Live On Purpose

Dream Coach ® Step #3

Boy, do I have a lot to say on this topic! People often climb to the top of the mountain only to discover that they’ve climbed the wrong mountain. Don’t want to end up at the top of the wrong mountain? Well, what will keep you from that mistake is to know fundamentally, at a foundation, who you are and what your life’s purpose is. There are lots of places we can look to discover this. For example, you can look to see what you’ve been passionate about in the past, because passion is often a measurement of being a purpose. This is not always the case, though, as some people talk about feeling at peace when they know their life’s purpose. But for the most part, if you look back on your life at the times when you felt the most alive and energized, look for a common thread. There, you’ll probably start to find your purpose.

Dream Coach Process - Step 3 - Live On Purpose

Now, whether you know your purpose or not, it’s worth taking the time to drop in and go deeper into it. Sometimes I recommend people go on a passion quest. A passion quest is where you take a period of time (you don’t have to put the rest of your life on hold — it could be a day, a weekend, a week, a month, a year) where you get your antenna up and you’re paying attention to what you love, what matters to you, what moves you, and ”what do you need to say no more to?”, “what are you done with?”, “what are you done complaining about?”, “what’s sucking the life out of you?”, and “what’s out of integrity with your heart and soul?” As we say “no more” and “no, thank you,” we can start to say, “now what?” and “yes” to what matters most to us.

When you’re standing in your purpose, the quality of your dreams and the quality of your life will actually change. This is literally about turning your life right side up so that someday soon when you open your calendar, or your scheduling device, what you will see are the activities that are moving you forward on the dreams that are the expression of your purpose. It’s such an important foundational fundamental piece. Now, let me give you a couple of hints. First, the answer is already inside of you. At a universal level, we all have the same purpose, which is to love and be loved. But life formed you in a very special and unique way that makes you, you. So, you also have a unique purpose.

To live on purpose requires three things. One, have a spiritual practice so that you can hear the wisdom beneath your ego—a quieter voice. Two, you know what’s unique and special about you formed by everything that you would celebrate and even some of the things that you would grieve, some of the challenges or losses. Three, to live on purpose requires you take your gifts and be of service with them. That’s what’s possible when you connect to your purpose and discover who you are. This is one of the most transformational qualities and definitely something worthy of discovering. As I said, even if you know your purpose, there’s often another deeper level.

What I’m going to ask you to do today or as soon as possible is to sit down and think of three times in your life when you felt really passionate, alive, energized or engaged, and see if you can find a common thread. It’s often something simple and broad. For example, my purpose is to believe.

People talk about their purpose as being of service or making a contribution, to learn or teach, to take risks or to try new things. The two things you should leave out of a purpose are money and the word of others. Money should be left out because your financial dreams are separate from your purpose. The word of others should be left out because as soon as I put others in my purpose, like to believe in others, I just left myself out. So, sit down, list out three times you’ve been really passionate about in your life, and look broadly for a common thread. What was it you were passionate about in all three examples?

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