Excerpt

“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, the being a force of nature instead of a feverish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”   ~George Bernard Shaw

A Note from the Author

First, I want to thank you for your interest in learning more about living on purpose through the pages of this book excerpt, Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life.  It’s been my great pleasure to write this book and to endeavor to “practice what I preach” over the past decade-plus, although I do hope I don’t come across too “preachy” in the book or in my life.

I believe that there are no accidents in the Universe, including that you and I have been connected in this way.  I imagine for most people who have downloaded this excerpt, they have done so because they are longing for a deeper sense of purpose and meaning in their life. I honestly believe that the Life On Purpose Process that is outlined in depth in the complete book is an invaluable roadmap to such a life.  I can say that with utter honesty because I’ve witnessed its positive impact not only in my life over the past decade-plus but in many other people’s lives as well.

It’s my hope and intention that this “sample” of the book that outlines the Life On Purpose Process will be of value to you as well as helping you to determine if the whole meal – the whole Process – is something that will serve you along your own path to a life on purpose.    Here is an overview of what’s included in this excerpt:

A Life On Purpose in a World On Purpose: This first portion is intended to give you a sense of what’s possible, and to begin to answer the question: “Why bother taking the time and energy to clarify my life purpose?”

Table of Contents of the Full Book:  Just to give you an idea of what’s included in the full book and so you’ll know where the parts that make up this excerpt fit in.

My Personal Journey Along the Purposeful Path – I’ve included part of my story in this excerpt so you and I can become better acquainted and so you will understand why I feel so passionate about people clarifying their life purpose.  Of course, you may elect to skip this section and go straight to the heart of the Life On Purpose Process, and then come back to this section later.  That heart is Passage #2, which is included in this excerpt.

Meet the Boomers:  The Boomers are fictional family – a composite of many of the clients I’ve worked with.  In Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life, we follow them along as they travel the six passages that make up the Life On Purpose Process so I thought you’d want to go ahead and meet them.

Passage #2 — Starting on the Purposeful Path: Albert Einstein once said: “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” In this free excerpt you will learn about the life on purpose perspective — a shift in consciousness that is at the heart of the Life On Purpose Process thousands have used to bring clarity of purpose to their lives.

The shift in consciousness and thinking that’s outlined in depth in Passage #2 is such a foundational part of the Life On Purpose Process I felt in would be the best way for you to gain value from this excerpt while at the same time getting a tasty sample of the overall process so you could decide whether to enjoy the full meal.

From Sample to Full Meal: This section provides you with a good overview of the entire Life On Purpose Process so you’ll know what’s available if you decide to begin your journey along the Purposeful Path using this process as your roadmap.

Reviews & Endorsements of Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life: I thought you might be interested to hear what others are saying about this life enhancing process and book.

Life On Purpose: More than a Process – a Way to Enhance Your Life: By the time you reach this section, you will have experienced a tasty sample of the Life On Purpose Process, and some of you will be hungry for the whole meal.  I’d be remiss to keep you salivating without letting you know where to go for satisfy that hunger.

So, let’s get started.

Table of Contents of the Full Book

Introduction: A Life On Purpose in a World On Purpose
My Personal Journey along the Purposeful Path
Why Begin the Journey?
The Six Passages of the Purposeful Path
Passage #1: Preparing for the Journey
Determining Your Starting Point
Exercise: Living on Purpose Self-Test
Determining Your Destination
The Tremendous Life-Shaping Power of Vision
A Word About the Value of Personal Coaching
Passage #2: Starting on the Purposeful Path
The Three Basic Components of Life
The Basic Elements of an Empowering and Enduring Life Purpose
Exercise: Wheel of Life
Passage #3: Uncovering What Has Been Shaping Your Life
What Shapes Your Life Before You Know Your True Purpose?
Pulling the Curtain on the Wizard of Your Past
Pulling the Curtain on the Wizard Who’s Been Shaping Your Life
Deepening Your Awareness of Your Inherited Purpose
Obstacles and Roadblocks to Clarifying Your Life Purpose
Passage #4: Clarifying and Polishing Your True, Divinely Inspired Purpose
The Bridge to the Land of Purposeful Paradox
Exercise: Priming Your Passion
Polishing Your Life Purpose
Passage #5: Learning the tools for Living on Purpose
Living True to Your Divinely Inspired Life Purpose
Where Does a Life Purpose Live?
Opening the Purposeful Toolbox
Universal Laws of Attraction and Purposeful Creating
Purposeful Practices, Ponderings, and Prayers
The Purposeful Pivot
Purpose Principles
Purpose Projects, Purposeful Play, Patience, and Persistence
Life Purpose Project Page
Purposeful Play
Purposeful Patience and Persistence: The Unstoppable Tool
A Potpourri of Additional Power Tools
Replacing Off-Purpose Patterns with On-Purpose Patterns
Passage #6: Mastering the Tools for Living On Purpose
Three Dimensions of Living On Purpose: The Spiral of Fulfillment

A Life On Purpose in a World On Purpose

What would it be like to understand your Divinely Inspired Life Purpose with crystal clarity? Right in this moment, you can begin to experience your life on purpose. Imagine that you know and are deeply in touch with your vision for what’s possible, like when you were a child just starting out on this bold adventure called life. Imagine also that you know and are deeply in touch with your core values-those intangibles that mean the most to you. And that you know and are deeply in touch with the essence of who you are. Finally, imagine that all of this is bound together and connected by the attractive power of Universal Love, your relationship with God or a higher power, and by your spiritual nature.
Through this book, it is my interest and intention to create a powerful and purposeful coaching relationship with you, one that is perhaps best summed up by these words from the Life On Purpose Coaches Creed:

Imagine a relationship in which the total focus is on you, on your Life Purpose, and on living true to it …
Imagine someone listening not only to your words, but also to the soul behind them as it expresses its truest desires …
Imagine someone who will be your partner as you hold yourself accountable for living true to your Life Purpose …
Imagine that this person is curious about your dreams and aspirations, your vision for the world, and what you are most passionate about in your life. -This is a person who will help you clarify projects that are consistent with your vision, your values, and who you are, and will help you develop the means to fulfill them …
Imagine a relationship with a person who may, at times, appear even more committed to what you want in your life than you are …
Imagine that in this relationship you can count on this person to absolutely tell you the truth with ruthless compassion-about the many gifts and talents that perhaps you’ve taken for granted, as well as where you might be selling out on who you really are …
Imagine a relationship that supports you in breaking free from the self-limiting constraints of your past, in which the voice now exposing your limitations is recognized for what it is-a voice from the past. Imagine that your true spirit is nurtured to shape and form your life, moment by moment, day by day.

Imagine every aspect of your life being shaped by your Divinely Inspired Life Purpose. Your actions are shaped by your Life Purpose; your thoughts, decisions, choices … all shaped by your Life Purpose, which comes from the blending of your vision, your values, and the essence of your being together with Universal Love and your spiritual nature.
What would such a life be like? Imagine it right now, for just a moment or two. What would you experience, living such a life? What would it feel like to know your Life Purpose so clearly that it would have the power to shape each moment and all that you do?
What would your life look like? What are some of the things you’d be doing as true expressions of your vision, your values, and the essence of your soul? What would you no longer do because it would be inconsistent with your Life Purpose? Imagine the magical nature of such a life.
What would be different about your life? And what would likely be the same? What would you have in your life, and what would you no longer have-simply because it is inconsistent with your Life Purpose?
Now, let’s stretch our imagination just a bit more. Imagine that you’re living in a world where everyone knows his or her Life Purpose, and is living true to it. In other words, you’re living on purpose in a world on purpose. Can you imagine such a life? What would that be like?
This book outlines the Life On Purpose Process-a proven, systematic, spiritually based, and practical approach that has already assisted thousands of people to clarify their Divinely Inspired Life Purpose and to begin to live a life beyond what they could have initially imagined. Are you ready to begin your journey along the Purposeful Path to such a life? If so, here’s your first coaching assignment:
After pondering about the questions above, write down your thoughts to each one, and share this with someone whom you care deeply about. Explore this world on purpose with him or her.

My Personal Journey Along the Purposeful Path

“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all of your thoughts break their bonds: your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person than you ever dreamed yourself to be.” – Patanjali, Indian philosopher

As part of my early morning spiritual practices, I often trudge up the footpaths that wind around Glassy Mountain behind Carl Sandburg’s home, a few blocks from my home in Flat Rock, North Carolina. On this morning, as I stop to catch my breath, my mind flashes to an ugly, yet necessary, time in the early eighties. I’m on the bathroom floor in my apartment in Greensboro, , during another time of contemplation. Sobbing, and in a fetal position, I can’t remember how I ended up here or how long I’ve been this way. I know only that I’m in great emotional pain and will do anything to make it stop. I imagine what I might do if I had a gun. Would I have the nerve to use it? If I did, would I screw it up like I’d screwed up the rest of my life? The more I think about it, the more real the gun becomes, until finally I realize it’s not my imagination but a real gun- which I hold in my hand.
I feel the smooth wooden handle in my palm and the cold metal circle of the snub nose pressed against my temple. My finger begins to tighten on the trigger. Just a little more pressure, a quick flash of pain, and the deeper pain will finally be over. Funny, I think as I lay there, how many people will be surprised to learn of my suicide. To outward appearances, I’ve got it made: my own veterinary practice, investments in real estate, a fancy car, a wallet full of credit cards-all the trimmings of a supposedly successful life. But beneath the well-crafted exterior is a hollow core of emptiness and suffering. My life feels worthless, without any real meaning. All the adornments of my Good Life don’t add up to true happiness or fulfillment. The truth is, I feel alone in the world, with no one who truly cares about me or understands what I’m going through.
Suddenly, someone has invaded my privacy. “Go away,” I think as loudly as I can, then realize I’m also shouting it. “Go away! Leave me alone!”
But whoever it is doesn’t leave. A moment later I smell the pleasant fragrance of a woman’s perfume, then hear the voice of an angel. “It’s okay, Brad. We’re going to get you some help. It’s okay.” I recognize the voice of my friend Rebecca.
Now, as I sit watching the exquisite sunrise over the Blue Ridge Mountains, that day in Greensboro seems to be from a different person’s life-and in many ways it is. I am no longer that confused, scared, lonely young man. I no longer practice veterinary medicine; instead, I’m the founder of the spiritually based Life On Purpose Institute. And today I can truthfully say my life is filled with purpose and meaning.
The journey of the last two decades has been a wild roller coaster ride, filled with slow upward climbs and exciting, sometimes scary descents. It is what I affectionately term my Purposeful Path. Before my near-suicide, I traveled the path mostly asleep, unaware that I was even on a journey. Then came ten years of awakening, with a few long naps mixed in. And for the last decade, as I’ve continued my awakening process, I’ve done my best to assist others along their own Purposeful Path. What follows are some of the key stops along the way.

Chasing the Red Queen
I’d like to say that after my near-suicide my life was suddenly and miraculously transformed…but my mother told me to never lie. The truth is that my transformation was slow and arduous-a journey of many trials and errors, with a number of side trips and more than a few dead ends.
My next significant moment of awakening came a few years later, during my second marriage. At that time, I was still caught up in the great American Dream of acquiring as many expensive toys as possible and had a lovely companion who was just as good at the acquisition game. We lived in a plush neighborhood, on an acre of land, in a beautiful home complete with a rear deck overlooking a babbling brook.
Unfortunately, I was working too much to enjoy any of it. I felt like Alice in Wonderland. In Lewis Carroll’s childhood classic Through the Looking-Glass, one of Alice’s misadventures in Wonderland is with the Red Queen, who takes her on a wild run through the countryside. But no matter how fast Alice runs she can’t seem to get anywhere. Finally, breathless from her efforts, Alice is allowed to rest long enough to comment, “Everything is just as it was!” The Queen replies, “Here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”
I knew just how Alice must have felt. I was physically exhausted and emotionally out of breath, running as fast as I could to keep up with an out-of-control lifestyle of my own making. As I gazed across the wooded lot and listened to the bubbling of the water across the rocks, I realized that much of my reason for purchasing the home had been that very scene. At the time I had imagined spending countless hours out on the deck, basking in the sun, watching the seasons roll by-but the seasons had rolled by without me. I’d not so much as stepped foot on the deck in all that time. I’d been too busy working fifty to sixty hours a week at my veterinary practice so that I could pay the mortgage on the house and keep two car payments up and three credit cards paid down. Like Alice, I realized something was wrong with this picture. I was running as fast as I could just to keep up.
While I still hadn’t suffered quite enough to make any radical changes, a seed of “divine discontent” had been planted.

But Enough About Me (for now…there’s more in the book)
I love to share the story of my journey along the Purposeful Path, but this book is really intended as a personal guidebook to assist you.
First, you’ll uncover what’s been standing in your way and move it aside, opening yourself to do the inner work of clarifying your true, Divinely Inspired Life Purpose. At that point, the real fun and adventure begins as you step onto the lifelong path of living true to the life purpose that has revealed itself.

Meet the Boomers

Meet Bob and Barbara Boomer. Bob is closing in on sixty, while Barbara is in her middle fifties. They’ve been married, more or less happily, for over twenty-five years. They have three children: Becky, twenty-four, who recently graduated from college and is searching for the career that will make her happy; Brent, twenty-two, who is in his junior year of college; and Brandon, seventeen, who will be graduating from high school this year and will likely go on to college-although he hasn’t a clue which one or what he wants to major in.
The Boomers are a typical family, and being American, their lives have been shaped by the pursuit of the Great American Dream. Until recently, neither Bob nor Barbara have given much thought to the idea of. If you were to corner them into talking about it, though, their views would be consistent with the common cultural perspective that a Life Purpose is what one is to do while alive on Earth. But recently, one of Barbara’s friends gave her a book that started her thinking more about her purpose in life, and which then led to her sharing her thoughts with another good friend-her husband, Bob.
Because he thought of Life Purpose as “what I’m here to do,” when Bob went to find purpose and meaning for his own life, he went the route of work. On the strong advisement of his parents, he became a dentist like his dad. He graduated from dental school with honors and worked for five years as an associate before opening his own practice, in which he’s been for over twenty years. While he won’t admit it to anyone but Barbara, he’s pretty burned out from having looked into thousands of mouths for over two decades, and the sense of purpose in his work has dried up. Still, since he has college tuitions to cover, a hefty mortgage on this 2,500-sqare-foot home, and monthly bills to pay, “off to work I go” has become Bob’s theme song.
The upside of Bob’s focusing so heavily on work is that he has become a very successful dentist and a prominent member of his community. The downside is that, in the process, the rest of his life has been thrown out of balance in the following ways:

* He’s alienated from his wife and children
* He has no real time for friends, only professional colleagues
* He doesn’t really have any hobbies or interests outside work
* Spiritual life … What’s that? He hasn’t gone to church since his wedding to Barbara and while he does believe in God, he’s not bothered to be in touch since he was a child. Late at night, however, when he can’t sleep which is often, he wonders if there isn’t more to life than he’s experiencing. He suspects the answer if a resounding Yes.
* His health is poor by most people’s standards though fairly typical for those in his profession. He’s about 20 pounds overweight, has high blood pressure, insomnia and is addicted to watching late night TV as a way to de-stress from his work.
Barbara, on the other hand, considers it her purpose in life to be a good mother and a supportive wife to Bob. One of her greatest worries is what she’ll do with herself once Brandon leaves home-which is due to happen in less than a year. It was because of this that her friend recommended Traveling the Purposeful Path. She also finds herself awake at night asking herself such questions as “Who am I? Am I really just Dr. Bob Boomer’s “Better Half”? What is the rest of my life for?”
Neither of the Boomers can really see themselves in a shuffleboard-and-golf style retirement, though Barb is tired to the point of exhaustion from the last two decades of trying to keep up with her adrenalin-addicted husband while also raising her three children, more or less single-handedly.
The Boomers are a fictional-real family, a composite of many different people I’ve worked with in the past, and their plight is typical of many people who have mistakenly identified their Life Purpose to only be about what they do to get by. We’ll be following the Boomers as they travel along the Purposeful Path.

Passage #2: Starting on the Purposeful Path

As you begin your journey along the Purposeful Path it makes sense to choose the one that will get you where you want to go most expediently. To do this we’ll start by exploring this basic question: What is a life purpose?
I’m not asking what your personal purpose is, not yet. In fact, I’d like for us to look beyond your own limited, personal view to see if we can identify a more common, general definition of a life purpose. What would you say the Cultural Perspective is?
One way to think of this would be to imagine that you’ve decided to conduct a survey by going out on a street corner where you live and asking a few hundred people what a life purpose is. What do you feel the most common answer would be? What would be the central theme of the responses you receive?
The most common response may be similar to your personal response, or it may be different. What we’re really trying to get at with this survey is not just what people say a life purpose is, but how they relate to the concept. In other words, look not only at what people say, but also at what their collective actions say. This is important because we often talk about something conceptually, but it may not be reflected in the actions we take or the way we live our lives.
Write down one or more responses that you think people would give if their responses accurately described and reflected how they lived their life. For the moment, disregard those that wouldn’t have an answer or wouldn’t know what you meant by the question.
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Since founding Life on Purpose Institute in 1996, I’ve had the opportunity to ask this question of not just a couple hundred people, but thousands. Here is the central theme that runs throughout the vast majority of those responses:
“A life purpose is what I’m meant to do while I’m here on earth.”

The key here word is “do.” Most of us believe that our life purpose is all about what we’re here to do. We may say this in various ways-it’s what we’re here to accomplish, it’s something that only we’re able to do, it’s something we’re to do that gives us joy, and so on.

Since we’re talking about people’s perception of something, of course, this perception is as valid as any other. And as with any perception, it results in a certain way we live our life. What I’m going to suggest next may stretch you a bit, so be ready to simply try this idea on and let’s explore it together.
I’m suggesting that when we think of a life purpose as something we do, it heads us in a particular direction right out of the starting gate. It’s as if we jump into life and see a sign that says, “This way to your life purpose,” and the sign points in the direction of “doing.” So when we get to the next question, “What is my life purpose?” we’re already heading down the path that’s all about doing.
As a result, most of us live a life filled with a lot of doing-and for many of us, a lot of having, which is a natural byproduct of all the doing. But we may be missing something, like the true sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that we really want. It’s as if we’ve taken a detour without realizing it. We wonder how we ended up where we are…but it was that road sign pointing to “doing,” way back at the very start.
I have found that when people work from this Cultural Perspective, they often look to two areas of life for purpose and meaning. For many, they look for purpose in their work-their job, career, or profession. For others, they may look in some primary role in life, like being a good parent or spouse, or a “dutiful” son or daughter.
Unfortunately, operating from this perspective has some limitations and pitfalls. For example, what happens if you misidentify your life purpose as your job, career, or profession, and then, for whatever reason, you’re not able to continue your work? Some time ago, when I first paid a visit to my local dentist, this struck home in a very powerful way.
As my dentist looked over my record, he noticed that I’d stated my profession as a Life on Purpose Coach. Most people have one of two responses when they learn of my profession. They are either confused by it but too embarrassed to ask, so they say nothing at all, or, as in the case of my dentist, they become curious and ask what it means.
After describing the type of work I do, my dentist replied, “Boy, my dad could sure use you right now.” He then went on to tell me that his dad had been a prominent physician in this part of the country for close to forty years, but that recently, due to his health, he could no longer practice medicine. “He feels like he has no purpose or meaning to his life,” my dentist went on to say. And that accurately describes what often happens when people misidentify their work as their life purpose.
The same is true for people who think that one of their primary roles is their life purpose. For example, what happens when someone thinks that being a good parent to their children is their life purpose, and then they wake up one day to find that their children have grown up and left home? We even have a name for such a condition: it’s called the empty nest syndrome.
Looking from this perspective has another pitfall in that we often misidentify some part of our life as our life purpose. But doesn’t it make sense that our life purpose should be able to include all of our life-not just our work, not just some significant role, but all of our life and all that we do in our life?
If we’re interested in clarifying our true purpose so that we can have a life that is fulfilling and satisfying, we need to operate from a new perspective of what a life purpose is. This way, when we head out into life, we’ll be able to travel down a different path-a Purposeful Path that leads to a life of joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment.
Here’s a different perspective I’d like for you to try on-the Life on Purpose Perspective. Consider that:

A life purpose is the context, vessel, or container into which you pour your life.

Sit with that for a moment before reading on, and then we’ll look at this perspective more deeply…
Let’s use a visual aid to examine this perspective in more depth. Imagine you have your favorite coffee mug in front of you-or better yet, stop reading for a moment, go get it, and fill it with water. Now, consider that the mug and water visually represent the Life on Purpose Perspective. In other words, the mug represents one part and the water represents the other.

Write down the part of the statement represented by the mug:

And now write down the part of the statement that the water represents:
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Now check your answers:
The mug represents the context, vessel or container (i.e. the life purpose).
The water represents your life.

Now, let’s focus on just the mug and water for a moment. You may find it helpful to actually have a mug filled with water in front of you. If you look at the mug and the water, you can notice that there is a relationship that exists between them. What can you observe about this relationship? If you’re not sure where we’re going with this, think of it this way: What happened to the water when you first poured it into the cup? Before reading on, see if you can come up with your own answer.
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The water took on the form of the inside of the mug, or said a different way, the mug gave shape and form to the water.

Quick Review
In our comparison, what does the cup represent and what does the liquid represent? Choose A, B, or C below.

A. The cup represents how far you can travel, and the water represents the direction.
B. The cup represents one’s life purpose, and the liquid represents one’s life.
C. The cup represents a vessel, and the liquid represents what’s inside it.

The cup represents one’s life purpose and the water represents one’s life, so B is correct. In this example, the cup is the context that shapes one’s life: the life purpose. The water is what is being shaped by the life purpose: your life.
In case you feel like you’re about to have a brain strain, pause for a moment. Take a deep breath and let it out. Now, we’re going to look a little closer at the notion of a life purpose being the context for one’s life. Remember that part of the reason we’re looking at this perspective in such depth is because we have an old Cultural Perspective to transcend.
Here are the next questions to consider:
When we talk about our life being shaped by our life purpose, what do we really mean? What makes up a person’s life?
To get to the answer, let’s go back to our comparison of the mug and the water. We said that the water represents our life. Think back to your ninth grade science class. The simplest unit of water that retains the property of water is a molecule.
If you went any smaller, you’d have atoms-two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen-but those individual atoms by themselves don’t have the properties of water. It takes a molecule composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom to give us the properties of water. But what does this have to do with a life purpose? Well, here’s the really big question, which will bring us back to what a life purpose is:
What’s the simplest unit of a person’s life?
What we’re looking for is the simplest or most basic unit of a person’s life that will retain the properties of the life. When we know this, we’ll know what’s truly being shaped by our life purpose. When we multiply this molecule enough times, we will have a person’s full life.

Hint. Just like a molecule of water has three components, the simplest unit of a person’s life has three components as well. Take a stab at it now: What are the three simplest components that make up a person’s life?

1. _____________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________

The Three Basic Components of Life

As we continue this exploration, we’ll next identify each of the three basic components that make up a “molecule of life.”

What do you think are the 3 basic components of a “molecule of life?”

For the purpose of this discussion, “life” refers specifically to the period of time that begins at the moment of conception (or birth, whichever you prefer) and ends at the moment of death.

Conception/Birth <============Life===========> Death

Imagine that someone decides to make a movie of your entire life, starting with your birth or conception and ending with your death, after which point the credits start rolling. As you know, a movie is made up of a whole bunch of individual frames. You can think of each individual frame as one of the basic components of the molecule of life. But what exactly does one frame of your movie represent? If you break it down into single “frames,” isn’t your life a composition of moments in time? You live first this moment, then the next, and the next, and the next… So, one of the basic components of a molecule of life is “moments in time.” Write that in one of the circles below.

In keeping with the movie analogy, let’s look at any frame of your movie. In fact, let’s look at each and every frame of the movie of your life-what’s the one thing that you consistently see in each frame?
Hint. This one is similar to the question, “Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?” Be careful not to make it more difficult than it is.

Doesn’t it make sense that the one thing you’d see in each and every frame of the movie of your life would be you? The second basic component of a molecule of a person’s life is the person-a living, conscious human being. So, write “Self” in one of the other circles.
We now have two of the three basic components. Let’s go back to the movie one last time and look at a strip of the film from any part of the movie. We could take a strip from the first day you were born, or the first time you went to grade school, or from any part of the movie of your life. If we run it through the movie projector and shine it on a movie screen, what would we see?
Take a moment to ponder this before moving on. Give it your best shot.

Hint. If you suddenly flipped the switch on the movie projector to fast forward, you’d be able to observe what we’re talking about more easily.

Think about it for a moment. Aren’t we always doing something? Even when we’re sitting around “doing nothing,” we’re doing something-we’re sitting around doing nothing. So, the last basic component of a molecule of life is “Action.” Write that in the last circle.

Now, let’s review what we’ve come up with and see what this all has to do with living on purpose. First, we’ve identified that the basic molecule of life is a living, conscious person, doing something in a moment in time. This is what is being shaped by the person’s life purpose.
You may still wonder, “What does all this have to do with my life purpose?”
Well, you may not have noticed it but we’ve just made a very important distinction-one that many people fail to make. And in failing to make it, those people are left stuck trying to figure out their life purpose.
Let’s go back for a moment and look at both Life on Purpose Perspectives-the Cultural Perspective and the Life on Purpose Perspective. Remember, we said the common theme of the Cultural Perspective is that a life purpose is what we’re meant to do while on earth. The Life on Purpose Perspective, however, says something very different. I’m suggesting to you that a life purpose isn’t what we do, but what shapes what we do.
You see, most people are asking themselves the wrong question when it comes to their life purpose. They’re asking, “What is it I’m supposed to do with my life?”
But the doing itself isn’t the life purpose. The life purpose is that which shapes and gives context to the doing!
Said another way, your life purpose is the context or overarching meaning you ascribe to life that then shapes the doingness of your life. The things we do in life are expressions of our life purpose. They aren’t the life purpose itself. The important distinction we’ve made is:
Life purpose = The context of your life that shapes what you do
Doing, actions, projects, goals = The ways in which you express your life purpose
We’ve all heard the old joke of the man who lost his keys in the dark alley but chose to look for them under the street lamp because the lighting was better. There is a lesson here that can be applied to the way in which many of us go about clarifying our life purpose: Many people are like the man who’s trying to take the easy approach even though, in this particular case, the easy approach won’t work. They’ve spent most of their life looking under the street lamp of “doing,” trying to find something that’s not there. They really need to be looking somewhere else. But where?
Let’s go back to the mug and water analogy. The question we really need to ask is what the mug is made of. In other words, what are the key ingredients of a life purpose?
We’ll start with the mug. It can be made of glass, ceramic, porcelain, steel, wood, Styrofoam, cardboard, and many other materials. And just like a mug can be composed of many different materials, so can a life purpose. As the Life on Purpose Process came to me from my inner guidance and source of creativity, however, I realized that there were certain qualities that any life purpose should have. A life purpose needs to be:

* A powerful shaping force in our lives. It should be powerful enough to shape us as we go through the many moments of our lives, doing whatever we do.
* Long lasting and enduring. Wouldn’t you want a life purpose that could last a lifetime or beyond? I sure do.
* Flexible. It should give us plenty of room to play and to express ourselves fully.
With these three qualities of a life purpose in mind, I asked my inner guidance: “What basic elements will consistently result in a life purpose with these essential qualities-every time and for everyone?” And that’s what we’ll explore in the next section.

The Basic Elements of an Empowering and Enduring Life Purpose

Many elements could contribute to the creation of a powerful, long lasting, and flexible life purpose. In my work with hundreds of individuals and thousands of people in groups, I have found the following three elements to be most effective:
* Vision: What is the vision or possibility you see for the world?
* Values: What are the core values you stand for and are willing to give your life for?
* Being: Who are you? What can people count on from you? Life purpose is more about who you are than what you do. Remember, we’re called human beings, not human doings. Many of us have forgotten that.
Let’s look at each one of these elements in more depth.

Vision-What’s Possible
If you spend much time around young, fully expressed children, you’ll notice how they live in possibility. They invent games on the spot and then aren’t afraid to change the rules whenever they realize there’s a new way to play that will be even more fun.
Children are filled with the spirit of what’s possible. Unfortunately, far too many of us have had that spirit stifled by well-meaning people, challenging circumstances, and our own reactions to and interpretations of them.
However, no matter what has happened to us in the past, it is possible for all of us to return to that childlike innocence. Not only is it possible, it’s necessary if we want to clarify our true purpose in life.
Each of us has a unique sense of what’s possible in our own lives-with our families, in our community, in the world. Getting in touch with this vision of what’s possible is one of the basic necessities for clarifying your life purpose.

Values-What Matters Most
Clarifying our core values is a refinement process, not all that different from peeling away the layers of an onion.
We often start with a long list of things we’ve been taught we should value. In fact, I call this first layer the should values.
But it’s important to peel through this layer until we get to those values we really choose to live in our life. The second layer of the onion is our chosen values.
The really important layer is even further within. I’m talking about those select values, usually not more than three to six intangibles, that we’d be willing to give our lives for. These are our core values.
Just like we all have a unique vision of what’s possible, we also have a unique set of core values that are an integral part of our life purpose.

Being-The Essence of Who We Are
One of the most important questions that can shape anyone’s life is, “Who am I?” When we can distinguish who we are and the way or ways of being that are at our core, then we have another important basic element for our life purpose.
We all have unique ways of being that we’ve come to count on and that we know others can count on as well. Distinguishing these gives us yet one more important piece of the puzzle of what our purpose in life is.

The Glue That Holds it All Together
There is actually a fourth component life purpose that is so critical to the formation of a powerful, enduring, and flexible life purpose that you can think of it as the foundation upon which the life purpose stands and the glue that holds it all together.
There are various ways to refer to this last ingredient. One way is to call it love-the universal attractive force of unconditional love that binds us all together and connects us powerfully to the rest of the cosmos. Another way to describe it is your relationship with God, a higher power, or your spirituality.
When we combine this glue with your unique vision of what’s possible in the world, your unique set of core values, and your unique qualities of being, we end up with a powerful, empowering, and enduring life purpose that still has ample room for us to play and express ourselves. This life purpose becomes the context that shapes and forms us as we go about doing all the things that make up our life.

From Concept to Reality: An Example
Okay, now let’s look at an example that will move us from concept to real life. The example I know the best is my own life. I’ve enjoyed coaching people for close to two decades, and for the past decade I’ve also run my own spiritually based enterprise, Life on Purpose Institute. While both of these are important to me, I’m also clear that they are not my life purpose.
I’ve also been happily married to my wife, Ann, for over fifteen years and I’m the proud father of my daughter, Amber. Both of these roles are very satisfying and fulfilling; yet, they are not my life purpose. My life purpose is to live an inspired and inspiring life of purposeful, passionate, and playful service; a life of mindful abundance balanced with simplicity; and a life of spiritual serenity. Or to give you the shorthand version, my life on purpose is a life of service, simplicity, and spiritual serenity.
This, then, becomes the context, vessel, or container into which I pour my life. It shapes who I am and what I do as a coach, writer, speaker, and founder of Life on Purpose Institute. It also shapes my personal life as a husband, father, and member of my community. In fact, it can shape all of my life, each and every moment of it. Said another way, some of the ways I choose to express my life purpose are as a coach, writer, speaker, founder, husband, and father.
Once you are crystal clear about your true life purpose, it has the power and the possibility to shape all of your life-your thoughts and feelings, your decisions and choices, your speaking and actions, and ultimately your results in life. There is tremendous power when all of these factors come together in a congruent way, when your thoughts, feelings, decisions, choices, speaking, and actions are all congruent and in integrity with each other. This is what makes living on purpose both possible and so exhilarating.

Call to Action Assignments
In the game of golf there is a flag at each hole. What’s the purpose of the flag? It lets the players know where they want the ball to go. This first assignment will give you a sense of the direction in which we’re headed along the Purposeful Path. Remember, you don’t have to come up with the definitive answer-simply ponder it for a few days.

Flag Assignment
Here are a few questions to ponder as part of your assignment:
* Viewing your life purpose from the Life on Purpose Perspective, what is the vision you hold for our world?
* What are the core values that you’d give your life to uphold?
* Who are you and what can we count on from you?
Now, blend all of that with the universal attractive force of unconditional love or your relationship with God, a higher power, or your spirituality. Then consider:
* What context or vessel could shape the rest of your life and all that you do?
Remember, just ponder it and see what you discover.

In Passage #3 we’ll begin to carve away whatever’s between you and determining your life purpose. We’ll begin with this basic premise: your life is always being shaped by something. There is never a time when it is not being shaped and molded. However, since most people aren’t clear what their life purpose is, it’s unlikely that your life purpose is what is shaping your life. With that in mind, take some time to work on this next assignment.

This is the next question we’ll explore:

If your life is always being shaped by something, what shapes your life when you aren’t clear what your life purpose is?
Hint. Look back to your early childhood, the “formative years,” to begin to find the answer.

Second Hint. There are many factors that shape a life. We’re looking for as many different things as you can come up with.
The Boomers at Passage #2
Here are a few of the comments that Barbara wrote in her journal regarding her insights from the Life on Purpose Perspective:

Wow, that’s all I can say-Wow! Bob and I continued the life purpose work and today we learned a new way of viewing what a life purpose is. My head and heart are still spinning. I realized today that I’ve been thinking for decades that my only purpose in life was to be a good wife to Bob and a good mother to my kids. No wonder I’ve felt in a state of panic these last several months, as my third child rapidly approaches the age when he’ll be leaving home and Bob and I appear to grow further apart.
While I still don’t know what the “context” of my life is, I feel a sense of hope and excitement at the prospect of discovering it, though also a bit of fear about the whole idea. After all, once I know my life purpose, I won’t have any excuse for not living true to it.

Here are some of the thoughts that Bob shared with Barbara after completing Passage #2:

I’m still processing the idea that a person’s life purpose isn’t all about doing. I’ve been a great “doer” all my life, since starting my first job when I was fifteen-and in the process I’ve become a good provider for you and the kids. Now I’m asked to consider that neither my professional career as a dentist nor being a good provider is my life purpose. That’s a tough one, I must admit. Still, I don’t think it will serve me to be a “full cup” on this one. Besides, as I consider that my life purpose could be the “context, vessel or container into which I pour my life,” and that context could then have the power to shape all of my life, I feel a sense of excitement and adventure, and that feels good.

From Sample to Full Meal

I trust you found this “sample excerpt” of Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life both interesting and thought evoking.  Of course, we’ve only touched upon less than 10% of what’s in the Life On Purpose Process.
The Life On Purpose Process is a proven, systematic, spiritually based and practical process that has already assisted thousands to clarify their life purpose. It will give you the tools to design your life to be a true and authentic reflection of that purpose.

Proven – Since its conception in the early 90′s, thousands of people have used the Life On Purpose to bring clarity of purpose to their life so we know it works and works well,

Systematic – The 6 Passages that make up the Process will guide you step by step – truly a road map to your life on purpose

Spiritually Based – The Life On Purpose Process works with and is consistent with universal spiritual principles that are found in all authentic spiritual paths, like the Law of Attraction, the Attractive Force of Universal Love, etc. People of many different religions and denominations have experienced the process and received immense value including those whose definition of spiritual didn’t include a belief in a Higher Power necessarily. In the Life On Purpose Process spiritual is defined as a connection to a deeply held set of values and to a purpose beyond one’s self-interest.

Practical – Not just theory or esoteric principles, but ideas, distinctions, and tools that you can apply immediately to your daily life.
So, let’s take a look at the six passages that make up the Process:
1. Preparing for the Journey Along the Purposeful Path
As with any challenging journey, it’s best to thoroughly prepare yourself for your travels along the Purposeful Path. This includes accurately determining where you are starting from and where you intend to end up, as well as knowing some of the obstacles that could possibly get in the way of completing the journey. Purposeful Preparation is important to a successful journey. The title of David Campbell’s book sums it up well: If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, You’ll Probably End up Somewhere Else. Some of the exercises included in this important first passage include:
The fun and engaging Life On Purpose Self Test, the Life On Purpose Scale, the Wheel of Life Exercise, and a very powerful process for creating a “Visionary Reality” of your Life On Purpose, along with the mental roadblocks that can slow your progress along the Purposeful Path.

2. Starting on the Purposeful Path with the Life On Purpose Perspective
As you can tell from this excerpt we delve deeply into this foundational mental shift that has served as a door into a new world of purpose and possibility for many people.

3. Uncovering What Has Been Shaping Your Life-Your Inherited Purpose
Have you ever tried to look at the back of your head without the assistance of a mirror?  Gently try it right now.  You know you have a back of your head, and it seems like if you could just turn your head fast enough, you’d at least be able to catch a glimpse of it, right?  Well, that’s what feels like for many people when it comes to uncovering what has been shaping their life.  That’s where the “Pulling the Curtain on the Wizard of Your Past” exercise comes in.  Remember in the Wizard of Oz how the Wizard ran Dorothy and her friends all over Oz looking for the witch’s broomstick?  But there was a moment when the Wizard lost his power over them, when Toto, the dog, pulled the curtain, revealing him to not be a mighty, powerful wizard, but simply a little old man with a bunch of smoke and mirror.  That’s what you’ll be able to do in this Passage #3.

4. Clarifying and Polishing Your True, Divinely Inspired Purpose
After “cleaning the slate” by identifying and beginning to be responsible for your Inherited Purpose, the real fun begins as you go through a process called Priming Your Passion to clarify your true, Divinely Inspired Life Purpose. The process can be not only life affirming, but also life transforming. In this Passage you will also discover the Land of Purposeful Paradox, the birthplace of your true life purpose and where it’s found on the Map of the Kosmos. This completes Stage One, or the clarifying your Life Purpose stage.

5. Learning the Tools for Living On Purpose
This is the start of Stage Two  of the process, in which you begin to live true to your Life Purpose. This is where the rubber meets the road, and where some of the biggest transformations take place as you’re introduced to Sixteen Power Tools for Living On Purpose. You will use these tools to begin to build your Life On Purpose.

6. Mastering the Tools for Living On Purpose
Of course, being introduced to a set of tools is just the beginning, especially if you’re interested in building a masterpiece of a Life On Purpose. In this next part you will learn how to master the art and science of creating a life that is shaped by your true, Divinely Inspired Life Purpose.

What Others are Saying About
Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life

You can read Life on Purpose superficially, and learn quite a bit about purposeful living.  That’s what I intended to do; learn about the whys and wherefores of finding my life purpose.  Instead, I found myself engaging with the material, thinking about the questions and doing the assignments.  And becoming clear about my own life purpose and how to live it out.  The book is engaging enough to pull you into the process.

Dr. Swift draws you into a relationship with him and the book.  His language is intimate and encouraging; you feel like he’s there with you, coaching and helping you as surely as if he were speaking with you in person.  He manages to translate the coaching relationship into written form, making it accessible for anyone who reads his book.

Life on Purpose is a practical, friendly, hands-on book for anybody who wants to live a more meaningful life.   – Penny Watkins for Bookpleasures.com

People successfully using the six passages have stated that the result was like the alignment of the universe for their own nurturance and reward. As they began fulfilling their individual purposes, good things began to happen for themselves and for others that they met and served.

Along with Howard Gardner’s works on multiple intelligences theory since 1983, and the many books and other tools available to use in examining one’s vocational calling and skills, Dr. Swift’s book, “Life on Purpose,” should become part of any vocational or spiritual library.  — Reviewed by Patty Inglish for Reader Views (5/07).
I feel Life On Purpose stands out from many of the other self- help books. I think the reader will find that it has more depth than some writings, which only advise the readers to think positively and visualize success. Dr. Swift’s book stresses the idea that our desires and motives need to have spiritual roots. He encourages us to realize that our life purpose can still benefit us without being at the expense of others. Love and our connections to each other are key ingredients to a truly successful and joy filled life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and felt that it’s motives were sincere and the contents very helpful. Brad Swift has obviously found how to best express his Life Purpose. Review by: Marjorie Tietjen.
“Brad has created a simple and easy way to become crystal clear about your reason for being on this planet.  Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life is your road atlas to live a more purposeful, passionate and playful life.” -Mark Victor Hansen Co-creator, #1 New York Times best-selling series Chicken Soup for the Soul(r) Co-author, The One Minute Millionaire

“Brad Swift brings us a new vision of power, passion, and purpose.  His clarity shows us how to see with new eyes, hear from within, and act from a tender and gentle integrity. With freshness and honesty, Swift opens the way for our transformation and generates in us a new excitement about our lives and our infinite possibilities.”  Edwene Gaines, author of The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity, A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance (Rodale)

Enlightened Millionaires know that they have a purpose for being on planet Earth.  This clarity of purpose is an integral ingredient of being both enlightened and an Enlightened Millionaire.  The book you hold in your hand outlines a proven, systematic, spiritually based approach that will assist you in clarifying your life purpose with crystal clarity.  Whether you choose to become an Enlightened Millionaire or not, you will find the Life On Purpose Process of invaluable benefit that will enhance your life and those around you.  – From Robert G. Allen, Co-author, The One Minute Millionaire

” Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life is a gentle and heartfelt guide to the fundamentals of living a life rich in joy and contribution. Brad’s style is accessible and user-friendly, and his book a compendium of thought-provoking questions and deep convictions.”  Gregg Levoy, Author, Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life

“In a world desperately in need of hope and healing, Brad Swift’s Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life serves as an excellent tool and resource for creating a life that is personally meaningful and outwardly contributive. Swift’s methods are simple yet powerful, straightforward and profound–and whether you are new to this exploration or have traveled a ‘purposeful path’ for a while, you will find insights and exercises of great value within these pages.”– Maggie Oman Shannon, author of The Way We Pray and One God, Shared Hope: Twenty Threads Shared by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Life On Purpose: More than a Process – a Way to Enhance Your Life

It’s been well over a decade since the Life On Purpose Process came “through” me as a result of asking of my Divine Inner Guidance two questions.  You see, at the point I finally had some “clarity of purpose” for my own life at around 40-years of age, I looked around and realized that there were many others in their 40′s, 50′s, 60′s and older who seemed to be pretty clueless about their life purpose.
So, I asked “Does it really need to take us human beings 40, 50 or more years to become clear about our purpose?  Isn’t there some way to shorten that learning curve just a bit?”
And the answers that poured forth became the foundational elements that have grown today to be known as the Life On Purpose Process.

Copyright 2008 W. Bradford Swift. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.