Finding Your Purpose

Finding your purpose could be the key to your success, whatever it is you wish to achieve.

I am driven by purpose. A real desire to achieve something “outside” of my self. I guess sometimes that changes depending upon what mental state I am in at the time, because I do suffer from very low moments due to a tendency to drop into depression but in the main I have a bigger goal for my life than just making money with my network marketing business.

In the end, that is what drives me and keeps me going.

We are a complicated being, we humans. A bunch of bones and organs and a lot of emotional and brain activity that perhaps other animal species do not have to contend with. We have moved away from a desire to procreate and survive until the next day to build stuff, want stuff, want more stuff and make life more complicated with emotional and desire complexity that sets us apart from the animal world that seems simply to live for each moment.

Great teachers have been and gone, like Jesus and the Buddha who have taught us just to let go and take each moment as it comes, yet we still complicate every moment with regrets from the past and worries about the future and even disappointment in the present.

“Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you” Matthew 6: 25 – 30

“If you abandon the present moment you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh. “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” ~ Buddha.

So finding a life purpose gives us something to grasp and hold onto. Something to motivate us. A reason to “get over” stuff that just gets in the way of our true purpose and living every moment with that purpose seems to be a good way to go for me.

For it is leaders and successful people who have a purpose larger than their self interest, who seem to achieve more than people who are striving for purely selfish reasons. In the end, we cannot take our wealth with us, but we can leave a legacy that our purpose has left behind.

Like Kindness. If we are kind to people, even with just a smile and a “Thank you” perhaps that will set off a chain reaction of kindness that your gesture began.

I am a lover of Association Football. One of my heroes recently passed away, Ray Wilkins. He played for a number of UK clubs, including my own favourite, as well as in Italy and he played for his country. He was also a pundit on the game on radio and television. His was a character of polite generosity and as I was listening to people talking about him on radio a man called anominously to say that he felt Ray had changed his life. This guy was a homeless veteran sitting on cardboard in London when Ray turned up and sat next to him and spent some time talking to him, he gave him some money and took him for a meal. This was a world famous athlete who spent time with someone out of kindness. The veteran said, it was then that through Ray he found a shelter and got back on his feet and is now holding down a job and is in a relationship. He said, if that moment of kindness had not happened, he didn’t know whether he would have got away from sleeping rough.

The beauty of this story, is that Ray probably never knew what effect he had on this man. He just did it because it was in his nature to do so.

I am sure you will know lots of other examples of someones kindness that has helped others far more than the original act.

So, “being kind” is one of my lifes philosophies. Who knows what little acts of kindness can bring to others. It just feels nice to be kind.

My business purpose then is to help and effect others to their benefit. My product is a health product , so obviously as I spread the word about it and people buy it then improved health around the world is achieved a little bit at a time. I am happy when I hear testimonies of how my product has helped people. My business helps people overcome debt or helps them buy homes or make a difference in charitable projects. I feel good about that too. My business gives some people purpose; hope, self respect, significance, personal development, comradeship, friendship even.

But always to “be kind”.

I remember one of the seven habits in Stephen Covey’s famous 7 Habits of Highly Effective People book: Begin with The End In Mind

“Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen. One of the best ways to incorporate Habit 2 into your life is to develop a Personal Mission Statement.”

What would the world say about you at your memorial? How would you like to be remembered?

I spoke at my Mum’s funeral a few weeks ago (Now May 2018) and, whilst it was hard, it was a way of celebrating all that she had achieved in life and afterwards at the Wake, others shared their stories of her. It was a life well lived. She was a great mother and carer and whilst her latter years were painful for her, she never stopped smiling and her sense of fun lit up a room. Each of us lose family and friends, but in the end, we remember their personal legacy and impression on the world.

So how do you want to be remembered? What legacy do you want to leave? What is your lifes purpose and how are  you achieving it?

Whilst this post is very personal to me, I hope it has awoken something in you to make the most of each moment of each day and that it will give you some inspiration to move forward in some way to a better life and renewed purpose.

Books I would recommend on this are : 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People: Stephen Covey

Peak Performance – Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness

 

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