Purpose

While struggling with some feelings of loneliness I decided to utilize my spare time productively by listening to the next tape in Bob Proctor's Freedom Series - which is part of the free bonus material you receive when you sign up for the Six Minutes to Success program.

The message was very profound for me today. Very profound. In a nutshell, one of the core distinctions between successful people and everyone else, is that people who have achieved outstanding results have all habituated the act of doing those things which they don't want to do but moves them towards their goals.

Most people are not so much driven by their goals as they are by the ease and comfort of their methods used. People tend to accept the easiest path that leads to sufficient results. They would rather accept a lower standard of living than consistently do those things with which they are uncomfortable.

So how do successful people become comfortable with doing those same things? They don't. But they are driven more by end results because they have associated a powerful driving purpose with those results. So they do those things they don't like anyway and they do it as part of their regular routine.

Now, I'm not speaking of anything illegal or unethical here just simple daily things like trying to convince people, who do not want to be convinced, that they would be better off with what you're offering. Or obligating yourself to produce results that you haven't previously achieved.

Now the driving purpose needs to be practical and not visionary.

And that is the statement that gave me great pause. It seemed to run contrary to everything else I had learned as far as creating a compelling future goes. However, it immediate sense.

I had always defined my purpose as:

To be a world famous author who's work touch the lives of millions of people from all over the world, spreading the seeds of profound truth and hope while entertaining people through a variety of mediums including books, movies, tvs, video games, plays, cartoons, MMORPGs, etc. Some of my works will be past down generations, touching billions of people and being immortalized like the works of Shakespeare, Shaw, Dickens and Twain.

Which is all well and good but hasn't been driving me still and that's probably because it's too visionary and not practical enough. Not immediate or real enough.

While practical, purpose doesn't need to be logical. It should be based on wants and desires that have emotional pull for you. If based solely on need that will drive you for a while, but only until your needs are met. Whereas a purpose based on wants and desires will keep on pulling you along even if there's no logical reason for wanting that as long as there's emotional desire for it.

So my new purpose looks more like this:

I want to easily earn enough that my wife never needs to work and can merrily spend on whatever suits her without ever considering costs. I want to be able to put my children through university and help set them up in life. I want to earn all that money by writing inspirational stories for children that meets them where they are at, provides a great distraction from the real world while providing profound knowledge to help them improve their lives and using stories with compelling, morally upstanding characters.

Beware The Emotion Manipulators

There are people out there who, usually due to poor self-esteem feed off of making other people miserable. The go out of their way to either take you down a peg, show their superiority or perhaps control your actions through guilt trips or emotional threats.

Cut these people out of your life. They may be family, or loved ones but if they are uncompromising in this sort of behaviour then they are a huge liability on your life.

How hard is it to continually move towards your goals when you have someone constantly reminding you of past failures or current deficiencies?

There is a song by Casting Crowns Entitled Voice of Truth:

Oh, what I would do
to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant
with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound
of a thousand warriors
shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out
my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
time and time again
"Boy you'll never win,
you'll never win."

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth

There will always be people in your life who will only want to discourage you. It is often disguised as 'help' but do not allow these people to influence your thinking. Keep your mind shut tight against negative thinking.

People who succeed in life do not think in negative terms, nor do people who do ever reach any great level of success.

Worse are those people who seek to emotionally manipulate you to controls your actions or your love. In my experience these people have all been women but certainly it's possible for a man to behave in a similar fashion.

Typically these people will say things like, "If you really love me then you'd...", "I can't stay with someone who won't...", they may also nag or badger incessantly until they break down your resolve.

They may not be hurting your ego but they are constantly causing a huge distraction in your life. Nor is it possible to stay focused on your goals when you're constantly having to do other things to prove yourself time and again to someone who will never be satisfied.

The Power of Prose

The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword.

The written and spoken word can create and maninfast ideas and concepts that no sword or shot can ever destroy. Once an idea is created and shared until it gains some traction it takes on a life of it's own.

A few well chosen words can, and have, changed the course of nations. Martin Luther King, Mahatma Ghandi, William Wallace, Nelson Mandala all rallied nations around their ideas - ideas which changed the course of history. They can change your course as well.

Do not underestimate the power of words on your life. Words shape your (and others) perception of life. The way you consistently describe your life is the way your subconscious will view it and therefore work to keep it that way. Another way to look at this is that you are speaking prophesy into your life.

You may be visualizing success or praying for it but if your words speaking only of lack, loneliness and loss then that is what you are sowing into your life in future. Worse, you're getting others to buy into that concept and add power to them.

Speak (and write) only of that which you want to call into existence. Have faith that they will in fact come to pass. Try not to speak of how little you have but instead of how much is eminently coming. Instead of speaking of how lonely you are or why you can't attract a partner, talk of how wonderful you are and the equally wonderful partner you're about to meet. Speak not of how poor your health is but instead on how quickly and fully you will recover.

Speaking of lack while awaiting fortune is sending mixed messages into the world. In a Christian perspective, you are not walking in faith. You cannot just pray once a week or even once a day, you have to live your life in faith that God (or the universe) will in fact deliver. If you know richness, love and health are all about to show up in abundance then why are you still talking about lack? Let lack pass and embrace your riches.

Sometimes of course it's impossible to not need to address it.

In this case Anthony Robbins has a wonderful chapter in his book Awaken the Giant Within. In it he suggests using silly phrases to de-empathize the negative and over empathize the positive. For example instead of saying 'I'm totally broke' you would say, 'I'm a trifle tight for money at the moment.'

So remember to always speak on the life you are moving into not the one your moving out of because like seeds, your words will grow into tomorrows realities.