Find Your Purpose in Business (and a FREE Gift!)

In my last couple of posts we’ve looked at two pieces of the equation to discovering your purpose in life and in your business: your life story and your interests.

One of the saddest things for me is seeing someone who’s taken the scary jump of going into business for themselves and yet they’re unhappy.

Perhaps they’ve created a business doing something they’re good at. Or maybe they hung their hat on some business opportunity that “sounded good” at the time. They may be quite successful by many standards; they’re making money, they have a full business and yet something’s missing.

That’s exactly what can happen when you align yourself with work you have no passion for.

What happens when you do that?

See if any of these sound like you:

• You have a sense of emptiness inside that just won’t go away.
• You find yourself procrastinating – a LOT.
• You have this nagging sense that deep down you know your purpose, but it feels like it’s just beyond your grasp – kind of like when you’re searching for that word that’s just “on the tip your tongue” but it won’t come to you? Yeah, like that!
• You don’t feel excited about your business like perhaps you once did.
• You feel “pulled” to do something else, but you don’t know what.
• Or maybe you have a sense of what your purpose is but it scares the crap out of you?!

Now some of these, by themselves, could be symptoms of some other things going on but more than likely, they’re not.

When you’re coming from a place of purpose and passion, you can’t not do the work. It feels like it’s a part of who you are at the cellular level. It’s why you’re here.

It’s that kind of passion and purpose that keeps you going when the going gets hard. And at some point it will feel hard. At some point in your business, you’re gonna have some rough patches and it’s then that the passion and purpose is so crucial because it’s what keeps you going. Without it, it’s so easy to give up!

That’s exactly what happened to me when I was in the technology field. I had spent close to a decade in the industry. I was really good at it. I made good money. I had built a successful business, but once the challenge of creating it was gone, I felt empty, hollow.

It felt like I was just doing it for the money and the lifestyle that money could buy and that left me feeling flat or dead inside.

After I got certified as a Reiki Master I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do with my new-found knowledge and training. I didn’t even know why at the time I felt drawn to become a Reiki Master. I just knew I had to do it. But the thought of starting a business with it at the time seemed unfathomable for me.

“What will people think?” I thought. “Reiki? What the heck is that?” I could hear them say. Some kind of “woo-woo”. I just couldn’t bear the thought of being ostracized.

And yet I knew on a deep level that it’s an integral part of what I am here to do.

But I ran the other way, for years.

But sooner or later, it catches up with you. Life has a way of pulling you back, sometimes through hardship, life transitions or just an emptiness that won’t leave you alone. Nothing, I mean nothing, can take that feeling away except following your calling.

As soon as I looked inside and reconnected with why I was here, what I was passionate about, that’s when things fell into place.

If any of this resonates with you, I invite you to join me in a training I’m doing on Thursday called Find Your Purpose in Business.

I’ll take you through a powerful process that has helped thousands of people find their purpose and passion.

You’ll discover:

• How to quench that longing for fulfillment and sense of purpose, once and for all
• The simple formula used by thousands to successfully “tap into” what it is your spirit is being pulled towards
• The three must-have ingredients for true life-business satisfaction and joy
• The 7 gateways to lasting business success
• How to start 2015 with momentum and power

You’ll also receive a FREE Gift from me just for opting in – the Life Purpose Worksheet! This worksheet process will give you a powerful jump-start on our webinar training.

Click HERE to reserve your spot on the training and receive your free gift now!

Isn’t it time you live a life of pure joy, doing what you love and sharing your unique message and gifts with the world?

With good energy,

 

 

P.S. Let me introduce you to the Way Through All Those Stagnant Feelings, Emotions, and Actions and Onto A New Path…TODAY! Click HERE to reserve your seat AND to receive your Free Gift!

What makes you different?

To pick up where we left off in my last post, in connecting with your life purpose there are three keys I find to be at the core of an individual’s true life satisfaction and fulfillment – that feeling of living your life purpose and what you are here to do and be.

You came into this world with a mission and purpose, a seed, although you may have forgotten what it was. 

One key is the life challenges you’ve experienced. But sometimes you’re too close to what you’ve gone through in life to see where your life purpose lies in at all. It can feel like a random string of events, with no real thread.

Sometimes you have to take a back-door approach to get there.

Your life story, the challenges you’ve experienced, serve to not only remind you why you’re here, but to give you the tools to share in order to live your life purpose. And the best part is when you connect with that, your life and business can be a reflection of that in a way that feels soooo easy!

Your natural abilities are the second key. Your inborn way of dealing with the world may not seem all that unique to you, but someone else most likely would deal with the same set of life circumstances differently.

That’s when it’s helpful to have a mirror. Some way of reflecting back to you what it is that makes you different.

One place to start is with those closest to you. Depending on your relationships, your family can be a great first resource for you. Now, if that immediately brings up resistance or feelings of vulnerability, then move your thoughts to your closest friends or advocates. What do these people closest to you say about you? What do they compliment you on? What do they say “You’re so good at ______”. What do they all come to you for assistance with? What natural ability do you have that you’re the go-to person for?

Not sure? Ask them! Make a list of your closest family, friends and trusted advisors. Go ahead. Do that now. Then come back and we’ll pick up from there.

Got it? Okay. Now here’s what you do. Call them up or make a point of asking them next time you see them “Hey, I’m curious, what do you see as my natural skills or abilities? If you were talking to a friend about me how would you complete the statement ‘She/he is so good at ___________’? Are there certain abilities that you feel seem to come so easily for me but not other people you know?”

These mini-interviews can be the starting point in helping you to begin to connect the dots. They may or may not be the answers in themselves, but most likely, at the very least, will start to trigger a thought stream.

As you go through the process, record what you’re hearing without judgment or criticism. Try to keep an open mind. Remember, you’re looking for the common threads that tie it all together. The more open you can be to the information you’re receiving, the more insights will begin to come to you. Don’t get too caught up on all of the details. It might not be the actual skills or activities themselves, but some attribute about them.

After reading the above you may have thought to yourself, “Just because I’m good at something doesn’t mean I’m going to be successful at it, or that it feels like my life purpose.”

And you’re right! I’ve had more clients than I can count who fit that bill. They quit their job and started a business doing what they were good at as an employee and they’re miserable, with a capital “M”.

There’s one more key to the life purpose equation that we haven’t talked about yet. I’ll address that in the next email. So watch your inbox for the next installment!

What are your thoughts on all of this? What have you found to be the missing pieces for you in your life satisfaction? Have you found the perfect mix for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please post your thoughts or questions below.

With good energy,

 

 

P.S. Have you been living with the question of your life purpose for so long that just the thought of it makes you cringe inside? I’m hosting a free training next Thursday at 1:00 PST where I’ll walk you through my powerful process of gaining clarity around your life purpose, once and for all!

So reserve the date and check back here for the announcement to grab your spot for this powerful free training!

The question you, and only you, can answer…

One of the most common life challenges I hear from new clients is “I don’t know what my life purpose is” or “I’m not sure what I’m here to do”.

It’s a frustrating place to be. I know. Believe it or not, I was there at one point. I’ve been there more than once, actually. “How can that be?” You might ask. “If you figured it out once, why would you ever have the question again?”

Let me tell you.

The first time I remember having the question was in my early 30’s.

I remember seeing some rock star being interviewed, I think it was Bon Jovi, and he was talking about how all he ever wanted to do, from the time he was a child, was play music. I remember thinking, “Wow, how cool to know from a young age what you wanted to do with your life.”

I don’t know about you, but when I was young there were a variety of things I thought I wanted to do and be when I grew up. It started out as a hair stylist (probably because my mom had a weekly visit to hers) and from there it was a surgical nurse; that is, until I saw the reality of what it was like to be in an operating room on some TV documentary, with all the blood and guts. That took care of that.

I was making a very good living in the technology field. I was a contract software instructor. I worked when and how often I wanted, which for me was about 3 to 4 days a week. I played a lot on our boat. I travelled to places like Roatan, Honduras and Cozumel to scuba dive with my husband and went on all-inclusive dive boat charter trips. Life was good!

And yet, I remember standing in the kitchen one morning, coffee cup in hand, having this conversation with my husband about how it just wasn’t enough. Something was missing. I just didn’t feel like this was what I was meant to do for the rest of my life. I wanted to have a bigger impact. I wanted to help people change their lives, not just the way they worked.

That led to my work as a career coach and professional speaker.

Fifteen years later, my husband and I suffered great personal financial loss from the economic fallout of 2008. In addition, as a result of some life transitions, I had moved away from the work that really gave me joy.

I found myself once again asking “Why am I here?”

We’re back to that question, if you figured out your purpose once, why would you need to figure it out again?

Sometimes we move away from what we know to be true for ourselves. We get off track, for a variety of reasons: life transitions, moves, money, etc.

And sometimes, you evolve, personally and in your business. You reach a sort of plateau and find yourself asking, “So, what’s next?”

This is when it is necessary to stop and assess your life path. You have all the answers inside you. Your spirit knows what makes you happy; what gives you joy. You just need a way to reconnect with that.

When you find yourself in that place of stuckness, here’s a process you can try:

1. Carve out an hour or so for some quiet time. Find a place you can go to be undisturbed. If it’s hard to find a quiet space in your home, then drive somewhere, a park, the beach, sit in your car if you have to!

Is your head already finding reasons why you can’t make that happen? I know, your life is really busy. But hey, this is your LIFE we’re talking about. Is your happiness and satisfaction worth an hour of your time? YES, it is. And guess what, no one is going to do this for you. Only you can make the choice, and it is a choice, to do this for yourself.

2. Next, take a few moments to silence your mind. Focusing on your own breath is a great starting point. Just notice the inhale and exhale of your own breath. I also like to do some yoga poses and meditation as another way to silence my mind and connect to my spirit.

3. With some blank sheets of paper begin contemplating and free-writing answers to the following questions:

• What are some of the major points of transition in your life? Think of your life in terms of decades. What were the transitions, if any, in each decade?
• What happened in each decade?
• What shifted for you?
• What values were tested for you, if any?
• What kinds of questions did you find yourself asking?
• And finally, what are the common themes?

Often, this process can identify some significant points of leverage for you.

Here’s the deal, your life story, the stuff you’ve dealt with, is often the same stuff you can help others with.

A colleague of mine went through a pretty contemptuous divorce and is now coaching individuals on how to go through the process with ease. She learned a lot from her own experience and is sharing what she learned and the tools she used to not only survive, but thrive through it as a result.

But back to you. What if you do the exercise I suggested above and come up empty? What if you still don’t have a clue why you’re here? Then what? How do you figure it out? Usually the clues are literally right in front of you.

In my next post I’ll share how to identify them using a powerful back-door method.

Check back for that! I’ll be posting it in the next couple of days.

With good energy,

 

 

P.S. I’m doing a free training next week where we’ll dive into this topic more deeply. Check back soon for more information on that!