I also reconnected with a friend who I'd not seen in close to ten years, who'd participated with me in a leadership development program in 1988. It was great catching up on the past decade and realizing that we still have much in common.

And last but not least, I created a gap for myself by coming out of the closet and playing my Native American flute in public during the Talent Show on the last night. I'd proposed to Amber, who was a bit reluctant to sing in public, that if she sang in the talent show, I'd play my flute even though I've not played it hardly at all this past year. She found two friends and formed a trio, so I felt that I needed to follow through with my pledge

I combined my amateurish flute playing with some of my favorite quotes and passages related to living on purpose and promised to return next year as part of the 'before and after show,' this year being the before -- before a year of practice -- and next year's appearance. So, I have some fun work ahead of me, that is if I want to show my face at the UMMAS Conference next year.

But I know the loving and lovely people that attend Unity conferences are a great support structure for stretching oneself, so I really see this as a great opportunity to bring some mastery to my flute playing. Anyone who has suggestions on how to do this, please share them with me.

Steve Pavlina Reviews Life On Purpose Book

Well, I've had the opportunity to practice a bit of "purposeful patience" the past few weeks. I learned from my publicist, Carol Arnold, that personal development guru, Steve Pavlina, who Carol referred to as "the Oprah of personal development" liked my new book and would soon be reviewing it on his blog.

And yesterday it appeared and I have to say he really 'nailed it' in a very positive and clear way. In other words, he really 'got it' the whole Life On Purpose Perspective that is at the foundation of the book and the Process that's outlined in the book. Now, I'm not really surprised. Since learning about Steve several weeks' ago, I've been reading many of his posts and listening to his podcasts, and I've resonated with so much of it.

He's site is a great resource of thought-evoking entries on so many different aspects of life, as well as personal and spiritual development. It's well worth checking out starting with his REVIEW of Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life

From Steve's review: "On Amazon.com this book currently has a 5-star average rating after 13 reviews, and deservedly so. I receive many books in the mail from publishers and PR people, and most have such generic, unoriginal content I can’t possibly recommend them. Life on Purpose, however, is a shining beacon of compelling content and unique ideas, concisely organized and well-structured. I have a hard time finding anything I don’t like about it, so I’d rate it 5 stars as well."

Update on My Off Purpose Patterns & Pact Experiment

Well, it's been almost a month since I made my "Purposeful Pact" that went like this:

1. When I first become conscious in the morning, I will lie in bed for no more than 10 minutes and while lying there I will give thanks for the opportunity to live a co-created and inspired life of purposeful, passionate, and playful service, a life of mindful abundance balanced with simplicity, and spiritual serenity. I will then 'count my blessings' of what I am grateful for, and then arise from bed.

2. Throughout the day, whenever I feel the tightness in my chest that often accompanies the lack consciousness of the Inherited Purpose taking over, or I notice lack-based thoughts, I will strive to pivot through those thoughts and emotions within 10 minutes (max), and during that time will refrain from allowing any of that Inherited Purpose based 'stuff' from escaping from my mouth.

I conducted this 'experiment' to see what I could learn about this new Power Tool for Living On Purpose, and here's what I learned.

First, on #1 I failed, pure and simple, at least in this way. Several times, I found myself staying in bed longer than 10 minutes after awaking, although I did a much better job not focusing on fear based or lack based thoughts. I realized that I enjoy 'lounging' in bed like this, especially when I'm not there worrying and fretting about stuff beyond my control.

So, even in failing, my life was enhanced.

And as for #2, I did much better in upping my awareness whenever my Inherited Purpose would try to take over around matters of money, and boy the level of freedom I've experienced in this area has been wonderful. I haven't checked in yet with my family to see if they'd noticed any difference in this arena, but I'm convinced that by taking greater responsibility for my thoughts, emotions and what I allow to come out of my mouth, has had a lot to do with the results that have been attracted to us in these last 30 days. So, I
plan to keep practicing this 'on purpose pattern' for at least the next 30 days. Perhaps by then, it will be a natural part of who I am.

So I'll end this experiment with a quote from Jerry and Esther Hicks new book that dropped into my email box this week, and seemed befitting to share here:

"Give me an improved condition, and then I will feel better" is what most people are asking for, but what is really required of you is the ability to maintain your balance and your Connection to who-you-really-are, regardless of the conditions that exist. Unconditional love is "maintaining my Connection to my Source - which is love - regardless of the conditions that surround me."

The Astonishing Power of Emotions - page 166

The Tremendous Gift of Fear

Now, let's look at the tremendous gift of fear. Fear a gift? That's right, according to one of my favorite writers of online material, Tama J. Kieves, best-selling author of THIS TIME I DANCE!

The Tremendous Gift of Fear

Are you resisting fear in your life? So many of us want to scuttle into safety and security. But fear is the gateway to the sublime. We're supposed to be scared "out of our minds." That's the point. That's when we tap into another intelligence, a non-linear knowing. Best-selling author Sharon Salzberg tells us that in some forms of Buddhism, crisis is called "the proximate cause of faith." Fear is here to lead us straight into the arms of buoyancy and grace.

Years ago, teaching A Course in Miracles class, I asked my students "When did you know that God or Spirit was real for you?" I expected to hear stories about unexpected money coming in or meeting a best friend or lover. The answers surprised me and touched me deeply. I listened to experiences of car wrecks, cancer, confusion, divorce and infidelity. "Bad things" had lifted these people into a more nourishing experience of life.

It made perfect sense. It took deep emotion to strip away the ordinary ways of manipulating life and surviving petty difficulties. Many of us have to be "scared out of our minds"...to tap into the new direction of our hearts, to feel the soft underbrush of faith that is always there, a knowing that is embracing and consistent, a basket into which all the broken pieces fall together and meld into a new foundation.

Pain grinds down your defenses, wears you out, and burns through the tired little monologue of ordinary reality. That tired narrator is in the way of the sweetest, softest voice you will ever know. It's hard to hear the twinkling of a billion stars, or the rush of a river that exists only in your soul, when someone is on the bullhorn reciting tasks, wrongs, and future imaginings. Pain exhausts the narrator into silence so that you can sense the "Something Else" that makes no sense and just may knock you senseless with surrender and grace.

All that said, I wish I could ease your walk with fear and pain. When fear hits like an unbearable storm, here's three focuses you might find helpful:

Your Soul is Stronger than Your Story:

There is a part of you that is stronger than anything you think about yourself. Your true Self, your real identity, is eternal, enduring, regenerative and whole. No matter what happens, this self is never injured or limited in any way. Years ago, I was in a seven year committed relationship with the "love of my life" when he left abruptly, on a Wednesday, for another woman. "I will never live through this," I thought, holding back nausea, terror, shock and despair. I remember standing in front of a Seven Eleven hating the world and all the normal people experiencing their usual lives while my life stung like acid. But I did live through it, day by day. Something within me kept breathing. Something within me divined the next fledgling steps to take. Eventually a new life ripened into existence. My soul was stronger than my story.

There is no Fear in the Present Moment:

All fear is in the mind, not in the moment. All fear comes from thoughts about the future or about the past. Anchor in the sensations of the body: the way your feet feel on the ground or the way your breath feels in your nostrils and lungs. All is well. Listen to the rain against the window or the hum of the refrigerator. If you focus on taste, touch, sound, or sight, there is no room for fear. Be right here. There is peace and freedom awaiting you in this moment.

Likewise, anchor in love, and there is no room for fear. A friend of mine just recently lost her young son to a freak accident. I am so humbled by her experience. When she felt love for her son and his life, she did not feel fear and grief. She says she had a true sense of love and perfection. When she thought of anything else besides the love, she felt ravaged by loss. Love, of any kind, is always an antidote to devastation. Find something to appreciate, care for, or behold in this moment.

Holding Onto the Past Will Block Your Potential

We cause ourselves unnecessary pain when we reject our present lives, thinking things like "I wish this would go away," or "But my life shouldn't be this way." A Course in Miracles teaches that "The vision of one world will cost you the vision of another." It means we literally block our peace and abundance, by looking at what we used to have or what we should have. We miss the singular opportunity that is available to us right now. There is a carousel horse that has your name on it right now. You are invited to have that ride into destiny.

Years ago, I had a coaching client who had experienced a bad divorce with his wife. He couldn't let her go. Even though she had remarried, he still burned the torch for her and talked about what might have been. He felt lonely, abandoned, and terrified that he would never find love again. But when he did a healing ritual to release his wife, he felt released and at peace. He started dating one of his female friends. Of course, the woman he now loves (even more than his wife) had been there all along. But he couldn't see the potential. He could only see his past.

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This month I invite you to see your fear with new eyes. Fear and pain barge into our lives, rattle our bones, and steal away the comfort that we knew. But they come as messengers. They come to wake us up to that which we do not know. They push us into new territories and new reserves of strength and creativity. Here we discover a Loving Presence, new ground, new steps, and new potential. Fear is the ticket to a new ride.

Tama J. Kieves, an honors graduate of Harvard Law School, left her law practice with a large corporate law firm to write and to embolden others to live and breathe their most meaningful self-expression. She is a sought-after speaker, leading visionary career coach and best-selling author of THIS TIME I DANCE! Creating the Work You Love/How One Harvard Lawyer Left It All to Have It All! (Tarcher/Penguin)

She is also on the faculty of Omega Institute and the Kripalu Health Center and teaches at Canyon Ranch, the six star spa. Learn more about Tama's workshops, coaching, free monthly email newsletter packed with inspiring messages, tips and tools, or download her Free Report on "Finding Your Calling Now" at www.AwakeningArtistry.com .

WHEN DHARMAS COLLIDE

by Marilyn Noble
(Visionary Writer on Purpose and Life On Purpose Graduate) (Reprinted with Marilyn's permission)

I had a great experience this weekend at the Loveland show – the cover feature on the magazine that I edit this month is a young woman who does ceramic sculpture and is on her way to grad school at a highly competitive, illustrious art school in Michigan. In the article she talked about her goal of running a college sculpture department one day, along with continuing to produce her own work.

A couple of weeks ago, the chancellor of another prestigious college in Michigan, read the article and told Nancy, the magazine publisher, that he wants this young woman to run his department as soon as she’s finished with her MFA. He loved her art, he loved her teaching philosophy, and he loved her story. When I saw her at the show this weekend, I told her he would be contacting her in September after she gets settled in school.

She was so excited, and she told me that people were recognizing her work from the cover and flocking to her booth to buy it. She also thanked me for keeping her on the right path – when I interviewed her, she was wavering between two different grad schools, and I pointed out that an art degree from one of them would be much more valuable than a degree from the other.

I’ve had my interview subjects tell me that my articles were good and how much they enjoyed them, but I don’t think I’ve ever helped launch someone’s career before. It was gratifying to know I made a difference with my words.

NOTE: Receiving emails like this is so satisfying to witness the cascading effects that the Life On Purpose Process is having in the world. Thanks, Marilyn.

By the way, the magazine mentioned above is Sculptural Pursuits. Check it out.