Living & Working On Purpose

Temporary Set Back on Water for Fuel Experiment

Well, just a quick update with the 'water as gas' experiment. I took a 'hit' this week and had a bit of a strange set of set backs.

For the past several months both the Mercedes and our van have been running like a charm with no problems, I'd say for at least the past year.

Now, just as we're about to take the next step in this experiment, both cars have experienced troubles. The Mercedes odometer quit -- just quit. No rolling of the numbers. I've had cars for close to 50 years and never had an odometer stop working. Kind of hard to gauge the gas mileage without it though.

So, I thought, we'll star by placing the electrolyser on the van....except that then Ann reports to me that the van isn't running properly, especially as it goes up the mountains around here. So, it's in the shop as I write this have the catalytic converter repaired. (which may be part of the reason I though it appropriate to write about how the inherited purpose can flare up around money issue. )

Anyway, we'll probably need to run it a bit to get a starting mpg rating after the repair, then we'll have the energy saving device installed.

That's the status at this point. Set back but only a temporary one.

The Water for Fuel Experiment Update

I love my car -- I bought this classic Mercedes about two years ago for a song. It runs great, and it's a blast to drive, especially at this time of the year when I can open the sunroof. BUT....

Like many cars on the road today, the gas mileage....well, it sucks. I figure it gets somewhere between 16 - 20 miles per gallon. So, when Ann stumbled upon some info on the internet that said people were dramatically improving their mileage with a small device that converts water into HHO which is then combined with the gas and air mixture in the engine, I was intrigued...and yes, a bit skeptical.

But I decided that since my life is an experiment in living on purpose and part of my purpose is to live a life of mindful abundance balanced with simplicity, I figured why not experiment with this, and share my result with YOU.

So, here's my progress to date:

1. I order the instructions on how to build an electrolyser which is the device that uses electricity to convert water into a form that is supposed to improve the fuel efficiency of a gas engine. After research several different web site, I chose _________.

2. I was able to access both books -- one on how to build the electrolysers and several other components that are reported to improve gas mileage and a second book on how to optimize their uses. I've not gotten into the second one yet.

3. I purchased the parts I needed, mostly locally although a few I had to find on the internet. The book was very thorough on providing details on what I needed and where to get them.

4. And as you can see in the photo I've built my first electrolyser.

In fact, I've built 3 -- one of my Mercedes and one for the family's van and one for the mechanic who has agreed to install one of the devices on one of our cars in exchange for a device for himself.

The plan is to take one of the cars in next week for the installation.

One minor breakdown is that the odometer in my Mercedes quit working last week, making it quite difficult to determine mileage results, so we'll probably start with the van.

In another post in the next few days, I'll debrief what I've learned so far and any suggestions I might make to those interested in trying this yourself. So, stay tuned.

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.

MICRO-PHILANTHROPY: SHARING THE WEALTH

On Monday morning, Ann and I resumed our "Creating 2008" conversation, a ritual we've continued this time of the year for over a decade as we complete on the year about to pass and create our intentions for the New Year. Just prior to that I'd received an email from a life purpose colleague, Derek Felton, that included web organizations that are making a difference in the world. One particular caught my attention: It said:

Kiva - A site for international micro investing. See in some parts of this world the dollar is still worth alot and a small amount can go quite a long way to change a persons life. On the site you will see folks from all over the globe looking for small bits of help to finance a new washing machine or cart or seeds for crops. Loans can be made for as little as $25. Visit them at http://www.kiva.org.

So, as Ann and I talked about how grateful we were for our wonderful life, and how we really didn't want more 'stuff' for Christmas -- if anything we wanted to simplify further so we could contribute more to others, Kiva.org came to mind.

You see, I've dreamed of one day -- when I "became wealthy"-- of being a philanthropist/angel investor. As Ann and I talked I realized that, by much of the world's standards, I've been wealthy for years.

It felt like it was time to stop dreaming and start giving. Thanks to Kiva.org my family and I can do just that -- and so can you if you're so inclined.

We started this week by investing in a recycling business in Peru, started by Kely Aurora Diaz Neyra, a mother of 3 children who is operating the business from her home.

Here's Kely with some of her 'recyclables'

And here's what I wrote earlier in the day:

Take a look at this passionate entrepreneur and perhaps you'll be guided to become one of her investors as well. So far, others who are investing in Kely's dream come from such areas as Tokyo, Brussels Belgium, Surrey British Columbia, and of course, Flat Rock NC.

But you'll need to hurry because Kiva.org has become very popular recently and many others from around the world are using their organization to help redistribute the wealth a bit.

But later on the same day, I checked my portfolio and learned that Kely had already obtained her full loan of $950 from 38 'investors' from all over the world at $25 a piece.

Want to make a difference in the world by helping another entrepreneur to get a leg up with their business? Check out Kiva.org

PURPOSE-FILLED E-CARDS

You may recall, that I was recently interviewed by Dave Carpenter of Exceptional Wisdom Radio. Well, I chatted with him again recently and he introduced me to EW's most recent "Purpose Projects - Wisdom Cards on such topics as:

Purpose of Life
Success
Dreams
Goals
Choices
Challenges
Perseverance
Attitude
Peace

Yes, Purpose of Life is number 1. No wonder Dave and I get along so well.

Their eCard Memberships are also Free and include a personal address book, reminders, eCard history, favorites, and more. You do not have to sign up to simply send an eCard.

Check out these Wisdom E-Cards.

Aliens Introductions

Friday nights at the Swift's is "Family Night," and since we all love movies and some of the television shows on that night, we often share in that experience.

This past Friday, we decided to watch the pilot of Odyssey 5 on the Sci-Fi Channel. (Yes, we are all Sci-Fi fans as well.) I wasn't all that taken by the new show until the 'alien' was introduced. I was a little disappointed that the alien looked like an old human, but then I guess the budget was limited. What really caught my attention and shocked our whole family was when the marooned earthlings asked the alien for his name.

"In our culture we don't use names like you do in your culture," he replied, and I paraphrase. "We identify ourselves by our life purpose." No kidding! That's what he said.

Now, we all rolled in the aisles by that unexpected response, but later I got to thinking, what is that were true here? Oh, we might not need to give up our use of proper names, but what if we began to introduce ourselves not by our job or roles, but by our life purposes.

What if, instead of, "Hi, it's good to meet you. What do you do for a living?" We asked instead, "Hi, it's good to meet you. What's your purpose in life?"

And why don't we do this? Well, I suspect it's because very few of us would know how to answer the question, and it's viewed as impolite to ask such a confronting question of someone you've just met. And I also suspect if you tried it for a while, those who did answer you would probably still say much the same thing. In other words, they'd be likely to answer that their life purpose was the work they do, or a significant role in their life.

"Oh, I'm a dentist, doctor, mechanic... I guess that's my life purpose." Or,

"Oh, I'm busy raising my children, and taking care of my husband. That's about all the purpose I have time for these days."

But it's comforting to know that somewhere out in space there's another culture of beings who are introducing each other as their life purpose. It sets a precedent that the same could eventually happen here.

May your journey along the Purposeful Path be filled with passion and play.

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.

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

Back to School and Back to Life (On Purpose)

It's back to school time and in some ways it feels like back to life, though I have to admit this summer has been both full and fulfilling here at Life On Purpose Institute. Want to add spice to your summertime? Launch a new book and hire a great publicist to promote it.

For those who have been following my publishing adventures, you may recall the great review that was posted at Amazon.com from Dave Carpenter which then led to my being on his Exceptional Wisdom radio show. Well the interview was really more of an engaging dialogue and I feel was one of the most fun and worth listening to conversations I've had yet about the book and the whole idea of living on purpose.

The interview is now posted in the Exceptional Wisdom archives: http://exceptionalwisdomradio.com/bio_brad_swift.html

MY APOLOGY to those who were registered for BEING A MASTERFUL LIFE PURPOSE COACH for needing to cancel the teleclass, and the good news is that it's been rescheduled for this coming Wednesday, September 5th at 12 noon Eastern time. If you are either a life coach or considering becoming one, and feel that assisting people to clarify their life purpose and live true to it would be a rewarding contribution to the world, register at:

http://www.lifeonpurpose.com/telesamplers

The Author's Cloud: A Moment of Awe

My publicist recently turned me on to LibraryThing.com, so after having her email in my inbox for a few weeks, I decided to check it out. If you're into books like I am you may get hooked by it as I did. It's a slick web site where, once you create a free account, you can enter the books in your personal library. Believe me if that sounds tedious, it really isn't, because due to the magic of the internet, once you enter a title, it searches either Amazon.com or the Library of Congress, both pretty large databases, and almost invariably up pops the book.
In other words, book entry is quick and easy.

And as you add a book, it tells you how many other members have a copy of it in their library. So, of course, one of the first books I entered was my own -- Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life and was pleasantly surprised to find 3 other members own it. (Ok, so one of them turned out to be my VA, but that's ok.)

Then I discovered on one of the other member's page who has my book, The Author's Cloud. Now Jaden has been doing her work, having entered 499 authors, so when I clicked over to her Author's Cloud, there were all these photos of her authors. So, I figured, maybe I would be there, and I was! Surprise, surprise. And as I looked around my photo, I noticed just above me was a picture of Shakespeare, and right next to me was John Steinbeck, and just below me was Mark Twain and Las Tsu, and on that same row was Thoreau. Not half shabby company, huh?

And then a funny thing happened. I found myself moved, deeply moved by this moment in cyberspace. I had joined the ranks of these other authors who had dedicated countless hours of their own lives to sharing themselves through the written words. Oh, I don't know that I'll be remembered as long as any of these that I've shared with you, but then again, who knows. My career as an author is in many ways just beginning, and I don't know what this road has to offer.

But I thank the people who created the LibraryThing and for whomever had the ingenious idea to create the Author's Cloud feature.