Living On Purpose

I’d like to pass on a great post from the Manifest Mastermind blog about being on purpose at work. Thanks for finding me on Twitter, Manifest Mastermind!

Working and Being on Purpose Manifest Mastermind, co-creating your dreams and desires.

In summary, we need to check in to our internal guidance system, also known as our emotional guidance system, to find out if we are on purpose in our work. No one else can tell us if what we are doing is right for us.

“You  know your purpose when you have a clear understanding of how you want to feel and what experiences contribute to those feelings.”

This statement, from the Mastermind blog post, summarizes what I heard countless experts tell me on the Living on Purpose teleseminar. First, get clear about what you want! Block out a morning or afternoon to really focus on what your best day would look and feel like. Write down what experiences you want from your life. Ask for certain feelings to come about like this: (the following statements were notes from telesummit call with Hans Christian King.)

I would like the experience of joy in creating artwork please.

I would like the experience of satisfaction in my means of employment please.

You get the gist. Change it up how you like it.  So here I am on Saturday, feeling trapped by my own negative thoughts. I know like I know I’m not supposed to be replaying these thoughts over again, but they’ve taken hold! I’ve tried distraction by housework, music, internet browsing. But the thing that really changed my negative mindset was writing that statement above. It’s all about focusing on what I do want. It’s such a trap to re-play what we don’t want, isn’t it!

So try it next time you’re stuck in a rut. Write down what you really would like to experience.

Aaaah, that was a month just for me. I finished the Living on Purpose telesummit hosted by Adoley Odunton.  I don’t know how she did it, but she lined up some incredible speakers for this month long conference (mostly 1 call per day, but some days had 2 calls) about living on purpose. Each interviewee was asked “How do you define living on purpose?” And each answer was different! I witnessed Adoley grow and mature in her confidence as an interviewer and I myself did a lot of learning and introspecting.

After hearing over twenty speakers reflect upon purpose, I’ve come to understand it better. I started this blog by stating that it’s not as important to know your “life purpose” as it is to make your daily decisions with awareness. I still believe this, yet now it’s much more refined.

Here is a mashup of different answers from this series; I love it!

You’re living on purpose when:

• your core values match your daily behaviors
• you feel you are living “in the flow”
• you’re taking action on your values
• you have isolated and learned to  express your passions (like dance, art, teaching, science, comedy, meditation…)
• you give service and value to the world
• you feel you’re growing and evolving as a human
• your heart is in coherence
• you are living in alignment with your soul values
• you are doing what you love
• you are living in alignment with the reason your soul incarnated
• you are growing into the fullness of who you are
• you surrender to the purpose for which you were born
• you are connected with your guidance

As you can see, many of the speakers who answered  ”what does living on purpose mean to you” talk about alignment. We’ve got to feel we have a yardstick by which we measure our daily decisions. We use this proverbial yardstick to find out if our behavior is in alignment with our core values, our passions, our reason for coming to Earth.

Even if you haven’t given yourself a “statement of life purpose,” (and it’s not at all a prerequisite for living an exquisitely beautiful passionate life,) you use your inner guidance that you’ve already set up to gauge your daily behavior.

Many of the presenters spoke highly of meditation. When you go into a quiet space in your mind, you allow yourself to connect with your guidance. The regular practice of meditation can help you clarify your goals, passions, and purpose — simply by being quiet! The funniest one-liner from the entire month: I came out of the womb with existential angst! From Marci Shimoff, author of Happy for No Reason, a study of 100 unconditionally happy people. Marci (who I recommend in my book suggestions and in my ebook) said that she didn’t get the titles for 2 of her books until she set aside some time for a silent retreat, which was completely against her talkative nature. But there, in the silence, she could see what she should do next, and the book Happy for No Reason was born.

Another big theme I saw running through the speakers’ messages was to learn how to ask for what you want. When you get very clear with yourself about what you would like to experience, you are helping yourself to get it. It makes sense! If all I do is complain about how much I dislike this or that or him or her, I am reinforcing to myself my dislikes. I pull people in to my life who also love to complain, and we can commiserate together instead of planning our fantastic alternative lives.

At least three of the speakers spoke highly of hypnosis. Ninety percent of teachers ask students to do affirmations to help change their lives, but subconscious beliefs hinder the conscious mind from making those changes. (from Jeneth Blackert, New Wealth Teacher) Dr. Robert Anthony described our mind like a captain and his crew. The captain is the conscious mind and the crew is the subconscious mind. I would guess that mutiny is when you can’t tell yourself what to do for any reward in the world using your conscious mind because your crew has run amok! Hypnosis, then, would be the method to talk to the crew directly, bypassing the critical factor gatekeeper of your mind.

Your intention makes things happen, and gratitude is the fastest way to bring about positive change in any situation.

Now I can understand why people extol the benefits of finding a mission statement for their lives. I always considered it overkill, like trying to extract too much meaning from a hot dog or something. (Make me one with everything! ba-dum-bum.) Knowing what your purpose in life is seems grandiose at first, but if you can identify what your passions are and what your values are, and what you really want out of life using tools like meditation and/or hypnosis and/or a life coach, then your “life’s purpose” begins to crystallize. Once you have that, all your subsequent decisions get easier because you suddenly have a yardstick!

By the way, I added a new widget to my sidebar on the right. During this series of conference calls, I was inspired to design something that would sum up what it means to live on purpose. See my print on demand store in the link on the sidebar or here, using the domain I bought just for this idea: http://www.iamlivingonpurpose.com

Purposeful parenting doesn’t mean you have to be a perfect parent. It means you gather knowledge about best practices and do the best you can with what resources you have.

I’ve been thinking about all the things the American public school system does not teach my sons. Public school can teach our children how to add and divide, how to read and write. But unless your child hit the proverbial lottery by being assigned a fantastic caring teacher, public school doesn’t teach your children about making smart life decisions.

I want my sons to know how to choose food based on its nutritional value, not by which animated character endorses it. I want my sons to know how to reflect on their values and know how to tell what they really like to do just because it brings them joy, not because their friends badgered them into it. I want them to know what to do with their anger when it arises so they may be able to transmute it into creative energy for problem solving. I want them to spend their lives making sure their hearts are coherent.

My older son is smack in the middle of middle school. He’s right at the stage where the preteen morphs into the teenager and begins pulling away from Mom & Dad. If I haven’t done my job correctly by now, there’s no stopping him from doing what he wants. But I think I’ve done well. I’ve told him how I measure his progress; that even though I care deeply that he does well academically, I care more that he develops a good and caring character.

Do your sons and daughters know what you value most in their development? Make sure you tell them, or else they will guess.

The following post contains images that may not be appropriate for the youngest viewers. Figure drawing class consists of both clothed and nude models. I had years of previous experience with figure drawing in pencil and charcoal before I entered this class. Results not typical if one has never drawn before!

Honestly, I chose this class on a whim because the class I really wanted was full when I went to register.  So I asked which classes did have room left. The one that I felt an affinity for was “Figure and portrait painting in watercolor with Dennis Pendleton.” I was going to take solar plate printmaking; perhaps I will later this year.

I faced a small fear by enrolling; I was scared of working with color! I can use colored pencils just fine, but when I paint my results are out of control.  I took 4 classes; one month’s worth. I’ve seen a great improvement in my color mixing and treatment of color temperature.

In this one, my instructor actually mixed the wash for me, and that’s how I learned NOT to paint a bright orange blob.

These are by no means masterpieces. They are training exercises, that’s all. I’ve now realized that the path to purpose really does take practice. If one wants to be a dancer, can it be done without dancing? If one wants to be an athlete, can it be done without workouts and training? It’s not that I really want to be an artist; what I want is to be able to paint what I see in my dreams and imagination to share a big idea with you.

I want to be ready when the inspiration strikes!

I don’t open all my email. I look at the subject line and skim what has come in overnight. One that came in yesterday said this in the subject line: Carol Look on Abudnance, Shirley McLaine and Marianne Williamson WOW. Now, I had already heard the Marianne Williamson call last week, and it was awesome. I was guided to open this one to find out about why Shirley McLaine was in the newsletter.

I found a link to the “Living On Purpose Telesummit”. I did a double-take. Hey, I’m running a living on purpose blog, I thought as I clicked on the link. My email said Shirley McLaine will be a speaker at this telesummit, but she’s not listed on the web page. After glancing over the speakers to appear and realizing I only have heard of three of them, I have concluded that I’m absolutely no expert on living on purpose. So, I’ll give you the link so you can learn from the experts.

http://livingonpurposetelesummit.com/ The tagline says “Wake up inspired, live fearlessly.”

I believe the first step to living on purpose is to NOT live unconsciously. The first step involves catching yourself when you go on autopilot. Sounds simple. Just try to count the times you switch into autopilot during one day. You’ll lose count after a couple of hours unless you’ve cultivated laser focusing ability. I always say to start with small habits, like cleaning your own hair from the bathtub before you get out of the shower, or putting the toothpaste top on before you let go of the tube. (hmmph, can you guess my pet peeves? It’s like my housemates each thinks he has the whole house to himself and he’s not sharing a bathroom…)

Okay, so you’ve started small. You’ve brought a bit of awareness to your day. Expand it a bit, and begin thinking about the things that you normally gloss over. Where does that homeless man I pass each day sleep? How can everybody act like nothing’s wrong when there are natural disasters and wars happening all over the globe? I wish I could teach that mom not to be so harsh with her kids. Who integrates prisoners back into society once they’ve been released? EEK! What are you willing to do about those thoughts? That’s why it’s so much easier to gloss over them and store them away in the back of your mind.

I’m going to switch gears and give a short overview of Marianne Williamson’s presentation that I heard last week:

Those who hate, hate with great conviction. Some of us who love, though, do it when it’s convenient. It’s time to evolve the concept of love. As a mother says to her children, “that misbehavior won’t happen in my house,” so shall the women of America evolve to be able to widen the definition of our house to the community- we won’t have that (starving children) in our house (the city, state, country…). You cannot bomb away hate, but love can transform hate.

Marianne’s newest event in Los Angeles will be February 26 2010, and it’s called Sister Giant: Rousing the Sleeping Giant of American Womanhood. She’s going to force us to think about the things we normally gloss over. She’s going to ask us what we’re willing to do about those feelings that arise.

The two purposeful links I’ve brought you today both talk about waking up.  Let’s wake up on purpose.

Happy 2010. Near the end of 2009, a momentous year of change and growth for me, I decided to join my local Art Students League. It felt like such a spur of the moment thing for me to do. There is a yearly fee, and members pay for the art classes on top of that. I wiffle-waffled and stammered my way through handing my debit card to the receptionist/admin at the League. “Well, this is it! I’m just going to do it.” I thought, “Once I dive deep enough to fork out money for a membership fee, I’ll have to take the classes, too.”

I took my first two uninstructed life drawing classes (which I used to regularly attend before I had children) before Christmas and last night I took my first watercolor painting class.  *Hint, I’m terrified of painting in color.* I’ve been a graphite portraiture artist for decades, and rarely ventured into the world of color.

So, I dove deep. This is an investment for me. Each class is THREE hours! I have children at home for Pete’s sake! And then I’ll have to buy all my own art supplies! What was I thinking?

I’ll tell you what I was thinking.

I’ve been blessed with a talent I do not use. I have a yearning in my heart to engage in the art of fine art, because when I begin the journey, my spirit soars. At church this year, I heard the message many times that if I have a God-given talent and suppress it, the act of suppressing will eat away at my soul/spirit. During Amy Ahler’s Women Masters series of teleconferences this summer, an overwhelming theme was “do what you’re called to do,” “do the thing that makes you happy, and go for your dreams.” Lack of money and rationalizations rarely offer a valid excuse for stuffing our passion away in the underbrush of our psyche.

So, I had a chat with my inner mean girl. She said that artists are a dime a dozen. She said that you just have to look at Etsy web site to  see that artists struggle to sell their art and to make ends meet. My inner mean girl is convinced I should wait until all the children are self sufficient and off on their own before I indulge in my own passions.  In fact, that’s why I was waiting all these years. I was busy.

Okay, enough’s enough. This blog post is about living on purpose, my way. Let’s just wait and see if I can make a living by living on purpose. At the very least, I’ll enjoy the journey!

I hope everyone’s holidays have been merry and bright. And may all my readers enjoy an abundant new year. Abundance is a wonderful word, because it refers not only to finances and the material world, but also to the spiritual and emotional planes as well. Wouldn’t it be awesome to always have an abundance of the holy spirit?…an abundance of joy, of  gratitude, of love?

If you need a story to inspire you, go hear Marcia Wieder’s personal story of life transformation at her Dream University. She looked around at her own life and realized it was opposite of what her dream life would be like. The two questions that caused her transformation were: How do I want my life to be? and What am I willing to do about it?

So many people get caught up in these two questions. The first requires clarity of vision. You have to know what your dream life would look like in the first place! Lots of us have lost that laser focus on our dreams. The second question forces you to look your fears in the face and battle it out. Who will win; you or your fear? We’re afraid of commitment, of risks, of insecurity. If you need your life to change, there is going to be some risk, insecurity, and commitment to your vision in order to jump start the process. Or maybe not!

So take ten minutes to watch Marcia’s video on the link above. She tells how she went from overweight and broke to living her dream. She emphasizes that a lack of money in your life right now does not need to stop you from making some steps towards your dreams right now.

While you are there, click on the link for her free ebook 100 Ways to Make Life Easier. She offered me this ebook in her newsletter and I was blown away. I’ve read more than a handful of self-help titles. Marcia has delivered such a powerful group of tips and advice that I can’t believe she’s giving it away for free. I’m not an affiliate for her, I just think that if you want to change your life and manifest more abundance, then you need to follow the tips she’s laid out in this ebook.

To an abundant new year!

By Michelle Casto, guest blogger. Originally posted on ArticleSnatch; keywords Soul Care and Self-Care

In today’s challenging times, there seems to be less and less time to do soul-nourishing activities. However, every ultra successful person knows a secret ingredient to success which is often over-looked, that of being “balanced” and taking plenty of down-time to rest, refresh and rejuvenate.

For many, the holidays can create added stress and pressure to an already full plate. Many suffer seasonal affective disorder, and just feel “blue.”

What follows are 5 simple ways to Care For Your Soul that if you start now will quantum leap you into the New Year feeling refreshed, focused, and fulfilled.

1. Honor Your Core Values
People, circumstances, and things that are not good for you cause you to constrict and withdraw your love, power, and passion. If you keep living a default life, you become more and more disconnected from your True Self and Source/God/Goddess. The more disconnected you are from Source, the more disappointing results you attract over and again.

Your nurturing soul stuff (like enjoying healthy positive relationships, doing work that has meaning for you, staying in balance, attracting financial abundance, having a spiritual practice) allows you to expand into your divine essence. You will always be adjusting to see what fits you now.

2. Nurture Your Soul With a Positive Environment
Identify the state of being that creates an environment of success for you. Now create supportive environments that honor your values (people, opportunities, places that inspire you and move you forward). Too many times we are fighting against-ourselves, other people, or circumstances that are contrary to our inner nature and then we wonder why it is so hard to make changes and become the human beings we are meant to become. Environments and associations (who we hang out with) are 100x more important than you realize—can pull you forward or drag you down.

3. Discover Your Life Purpose
You cannot talk about caring for your soul and not mention living with purpose. A native American saying is, “Everything on earth has a purpose. Every person a mission.” Just like a bird who has its own unique song, you, too have a song to sing. It may only be a little song but there are people who will like it. You were born to do something great and to help someone or perhaps a group of people. Your purpose often seems much bigger than you and affects others in a positive way. When you are on purpose, you help greater humanity.

4. Write Your Own Fairytale (complete with happy ending and all!)
Who remembers the fable Goldilocks and the Three Bears? What was the story—-three beds, certain bed, certain porridge. Not too hard, too soft, hot or cold, but just right. She had to try out various options before choosing one that suited her tastes. What I call a lot of research! You are the author of your own success story and can edit anytime you feel like it.

5. Receiving Support from a Trusted Mentor
When it comes to nurturing your soul, there is nothing more impactful than receiving emotional support from a coach or trusted mentor. If you need help with any of these ways to care for your soul, a professional life coach can help you look inside and identify what your soul is longing for. That is the purpose of a Life Coach, to support you in making the changes that help you to feel good and be happier.

These simple ways will help you to nurture yourself and care for your soul when you just take the time to practice them. Let me know if there is any way I can support you in taking better care of your SOUL.

Michelle Casto empowers you to accelerate your success on your path of purpose.
Visit www.brightlightcoach.com

I have come across an extremely interesting web site:  “Molly Burke on Purpose”

If you are looking for a particular method to find your life purpose, the short overview on the link above is for you.  Think of it as your own personal experiment. You invest some time, follow Molly’s instructions, and perhaps you’ll bring your life into better focus! If you feel lost or unfocused, I’d really recommend this experiment to you.

I found Molly’s site through my Self Growth newsletter! She’s got her own expert page here- Queen of Confidence:

“Author of the information series, “Your Life on Purpose”. Her boldness, personal energy, motivational gifts and uncanny knack for getting right to the heart of a matter combine powerfully to act as a catalyst for change in the lives of her audiences and clients.”

The phrase “catalyst for change” is music to my ears. Another life coach I’ve encountered prefers to associate with the label catalyst rather than coach. He’s Michael Neill, the Genius Catalyst.

A catalyst is an agent of change; defined “One that precipitates a process or event, especially without being involved in or changed by the consequences.” A person who is a positive catalyst can lead others to ask the necessary questions of themselves that, when answered, will create lasting behavior changes. I can really appreciate what Molly Burke has done in creating her On Purpose list…she leads you to ask yourself questions you may not have thought to ask.

I’ve discovered that owning my own business changes the way I approach the job itself.  It’s really my husband’s business, but I’ve taken a lot of responsibility for it.  Today I spoke with another business owner, and he began complaining about how most employees don’t care about anything. He meant that the employees don’t take care to make sure his business grows or is viewed as reputable.  It’s natural, I’ve seen it all my life. An employee just has a job; he’s “only working there,” and only cares that he gets his paycheck.

It has been said many times before by many a motivational speaker that if you treat your job as if you only work there, you’ll never advance. If you give everything you do in your job 100% effort, not only will you gain a good reputation, you’ll probably be eligible for promotion sooner.

Let me tie this concept together with personal growth. If you go through your life blaming others for your troubles, and not taking responsibility for your feelings, you’ll slow your personal progress. That’s like treating your body and your life as if you “only work there” or are “only living there for now.”

Owning your feelings and owning your decisions in life helps fast-forward your personal advancement. If you treat your body and your life like you’re running your own business, you’re bound to take better care of yourself. And part of owning a business is doing the distasteful tasks like bookkeeping, checking in on the bank account, and trying to figure out where you’re spending your money and if you’re making a profit. Well, you’ll be making a “profit” in your life if you do the mental bookkeeping tasks of reviewing your habitual behaviors, finding out how you waste your energy, and understanding how/why you make your decisions.  Use your emotional guidance system to tell you if you’re in the black or red of your emotional life. (That just means you check in and evaluate how often you feel bad and how often you feel good.)

That was my quick insight for tonight, as I drove home at 8 p.m. because our work truck broke down and I was catching up on lots of office details. If you live it like you own it, everyone will see the difference in your perserverance and dedication, and your confidence will rise, too.