Sunday, April 6, 2008

Finding Your Purpose in Life

Finding Your Purpose in Life - Bringing Passion to the Game of Life by Keith Raymond

If you do not have a purpose for "why" you are doing what you are doing, you may be saying to yourself "something is missing in my work or life". It's often because you do not have a purpose and you want help with that. Purpose is something you create or decide on. Many people think it's something mystical and discovered by accident. It's not.

Ever wonder why it some people seem to "make it" while most of us seem to just wander along aimlessly? Well... that is what happens when you have no clue what you were meant to do in this life. Without vision the people perish, said Moses. And without a vision for your life you are at risk of getting way off course and living somebody else's idea of what your life should be. DO NOT DO THIS! A failure to plan is plan to fail.

Finding your purpose in life is the key factor in setting objectives and achieving goals in your life. If you cannot identify a clear purpose in your life, in your career or business pursuit it is difficult to set and achieve meaningful goals.

Are You In Touch With Your Life Purpose?

If you don't think you're out of touch with your life purpose, take a couple seconds to complete this quick quiz about one area of your life - your career:

1. Are you doing EXACTLY the kind of work that makes you want to leap out of bed each morning excited to begin a new day?

2. Does your work satisfy a deep need within to express yourself, your talents, and your values?

3. Does your work allow for a balanced life - one that leaves time for family and friends, for exercise or hobbies, for you?

4. Are you doing what you love and loving what you do?

Without a clear purpose in life, people easily lose their direction and motivation or the will to continue when life throws them a curveball, when they hit a pothole or face difficult challenges. Without a life purpose, it is difficult to develop any sense of satisfaction for accomplishments along life's path.

On the Path to Finding Your Purpose in Life - The Torch of Passion

The great thing is that it is easy to find your purpose in life and reconnect with your life passions. You could easily reconnect yourself with your life purpose and passions in life. With just a few simple steps, you can identify or confirm what your life purpose is. There are simple, easy-to-use steps to help you uncover what your passions are and what your purpose in life is. Most importantly once you've identified this the rest of your glife game plan seems so much easier:

1) Clarify Your Purpose in Life: Purpose as define by Webster is: "the reason for which something exists, is done, made, etc... an intended or desired result, aim or goal. To intend or resolve." If, for example, your career seems stagnant it could be that you've never clearly defined your career objectives. If you have lost your enthusiasm for your job, family, or spiritually, it's because you have disconnected with the "why". Reconnect with your purpose, once and for all, what your purpose and passion is for your career, family, finance, etc...If you don't know where you're going, you're sure to get there!

2) A Personal Mission Statement. This is the first part of your motivation plan, crossing the gulf between your purpose (career, family, etc...) and achieving your goals. There is enormous power that is unleashed when you write down your personal mission statement. It opens the power of the subconscious mind to seek out and collect the necessary resources to fulfill your goals as determined by your purpose. It also infuses your spirit with the passion of it's connection to your purpose. It is often seen in team sports as the group rallies to the challenge and cause of a championship.

3) Goal Setting and Objectives are a must-have if you want to set and track your progress. While you may have the desire to win the series and championship, it takes planning and those to act on that vision. It is outlining the steps -milestones (interim goals) - that need to be achieved to attain the victory. They are calculated at every step and you must hit those milestones before achieving the ultimate target. How often have your heard a team coach say we lost because we didn't follow our game plan?

4) Self Motivation Techniques. Success is the culmination of the simple yet often overlooked elements of success: purpose, determination, commitment, attitude, self confidence, etc...These words may seem aloof and distant, but they only appear that way when you don't have the first three parts of your plan. These are the internal abilities that have laid dormant over the years. Your innate self motivating techniques are like seeds in the ground laying dormant ready to germinate once the three other component of your plan are enabled. You can awaken these techniques by putting together the first three part above.

Knowing what your purpose in life is for all areas of your life is and how to write personal mission statements can help you lead a fulfilling life. If you have an idea of what you want, you're not afraid of going after what you want. In knowing what you want, this creates internal orientation because you now know what you want and creates the motivation to get it. With the plan and goal setting you know how to get it. By setting out goals along the way - markers to measure the progress of your plan, you'll be able to measure your progress and evaluate results. In this way, you are tapping into your latent self motivation techniques that are the hallmark of any great champion team or individual athlete.



About the Author
Keith Raymond is a Business Mentor, Life Coach and author of The Elements of Success. You can learn more about how to recharge your life by finding your purpose in life. Please visit http://www.yoursuccessprinciples.com to tap into your life's passion.


Here is a lecture I delivered to toastmasters on finding your purpose and passions in life:


5 simple tips to get you public speaking immediately!

5 simple tips to get you public speaking immediately by Kirsty Dunphey

So you wanna speak eh? You're just starting out and don't know how to get your foot in the door? Well the following 5 tips will get you out there and in the public eye immediately. While these jobs may not pay the big bucks if you've got a killer presentation, getting out there like this will ensure you get noticed and get more bookings which can lead wherever you like.
1. Rotary

The Low Down: There are probably about a dozen Rotary, Lions, Probus or other similar service clubs within 15 minutes driving time of you meeting each week worldwide. Most of these clubs are crying out for interesting speakers at each and every meeting. You’ll typically get about 15 to 20 minutes with about 5 minutes for question time at the end.

The How's and Where's: Got to your local Rotary website, start here: www.rotary.org and search from there.

The Thing to Remember: I've always found I have to slow down my speaking at service clubs due to a percentage of the members not being¦ shall we say Gen Y like myself. This is a great learning experience and has actually dramatically improved my speaking.

The Bonus: Hook up with a Rotary club to speak while travelling and you'll instantly be able to say to future clients that you've recently arrived back from speaking in… Brazil (or wherever you’ve travelled). Glamour plus!

2. Schools

The Low Down: I have found in my many speaking experiences that kids are painfully honest. While this can be bone shatteringly brutal at times, if you can wow a room full of high school age kids you can speak almost anywhere.

The How's and Where's: Write to your local schools, include a profile and tell them why you should be allowed in to corrupt, er, shape young minds.

The Thing to Remember: Get kids to remember you by setting up a myspace page that they can log into and join as your "friend".

The Bonus: If you really crack a kid audience, they'll go home and tell their parents and voila - more work!

3. 5 x 5

The Low Down: If you have 25 friends you can do this. Ok, that scared a lot of you, if you have 5 patient friends you can do this. Set up a regular time each week for 5 weeks and give a 20 minute presentation to 5 of your friends. Then sit down with them for 20 minutes (yes a whole 20 minutes afterwards) and drill them for feedback. Each week a different presentation, and different (hopefully improved) feedback.

The How's and Where's: Bring coffee and doughnuts and be well prepared - don't waste your friend's time.

The Thing to Remember: Pick friends who won't just tell you that the sun shines out of your¦ microphone. You want honesty. Get the friend who tells someone when their bum looks big in the mirror!

The Bonus: With only one week to prepare a new speech you're under the pump - use this to your advantage and don't cancel for any reason even if there's only one person in the room!

4. Be Industrious

The Low Down: If your industry has a convention, local, national, whatever, start volunteering to play a part in it. Introduce one of the keynote speakers, provide an update on a new technology or do as I did and offer to do a keynote at a convention of over 1,000 real estate agents before you've ever done a big speaking job. (You never know they just might say yes!)

The How's and Where's: Your local industry group is the best place to start, as is attending a conference first (so you can get your bearings).

The Thing to Remember: Your peers will be one of the more terrifying audiences you will ever speak in front of. Rock this crowd and you'll be a legend, fall on your face and you'll never live it down.

The Bonus: Speaking is a great way to become known as an expert in your field. Being an expert naturally leads to more business.

5. Shmaltz, Lives and Videotape

The Low Down: Before you attempt any of tips 1 to 4 videotape yourself giving an entire presentation.

The How's and Where's: Even many digital still cameras these days have a video function so you'll be able to borrow a camera.

The Thing to Remember: Regardless of the fact that there's no audience do NOT stop for anything. Pretend you're on stage and kick through it, regardless of how badly you miff your opening line.

The Bonus: In 5 years time when you're an old hand at this you'll have some hilarious videos to watch with a cocktail in hand!



About the Author
Kirsty Dunphey is one of Australia's most publicised young entrepreneurs and is the founder of www.reallysold.com - the ultimate tool to help real estate agents write amazing advertisements. Kirsty was a self-made millionaire at 23 and a self-made multi-millionaire at 25 and was retired at 27. To find out more head to www.kirstydunphey.com

5 Sure Fire Ways To Battle Insecurity

5 Sure Fire Ways To Battle Insecurity by Kim McGinnis


First we are pushed out from our mother's womb, then we are passed around from person to person like a hot potato. Next we are subjected to going to some strange place with other strange youngsters, while Mommy and Daddy go off to work. It just gets scarier after that. So, after years of having it stripped away from us, how do we hang on to a little security in an increasingly insecure world? Here are some ways that may offer a little inspiration:

1. Learn to enjoy your own company. If your blood pressure rises when you realize you are going to be home alone, you really need to experience more evenings by yourself. Think back to a time when you were at your happiest. What were you doing? Even if you were with a dear friend, that does not mean you cannot recreate the feeling you had. Watercolor, get a kid's coloring book and some crayons and get busy. Sing in your underwear, using the spatula as a microphone. Have fun, when no one is watching, and you will be more secure being yourself when you are with others.

2. Practice saying positive affirmations. First right them down. Here are a few examples:

I am confident in a state of not knowing.

The power of love allows me to trust my instincts above all.

My inspirational contribution is a zen gift to the Universe.

I am aware and open to all the spiritual healing life is bringing me.

Enlightenment is my birthright.

I am always connected to our inner source which provides me with constant divine guidance.

Many times insecurity has its roots in negative messages, which were fed to us when we were growing up. These are false messages. The uncluttered truth is you are a divine being. Practice writing and speaking affirmations that confirm this, and you will be much closer to the freedom that comes with living a fulfilling life.

3. Take a public Speaking Class. Public speaking is known to be one of people's greatest fears. If this is true for you, this is a great exercise to try. Join a club that allows you to get your feet wet speaking in front of an audience. The organization, Toastmasters, provides a wonderful venue where the members have the opportunity to present a speech. The audience offers three positive comments, and then one constructive comment. This a creative way to learn something new in a supportive atmosphere.

Once you have this experience under your belt, your comfort level with soar. You will be more secure conversing with others, whether you are at a work-related black tie event or meeting someone on a first date from your online service.

4. Give Compliments. When you give other compliments, you are complimenting yourself. Look at the people around you, and pick up the best qualities that they have to offer. Maybe they have a warm smile, or they have graceful movements, or perhaps they have exquisite taste in clothing. When you begin to take the focus off of yourself and turn your attention to others, you will notice a dramatic rise in your comfort level. And when you start noticing more and more positive attributes in your fellow travelers, you will begin to notice more in yourself.

Be genuine. People love to be complimented, but they can tell when it is not sincere. There is no need to over do it, just express your thought in a light, off-handed way. They may be taken aback, and they will begin to look at you differently. When pure positive energy is exchanged in this way, amazing things will magically happen.

5. Write down your Goals. These could be work or personal. Start with one, and then move on to the next one. This should have nothing to do about the expectations of others. What are your dreams? Maybe you have spent your whole life in a job that you cannot stand. You have to know that it is never too late to change careers. You owe it to yourself, to dig deep, and be honest. Do a little research about what it would take to get there. Put these things on your to do list. Break down these steps so that they are achievable. Mark each one off as you accomplish them. Change happens incrementally. Persistence turns change into transformation.

The whole idea of security is a bit elusive. Somewhere a long the way, we came to believe that we need security. Security is good, to be without it is bad. Maybe, maybe not. Looked at from another way, we could say there is nothing wrong with feeling insecure. When we put ourselves in challenging situations, we set up a foundation for us to reach another level of fulfillment. Once we move past the feeling of insecurity it gives way to a feeling of contentment. So, do not beat yourself up if you are feeling insecure.

Wake up to this new way of thinking: imagine your feeling of insecurity as a gift. Accept it, open it up, and examine it. Once you understand what you are holding, you can let it go.



About the Author
Kim Mcginnis is a freelance writer and entrepreneur. Most recently Kim has developed A Zen Gift http://www.azengift.com - a website that offers products to promote a zen lifestyle. A Zen Gift offers unique gifts, yoga products, herbal remedies, & much more. Also, please visit Kim at Zen Fireflies http://www.zenfireflies.com to see her amazing electronic fireflies that dance in the night.

Law of Attraction