Living & Working On Purpose

Overwhelm -- the Alice-In-Wonderland Syndrome

I recently read two blog entries back to back that sparked my thinking about the epidemic level of overwhelm that is occurring in this country both in people's personal lives and in business, especially for solo entrpreneurs.

One of the articles was by my coach, Mark Silver, on his Heart of Business Blog, and the other... well about my own life many years ago that was shared on Talent Development Resources, where this appeared:

He says he felt like Alice in Through the Looking-Glass, running with the Red Queen:

“But no matter how fast Alice runs she can’t seem to get anywhere.

“Finally, breathless from her efforts, Alice is allowed to rest long enough to comment, ‘Everything is just as it was!’

“The Queen replies, ‘Here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!’”

Swift notes, “I knew just how Alice must have felt. I was physically exhausted and emotionally out of breath, running as fast as I could to keep up with an out-of-control lifestyle of my own making.”

Ever feel that way? Such overwhelm is truly a vicious cycle. It's like spinning around on a merry-go-around that's moving so fast you're afraid if you jump off you'll kill yourself, even though at some level you know that you're not really getting anywhere, and that if you don't get off soon you will die anyway.

How do you break cycle? Well, unfortunately, for many people, including myself about 20+ years ago, such overwhelm often leads to burnout -- not always to the verge of suicide as it did in my case ( In the past I seemed to have had a high threshold for suffering complicated by a real stubborn streak.)

But is burnout the only way to break the cycle? Thankfully, the answer is no. There are other ways. Mark outlines some of them from a business perspective in his article, The Myth of Being Successfully Solo in Business. I'd like to suggest a few that can be used in your personal life:

1. Carve out time for self reflection -- I know this can be hard... or at least appear to be very hard in the midst of overwhelm. It feels like a 'catch-22.' "I need to take time off so I can recover from not being able to take time off." Yep, that's right. But think of the other alternative -- burnout leading to a mental meltdown that could lead to suicide. And yes, it may not be easy. That's why I used the term, 'carve.' It will take some effort, but it's worth the effort.

Now, this doesn't mean taking a vacation during which you fill all of your time touring Disney World with your family. You know the type of vacation I mean. The kind where you need a second vacation to recover from the first. No, time for self reflection is more like, reserving a week at some reclusive beach cottage, or a meditation center, or camping out in the woods on your own. The key is that you have time to just simply be, and to reflect upon your life and your life purpose.

2. Know your purpose. I'd be remiss if I didn't have this close to the top. It's what you want to use some of your self reflection time for because it will make the biggest difference in the long run because that clarity of purpose will help you focus your intentions and actions, so those things that are not "in the beam" of your purpose can be eliminated from your life over time.

Now, I know the challenge here can be -- "But how do I get clear about my purpose?"

Good question, for sure. I'm just going to mention one avenue to explore. Check it out HERE.

3. And related to these first two, ask yourself some questions like these:

What really matters to me the most? What do I truly value and want more of in my life? What are some of the intangibles of life that I'd be willing to devote some time and effort to have more present in my life and in the world? Intangibles like love, compassion, justice, integrity, joy, fulfillment, spontaneity, etc. Check out this list of personal values from personal development guru, Steve Pavlina.

Your core values are an important ingredient of a powerful life purpose, along with your vision for what's possible, the essence of who you are, all combined with the bounding power of Universal Love, so start by getting in touch with your core values.

And remember, like the mythological phoenix, it is possible to arise from the ashes of a burned out life to a life filled with purpose and meaning. Not always easy but well worth the effort.

Water as Fuel for Your Car?????

I mentioned recently in Purposeful Pondering Ezine * that one of my values that I share with my family is to be ‘earth friendly.’ Like most values there is an endless number of ways to explore and express this value. So, while we’re doing many things to save on energy and to reduce our environmental ‘footprint’ we realize there are many more steps to take.

For example, we have replaced most of our light bulbs with energy efficient florescent bulbs. It’s been a relatively painless process. Each time a standard light bulb burns out, we install a florescent one in its place. We also recycle our cardboard, plastic and glass, and we grow some of our own vegetables in the summer.

However, one area that we’ve been concerned about both economically and environmentally of late has been the automobiles we drive. Ann drives a 1996 Ford Windstar and I drive a classic 1985 Mercedes. They’ve both been good cars for us, being relatively maintenance fee and also, since they are older models, we were able to purchase them without having a car payment, something we both like very much.

But, neither of them are particularly kind to us or to mother Earth when it comes to making visits to the gas pump, averaging around 18-20 miles per gallon. Not as bad as many of the SUV’s and trucks that are so popular here in the North Carolina mountains but far from fuel efficient. So, we’ve been doing our research looking for an automobile that would be a better fit for our values. Meanwhile, in the back of my mind I’ve wondered how much buying a more fuel efficient car would really help since that would mean passing along the Mercedes to someone else who will continue to drive it for at least a few more years. Am I really improving matters? Well, I guess it’s better for at least one of the two parties concerned to be moving to a more Earth friendly vehicle. Yet, it still bugged me a bit.

Recently, Ann and I stumbled upon another alternative — one that we’re exploring along with a growing number of other people. It goes by various names but basically it’s a grass roots technology that allows you to use water as your fuel, thus turning your car into a kind of hybrid.

Now, I know I was skeptical about this at first myself, and for sure the jury is still out on just how effective this truly is. But I’ve read some pretty strong testimonials that are claiming anywhere from 20% to 70% better gas mileage, and it appears that the technology works particular well on older vehicles.

So, we’re giving it a try, not only for our own benefit and not only because, if it works, it’ll be consistent with our values, but also so I can share it with you. You can check out the information site I’m using to explore this by GOING to Water4Gas .

And I know even as I write this that the idea of running your car off of water sounds... Well, too good to be true. In actual fact, the proponents of this aren’t saying you can run your car completely off of water, least not yet, but that it can help reduce your dependency on fossil fuel and that it’s something we can do now, rather than 5, 10 or 20 years down the road.

And remember, I’m exploring and experimenting with this, so if you’re skeptical, stay tuned. I’ll let you know what I find out and then you can make your own decision. For me the next step is to make an ‘electrolyser’ which is one of the chief components that will convert water to HHO and which then combines this gaseous form of water with the gasoline and air mixture which is supposed to make the gas burn more efficiently. I plan to install or have installed one of these in both of our vehicles and to then measure our mileage, so check back often and I’ll let you know how it’s going.

In the meantime, here are a few tips for saving on gas from Wiki-How:

1. Don't drive. Don't drive a car when you don't have to. Ridesearch.com or Carpool, walk, take the bike, or take a bus. These will not only save gas, but also will help save our environment and may be better for your health. Do you really need to drive to the store that is only a couple of blocks down the street?

2. Drive Conservatively. Avoid jackrabbiting, and driving too fast. The faster you drive over 60 mph, the more gas you use. Try going the speed limit for a change.

3. Get a better air filter. More efficient brands of air filters cost a little more but will pay for themselves in most vehicles in fuel savings.

4. Get Low Resistance Tires. Some tires, such as Michelin Energy MX 4 Plus are supposed to increase gas mileage.

Learn more at WikiHow.com

(Life On Purpose Institute has been publishing Purposeful Pondering ezine since 1997, making it one of the longest running ezine publications on the net. You are a subscriber right? If you want a regular dose of insights and inspiration for living on purpose, you can Subscribe Here.

Mindful Abundance Balanced with Simplicity

Today I'm sharing an article about a subject that's 'in the air' here at Life On Purpose as we prepare for the Purposeful Prosperity Edition of the Living the Fulfilled Life Program that starts on June 2nd (Only 2 seats remain). What exactly does the phrase, "mindful abundance balanced with simplicity" that's a central part of my personal life purpose statement mean, and more importantly how can you begin to bring an expanded experience of abundance and prosperity to your own life.
==============================================

"I live in and I'm an integral part of an infinitely abundant Universe where there are ample resources of every form and description readily available for the asking." From Purposeful Prayer

Recently, while giving a talk at the local Lion's Club luncheon during I shared my life purpose statement -- that I am a divine spiritual being who chooses to live an inspired and inspiring life of purposeful, passionate and playful service, a life of mindful abundance balanced with simplicity and a life of spiritual serenity.

At the end of the talk, one of the questions I received was, "What do you mean by living a life of simplicity." On hindsight I wasn't all that satisfied with my answer, realizing that to fully answer it means addressing the whole phrase, "mindful abundance balanced with simplicity."

So, what does it mean to me experience living a life of mindful abundance balanced with simplicity?

--------------
Voluntary vs. Involuntary Simplicity
--------------

Several years ago I became aware that I was a part of a quiet movement known as voluntary simplicity. In other words, I, along with many others were voluntarily downsizing and simplifying our lives. I also began to realize that there's an important distinction between voluntary simplicity and involuntary simplicity. Involuntary simplicity is often referred to as destitution or poverty.

Many people in the world are forced to live very simple lives due to being poor.

I also realized that within the voluntary simplicity movement there was another subtle distinction. Many of the people within the 'movement' who were living more simply were coming from a lack-based mindset. As we all know, you don't have to be poor or destitute to come from lack. Some of the 'richest' people I know have a very forceful lack consciousness, while some of the 'poorest' people (economically speaking) have a rich abundance consciousness.

I remember one long discussion on a voluntary simplicity forum where people were debated whether less water was saved with a dishwasher or from washing dishes by hand, and the general tone of the thread was that since there's not enough clean water, we have to find the right way to wash our dishes and of course, the right way, is the way that uses the least.

That when I realized that I wanted to live simply while at the same time being mindful to the abundance all around. To be grateful for clean water, and to not take it for granted and to not waste it, not because of the fear that there isn't enough but from a place of appreciation and respect -- not only for water but for all the resources provided to us by Spirit and in all the different forms those resources take.

That's what "mindful abundance balanced with simplicity" means to me.

--------------
Rather than "What's in Your Wallet" Ask "What's in Your Consciousness?"
--------------

It really doesn't matter how much cash or how many credit cards you have in your wallet if where you're coming from in your consciousness is from a place of fear or lack. This mindset will inevitably result in creating a lot more effort and struggle in your life -- a struggling to make it or to survive mode. Most of us have been there (and many reading this may presently be experiencing this) and we know it's no fun -- and really not necessary.

Ever heard the old saying -- "In life there will be pain -- but suffering is optional." In other words, physical pain -- the pain that comes when you hit you thumb with a hammer, or the pain of child birth, or the pain of a pulled muscle -- well, some of physical pain is inevitable -- but suffering -- the emotional and spiritual angst, anger, fear, hate, anxiety, etc. is optional.

--------------
Stop Beating Your Head Against the Wall (of Lack & Limitation)
--------------
So, can we begin the process of relieving some of this suffering -- the emotional and spiritual angst that seems so prevalent in the world?

Here's one simple and effective tool to begin with. I call it the 'interim purpose pivot' -- interim because you can begin to use this tool even before you're clear about your true life purpose.

Step 1- As you go through the day begin to notice times when you're emotionally "off" -- anger, anxiety, overwhelm, sadness, worry, etc.

Step 2 -- Ask yourself this question -- "In this moment is my life being shaped by love or fear? As you ask that question, you can expand the meaning of these two in the following way.

Love = Universal love, experience of abundance and a willingness to flow with life, and

Fear= Fear, a sense of lack and struggling in your life

If the answer is fear (which it's likely to be), then

Step 3 -- Ask yourself, "If in this next moment I were to pivot and allow my life to be shaped by Love (abundance and flow), what would be different and what could I CREATE?

--------------
My Coaching Challenge to You
--------------

Will you try out this simple tool for the next 7 days? Just 7 days? Catch yourself when you're off and try pivoting with these 3 steps?

I've even included the steps below so you can print just the steps out and keep it with you.

Then share with me what happens here on the blog.

I'll even try a little 'bribe' -- well, actually a gift for the one who shares the most authentic and powerful posting. If I have at least 6 people (out of almost 8,000 subscribers) then I'll do a drawing from the entries and the winner will receive a special reviewer copy of my book, Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life. If you already have a copy of it, I'll send you a copy of DASH, by Eric J. Aronson.

Why the drawing? Because I really want to expand the level of participation I have with my subscribers because I feel in my heart that I can make a bigger difference with many of you IF you will not only read the ezine but act upon the insights you glean from them. And so, will you take me up on the challenge?

Here's your reminder to print out:

============= Interim Purpose Pivot ====================

Step 1- As you go through the day begin to notice times when you're emotionally "off" -- anger, anxiety, overwhelm, sadness, worry, etc.

Step 2 -- Ask yourself this question -- "In this moment is my life being shaped by love or fear? As you ask that question, you can expand the meaning of these two in the following way.

Love = Universal love, experience of abundance and a willingness to flow with life, and

Fear= Fear, a sense of lack and struggling in your life

If the answer is fear (which it's likely to be), then

Step 3 -- Ask yourself, "If in this next moment I were to pivot and allow my life to be shaped by Love (abundance and flow), what would be different and what could I CREATE?

============= Print & Read Daily ====================

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.