Living & Working On Purpose

Have You Forgotten to Include Yourself in Your Life Purpose?

"Your life purpose isn't just about you. It's about you in service to others...but the 'others' include you." Paraphrased from Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life.

My client had moved through the first four passages of the Life On Purpose Process like a real A++ client. He'd uncover much of his Inherited Purpose and had clarified his life purpose and created a very powerful and inspiring life purpose statement. Now he was at the point of creating a Purpose Project that would allow him to contribute and make a different as he expressed his true purpose.

He was called to work with young children who were disadvantaged and I was excited to see the Project take form.

Then he was diagnosed with a second bout of cancer. It set him back on his heals, as such news would anyone. He'd been diagnosed and treated for another form a couple years previously. It was one of the significant points that had him really want to identify his life purpose. Suddenly, in the midst of an already full life, running a very successful business with his wife and another business partner, just starting his new Purpose Project -- it appeared that life was interfering.

But His life on purpose needn't stop.

=======
Your Life Purpose Includes YOU
=======

It was time to remember one of the paradoxes of the Purposeful Path. While your life purpose isn't just about you -- it's about expressing your life purpose into the world in service to others....But, and it's a big But...your life purpose does INCLUDE YOU.

For example, my client's life purpose statement is to live an extraordinary life of generosity, passionate service, playful creativity and peaceful happiness.

So, he was well on his way to expressing and experiencing this out in the world by being generous with disadvantaged children and passionately serving them by playfully creating a nonprofit or joining forces with an existing one....then a major crisis struck -- life happened.

And, at first it looked like he had to "put his life on purpose on the shelf" and deal with the cancer. But something shifted dramatically when he realized that he was included in his own life purpose.

So, for now, while his focus has shifted to his wellbeing, the context within which he pours his life doesn't need to change. He can continue to life true to his life purpose. In fact, the more he does the more he will be empowered to deal with the cancer in a loving, healing manner, rather then deal with it from the fear, lack and struggle of the Inherited Purpose.

========
Staying On Purpose through Questions
========

One way he can begin to make that shift in perspective is with questions, like:

** "How can I be generous to MYSELF in this moment as well as with those around me?

* In what ways can I be passionately of service to MYSELF and allow others to be as well (like my wife and my doctors)?

* How can I continue to be playfully creative with what life has dealt me while continuing to experience peaceful happiness?

Now, don't get me wrong, dealing with cancer is a real challenge. But this time there's a new context within which to hold it and whenever the fear, lack and struggle pops up, which of course it will, my client has a new place to pivot to and new way to practice being.

How about you, my fellow travelers along the Purposeful Path? What is the context into which you're pouring your life? Is it based in Universal Love, a sense of abundance, and a willingness to flow with life, or are fear, lack and struggle appear to be running the show?

-------
What do you think of this article? Did it serve you in some way? If so, how? Do you disagree? That's great too. Let me hear from you. Share your thoughts and perspective, either on the blog here, or send me an email. I really do want to hear from you.

Are You a 97-pound Weakling?

There are a lot of folks out there who don't ask enough of life. Are you one of them?

Let me explain. What I'm pointing to is summarized in the old saying, "Ask and you will receive." Now, for many of us as we grew into adults, we've asked and NOT received so often that we've quit asking UNLESS we're pretty darn sure we will receive.

So, our requesting muscle has atrophied.

How many times have you heard from others or yourself, something like this:

"Oh, I could never ask him/her to do that?" Or, "What's the point in asking. He/She'll just say, 'no.'" Etc. Etc.

One of my spiritual teachers, Edwine Gaines, used to say and I paraphrase -- "Ask for what you want and be responsible for what you get."

Now, truth be told, many of us don't know what we want or what will really serve us. That's where knowing your true life purpose can be so helpful because it helps focus our intentions. We then 'want' what will help us live true to our Divinely Inspired Life Purpose.

But, even when we know what we want, many times we fail to ask for it because we're stopped by our Inherited Purpose.

============
When Fear Freezes the Asking Machine
============
Let's say that part of your Inherited Purpose is that you always have to do the right thing for everyone else so that you'll be liked. Well, then it's likely that you'll not ask for what you need if there's any chance that it will result in the other person not liking you.

Or let's say your fear-based Inherited Purpose says you have to always be smart and know all the answers. (yep, that part of mine), then you're unlikely to ask if the asking would in anyway make you look 'not smart' which equals 'stupid.' And yes, asking for directions can be a real challenge for me if I'm coming from my Inherited Purpose.

===========
Moving from Complaining to Requesting
===========

When we get used to not asking for what we want or need, we often substitute complaining about life instead, but it's complaining with no commitment to anything other than to how unfair life is. IE, complaining for complaining sake.

But it is possible to move beyond this kind of complaining using the tool of requesting, and when we do we'll start to see results in our lives...often results that we didn't expect.

For example, I recently experienced a hard drive crash with my MacBook and unfortunately had failed to back up for several months. (I shared about that last week.) I needed to see if I could economically recover the unsaved data from the hard drive, but according to the Apple dealership, they had to either ship the hard drive back to the factory within 3-4 days or I could buy back the broken hard drive.

Well, that made no sense to me. In my world, the Apple policy was unreasonable and only added additional stress to an already stressful situation, so after complaining for a bit to the dealership and then realizing they didn't set the policy, I asked for the number to Apple Customer Service.

I also realized that under my complaint was a request, which was that Apple change their policy or grant me an exception to it.

I started the conversation like this: "Hi, I'm a long time satisfied Apple and Macintosh customer. I even have one of the first one thousand Macintoshes to come off the assembly line down in my basement. I've used your product for decades and will continue to do so, but I've recently have come across an Apple policy that seems to make no sense and doesn't serve the customer."

I then went on to explain my situation, and asked that they pass along to the 'powers that be' that the policy be reviewed and if possible changed to better serve the customer.

While I didn't get the policy turned around on the spot, I did learn that I had more time than I'd originally been told, and at the end of the conversation I received a very unexpected yet appreciated result from the Customer Service Rep, who said:

"Mr. Swift, I understand how stressful the loss of your data has been and you've been most helpful in pointing out a policy for us to review. I'd like to help reduce your stress by sending you a new product of ours that allows for automatic back ups so this won't be an issue in the future. It's called a Time Capsule and if you're on the internet now, I can show you how it works..."

We really don't know what we might get when we ask for what we want and are willing to be responsible for what we get.

So, if you're a 98 pound weakling when it comes to making request, here's a fun and challenging exercise that will start building your requesting muscles in several ways.

Play a game this week to make at least 10 requests of different people without expecting a yes. In fact, you're actually looking for a no. The more 'no's' you get the more points you score. Got it?

Here's the one rule. Only make requests that you are willing to honor if you get a yes, or a counter offer that works for you.

You might not want to ask a total stranger out on a date, not if you'd be unwilling to go out with him or her if they said yes.

On the other hand, you might ask them to come to your place over the weekend and wash and wax your car. Remember, you're actually looking for no's. And any yes's you get can be a lot of fun as well.

=======
My Challenge to You
=======

I'm throwing down the gallant one more time and challenging you (which is its own form of a request) to play full out on this 'coaching assignment' AND then share your results and what you learn from it with me here on the Living & Working On Purpose Blog.

Now, come on guys and gals. You've been way too quiet lately. Remember, living on purpose is about transforming and enhancing your life but it really helps to be in ACTION, not just sitting in the stands. If 10 requests feel like too much start with 5 -- that's less than one per day.

Have fun and let me hear from you.

Practicing Pivoting to Enhance Your Life

Last week I introduced a simple and effective tool for living on purpose called the 'interim purpose pivot.' (The steps are outlined below) I then invited you to try it out for a few days and then share what happens here at the Living & Working On Purpose Blog.

I then offered a little incentive -- 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 ====================

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.

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