Tuesday 27 October 2015

Are You Sabotaging Your Chances for Living Your Purpose



I just read Mark Manson’s newest article Screw Finding Your Passion. It is a bit of tough love telling you to stop ignoring the things you really enjoy, and he also mentions three problems that are the real cause of why you have yet to appreciate the talents you already possess. I highly recommend you reading this for a bit of a wake-up call.

When I finished, I was left with this thought: Stop letting life just happen to you. Start making it happen for you. Give up on this life long search of trying to find out what you should be doing and open your eyes to what has always been there. Take a good look at your life, go within, and reflect on who you are and what really makes your passion come alive.

"Discovering one’s 'purpose' in life essentially boils down to finding those one or two things that are bigger than yourself, and bigger than those around you." If you are ready to explore what it is that really moves you, read these 7 Strange Questions.

Your purpose doesn't have to be your profession.

“The work you are here to do might not be summed up with a particular title on an office door,” says James Redfield. He wrote in The Tenth Insight Experiential Guide that there are four common ideas that we tend to have about a “life mission”. It is these four things that end up making it more complicated than it really needs to be.

(1) It exists somewhere “out there” waiting to be discovered
(2) It is a specific, namable occupation or activity
(3) Once we have it, our real life will begin
(4) We probably need to do something to change ourselves in order to find or deserve it  

If you are really set on turning your passion into a career, find out what comes naturally to you, what drives you, what excites you, what you love doing for hours that causes you to lose track of time. Figure out how you can do it better so you are giving the best of what you got and go share it with others. Do it for free to "see the power of doing what you love". Let your passion become your purpose and use it in a way that will change the world, making it a better place.


Until then, stop discrediting the job you have now. Find something good about it, change your perspective, and focus on that. No job is perfect all the time but you do have control over how happy you will be working there. 

What if you lost your job today?
 
Contemplate for a moment what it would be like.
How would you feel about not being there anymore? What would you do next?
Would you choose a new job in the same field or would you look for something different? 
Reflect on your answers with complete honesty and consider how you can be more grateful for what you have now and how you can make each day that you have in this job more satisfying.

Maybe, just maybe, you really are where you are meant to be. Take a look around you to see what is going right, what needs improvement, and what you can learn in order to prepare you for the next step in your life. Avoiding and resisting the problems you face closes you off to the messages and signs that hold the answers for you.  

To look at the bigger picture, you can ask yourself:

  • What is the reason or meaning behind this situation?
  • How can it help me grow more into my authentic self, who I am meant to be?
  • How is this related to my life purpose, and will it help me get closer to it?
  • How can this situation help me contribute my unique talents to others?

Working at a job you have begun to hate lowers your energy causing stress that spreads to other areas of your life. By focusing on the negative aspects of your circumstances, it’s hard to remember that we must give in order to receive.  You have the power to make even the most mundane tasks into rewarding experiences by bringing your passions and unique talents into everything you do.

A New Perspective 

“Generally, most of us think that our purpose comes packaged as a career, like airline pilot, real estate broker, dental hygienist, vice-president of marketing, social worker, or interior designer. Consider the idea that your purpose may be to learn to be more compassionate in your response to all beings. Your purpose may be to mentor one special child, create an industry, or be the Rock of Gibraltar in your family. Realizing that your life purpose is revealed over the course of your entire life journey opens your heart to accepting all that comes to you as part of your purpose, not just that which you do to earn a living.” ~James Redfield

What if it was our perceptions and expectations that were sabotaging our chances of living a more meaningful life? What if our purpose in life was to experience it fully and become more authentic as we grow towards a state of love, joy, and bliss? What if we are confusing our life purpose with the things we are passionate about? What if we started focusing more on the things we love to do the most and figured out how to turn them into a career?

I believe we would see there is so much more to our lives, so much more opportunity to truly live a passionate-filled life with purpose – on purpose.


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