While cleaning out my files, I discovered a crumpled-up article from the Wall Street Journal, with no date, but faded with age. The subject quickly grabbed my attention.
The reporter asked a bevy of the biggest super stars the secret to their stellar success. What he found surprised him…and fascinated me.
These luminaries—mostly pop singers, pro athletes, and movie stars–gave God all the credit.
Studies have proven that a strong purpose is the secret to longevity. And in my experience, it’s the key to higher earnings.
What if you don’t know your purpose? Here are four places to look to help you find—or refine—your purpose:
1. In Past Pain
I’m not sure our life purpose has to come from pain, but it’s a good place to start looking. What has been your most painful challenge in life?
2. In World Problems
Ask yourself: What is the one problem in the world that you yearn to see solved, and would you be willing to spend the next 10 years of your life working on, talking about, and being part of the solution for?
3. In Childhood Play
As we look back at the tapestry of our lives, it’s easy to spot certain threads that show up in our youth and continually repeat, displaying an unwavering pattern holding clues to our purpose. What did you love to play as a kid?
4. In Secret Wishes
Once, someone asked me whose job would I love to have?” That was easy. Neil Diamond’s. Why? “I wanted to write my songs and sing them.” OK, so I can’t carry a tune. But I’ve managed to write my songs (books) and sing (teach) them. If you could have anyone’s job, which would it be?
It’s also quite possible for your purpose to shift throughout your life. Have you found your purpose? Tell me about it in a comment below.
Transitions are a bitch. And so many in my community are in the midst of one right now. As I listen to their frustration and confusion, I’m reminded of a cartoon:
A frog is leaping from one lily pad to another with a look of sheer terror as he realizes he’s about to miss his target. The caption read: ‘Just when you think you’ve made ends meet, someone moves an end.
That’s exactly how it feels to be in transition—whether it’s a conscious choice (like taking a sabbatical) or an unwelcomed disruption (like being laid off). You’re poised mid-air between the old and the new, wondering “what do I do now?’
I remember my first big transition, back in the 80’s, when I moved from the Midwest to San Francisco…a dream come true. But as soon as I settled in, I felt untethered, disoriented, anxious. This wasn’t what I expected.
Thankfully, I discovered the book Transitions: Making sense of Life’s Changes by Bill Bridges. It was a godsend!
Yoga class began with the teacher saying, “Hold out your hands to receive something you truly desire.”
As we extended our hands, palms up, he softly quoted Rumi: ‘What you seek is seeking you.”
I, with arms outstretched, stood transfixed.
What if that were true? What if my desire is heading towards me like a heat seeking missile?)? What if (gasp!) I no longer needed to struggle?
It felt farfetched, but during Downward Dog, I made a decision. I’m taking Rumi’s words as gospel truth.
As I sank into Child’s Pose, I remembered a poster that once hung in my office with a quote from Richard Bach: “You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true.” Then, in tiny letters: “You may have to work for it, however.”
I intended to write on a completely different topic. But as my hands hit the keys, I heard a voice in my head whisper: “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you…that will be enough.”
I felt that Meister Eckhart was sending me a message (and maybe you too) which I imagined went like this: “Appreciate the abundance you have….and those who’ve made it possible. That alone will change your life.”
So today, in the spirit of Thanksgiving and a 13th century mystic, I’m taking this opportunity to say Thank You…
Years ago, during a devastating crisis, I saw a quote that struck a nerve: “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.”
I felt the deep wisdom in those words. Yet I couldn’t figure out how to apply them to my life. Here I was, facing a crushing divorce from a compulsive liar, a million-dollar tax bill I couldn’t pay, and my parents refusing to help. Left alone to raise 3 young daughters, I was terrified.
Since that time, I’ve often wondered—Is it really possible to find peace in the midst of pain? The answer escaped me…
Until this week…when Katie Adler, a member of my online community, shared an article about Wabi Sabi.
Wabi Sabi, an ancient Japanese philosophy, is all about finding peace and beauty in imperfection. And it offers a simple but practical formula for experiencing pain without suffering:
“Accept what is, stay in the present moment, and appreciate the simple, transient stages of life.”
Recently, I stumbled on an unfamiliar book title, A Course of Love. It got my attention since it’s billed as a sequel to A Course in Miracles.
I was intrigued enough to click a link that promised to send me a chapter.
I haven’t read the book, so I can’t offer my opinion on the entire manuscript. But the chapter they sent had me sit up and take notice.
In the chapter were 3 questions that were so profound, I wanted to share them with you, especially if you’re facing a perplexing challenge.
These questions could be asked in situations as commonplace as balancing the checkbook, the chapter explained, or as momentous as a doctor’s diagnosis of a disease.
In other words, ask yourself these questions anytime you’re overwhelmed, anxious, confused, or even mildly puzzled.
By constantly hungering for more, I was inadvertently telling my brain “I don’t have enough.”
