Parker's Points
October 2007
10 Ideas about Life Purpose
This past month I went to San Diego to participate in a training class for coaches to learn distinct methods to help a client to discover his/her life purpose as well as to help clients incorporate their purpose into their lives. It is hard to define life purpose except to say it includes the work you were meant to do. In my Now What? Program my clients do find a life purpose through an indirect method. This has been quite successful but I wanted to have several alternative methods for clients to use. If you have never considered whether you had a life purpose or not, here are some ideas to help you understand what life purpose is:
- Your life purpose is something you have always known either consciously or unconsciously.
- Your life purpose is unique to you. Others may use similar words to state their purpose but the expression of that purpose is different for each person.
- Part of your life purpose includes the work that only you were meant to do. The world needs you to do it and if you choose not to, the world loses the benefit of that aspect of you.
- When your goals and intentions are not consistent with your life purpose, they are difficult to achieve and result in fleeting gratification.
- If you don't know your life purpose but believe you have one, then perhaps there is a part of you that knows that purpose. One way of finding your purpose includes discovering that part of you that knows your purpose.
- When your work is aligned with your purpose it is easier to do and you attract more of it. (Good for anyone who is marketing themselves. i.e. lawyers and job seekers.)
- People often are fearful about finding their purpose. Often the fear concerns being forced to act on their life purpose. In fact everyone has the choice of whether to utilize that purpose or not. (See number 9)
- Many people find their purpose accidentally. Some people find work and life experiences that use their purpose without really consciously knowing what that purpose is.
- Some people choose to live a life without purpose. This may be a conscious choice or it could be because the person has other needs that have to be taken care of first i.e. food, shelter, safety.
- Just because you find your purpose does not mean life will be without pain. Life has its ups and downs for everyone. Using your life purpose is a means to have a more satisfying life.
If the ideas intrigue you, I have an e-book available written by the instructor of my course, Tim Kelley. To get a free copy send an email to asparker@asparker.com with 'Life Purpose E-book' as the subject.