Determine Your Life Purpose
Hey guys! Here's my recap of Chapter 2 of The Success Principles Workbook! It really helped me to define my life purpose and remind myself of why I'm here.
Both the main Success Principles book and the workbook help me to write down my life purpose through a series of Q and A's. It also encourages me to get artsy!
Every one of us has a unique life purpose. It's important to use this life purpose to guide us like a compass could. Otherwise, even our greatest achievements may not fulfill us. I know this to be true, because I experienced it firsthand.
When I was in high school, my dream was to become a TV News Reporter. I wanted to be on as many TV screens as possible. When I joined NBC-affiliates in Phoenix and Dallas, I got to do just that. I even got to cover the Winter Olympics in Vancouver! The highs of getting to cover high-profile stories during primetime and sometimes in partnership with national outlets was awesome. But it was also very short-lived. I'd come home at the end of the day sinking quickly into a depression and wondering, "Was that it?" I was constantly chasing that next high to keep myself going. Otherwise, I'd quickly become bored and unfulfilled.
What I started to understand, with the guidance of this book, is that TV News Reporting was a goal, a dream, but not my life purpose. A purpose doesn't equal a goal.
During this chapter, I'm prompted to go online and watch Jack Canfield lead a meditation session at one of his in-person trainings. I'm skeptical about meditations and am known to fall asleep during yoga classes. But in the spirit of giving this workbook a solid try, I decided to be open-minded and do what Jack said.
During this meditation, I'm transported to a beautiful and peaceful meadow, then taken up to a temple that is perched upon a mountain. There I meet an angel, and he gives me a gift that represents my life purpose. During this meditation, I also see Jesus. Both the angel and Jesus have peaceful faces, and they give me the warmest hugs. Before I know it I'm actually crying in real life. The gift that the angel gives me is a heart. A full, healthy and mended red heart. Jesus said, "I mended your broken heart. Remember to tell others about how I mended your heart during those hard days and nights. Just tell your story of how your heart went from shattered to mended and whole again. It's a beautiful healthy human heart. I love you so much and want you to show that kind of love to others who are experiencing the pain that you also endured and overcame. Help mend their hearts. It's a human heart, so it won't be perfect, but it will be perfectly yours when it's healed. Just share my story and yours, so more hearts are mended."
After the meditation, I was asked to draw the gift that I saw. Here it is:
Then I spent 20 minutes going over my life and making a list of all the times I felt the most joy. What was I doing and how was I being?
My memories started from childhood. I was just old enough to count, and I was helping my grampa count his daily earnings from his snack shop with my Mickey Mouse calculator. He gave me $2 or $3 in single bills for my help.
In middle school, I was picked up one day by Aunt Sarah. She took me to Red Lobster and bought me my first lobster meal. It was a fresh whole lobster, and I even got a virgin strawberry daquiri with whipped cream and cherry on top.
In high school, Sports Anchor Rob Fukuzaki picked me up in his two-door Lexus convertible. I told him where to park and we went upstairs together to the KBEV studio, where I interviewed him in front of my journalism colleagues.
The list goes on, and I have a total of 20 moments captured into words.
I then have to answer a difficult question: On a scale of 1-10, how fully am I living my life purpose? I said 8. I have to write down what I can do to live my purpose more fully. I wrote, "Do the videos. Just do it. And ask for help!" I'm talking about the videos I just started creating this week that empowers you to live a happier and safer life, especially if you're a fellow #DVSurvivor. :)
Finally, I create a customized Make-It-A-Habit Worksheet to keep my purpose alive:
Read my life purpose statement daily (the main one you see above is taped to my refrigerator door)
Create a computer doc with my life purpose and frame it (I printed out two copies for my bedroom and office)
Make 2-minute reflection on my purpose a daily routine
Tell the world! Talk to special friends or people who want to know
Draw / paint a symbol / picture representing my life purpose
I think the most valuable part about this chapter for me was making something tangible that I can refer to every day. My life purpose now greets me in my bedroom, kitchen and home office. Getting creative with Canva.com, colored Sharpies and metallic watercolor paint was also a lot of fun. The meditation session was also unexpectedly moving. I did not expect to cry, but I did, and it felt nice.
Now that I know more clearly what my life purpose is, I can work harder at fulfilling it every day.
What is your life purpose? Let me know by commenting here or by sending me a note! :)
Love,
Christine
