Finding The Recipe for a Successful & Satisfying Life
Over the years of working with clients and students, I have found consistently, that what people crave is meaning and purpose in their lives. To live truly consciously, we must live with a dynamic and robust sense of purpose. Yet, so many people feel disconnected or dispassionate. I have seen people in incredible depths of pain simply because they cannot say with confidence and clarity that they are living their life purpose.
So, I developed a simple three-step process that allows everyone to identify and integrate true purpose.
Step One – Identify Your Core Power
Reflect quietly to find one simple word that best represents the energy you want to live with in this life. This word should reflect your deepest desires to touch the world in a positive and affirming way. Imagine that you are on your deathbed, surrounded by loved ones, and with tears in their eyes they say to you, “You have brought so much ________ into our lives.” Would it be joy? Peace? Freedom? Inspiration? Harmony? Or my personal favourite, Love? This is your core power – and it doesn’t matter what you think of your ability to currently live it. Go with what your ideals tell you, not your results so far. Here’s a hint: if this doesn’t make you want to shed a tear of your own, you haven’t found your word yet.
Step Two – Harness the Potential of your Conscious and Subconscious Awareness
Once you find your word, do the following exercise every day for three weeks. Sit comfortably with your back straight and your head erect. Place your hands on your heart and for three to five minutes breathe deeply and slowly. As you inhale imagine that your heart is filling with the energy of your one word – your core power. As you exhale, imagine that this energy is moving out from your heart to fill your entire being and touch the world. As this is happening, say to yourself, “And so it is.” Breathe in your core power, breathe out, “And so it is.” Here’s another hint: this exercise can be particularly powerful if performed in front of your regular meditation practice. – You do have one, don’t you?
Step Three – Define Your Personal Purpose Statement
The three weeks of breathing exercises will allow you to align yourself with your core power and integrate it into your energy field, both consciously and subconsciously. When this is complete, create a very short action statement using your core power that begins with the word “To.” My one word is Love and my action statement is, “To heed Love’s call.” You may need to play with this until it feels just right. You may even find that it shifts a bit for the first few years of living with it. We don’t always allow ourselves to receive our deepest insights right away. The key is to keep it short. It should never exceed one clear, punchy, straightforward sentence. The fewer words your Personal Purpose Statement contains, the better. Additionally, it should never refer directly to any task, career, person or relationship. Your Personal Purpose Statement must be applicable in every situation and interaction. It needs to be specific to taking action from and with core power, yet general enough to allow you to do that consistently, no matter what the circumstances. My final hint: as long as you have identified your core power, you have identified your true life purpose. If your action statement needs to change here and there, until you really “get it,” that is perfectly normal.
Living with a vital and dynamic sense of purpose is essential to living fully. We must face challenges and release expectations, limitations, and fears if we are to become more of who we truly are. Our purpose can lend us strength and acceptance when nothing else can. There are times when my personality isn’t the least bit satisfied with what is going on, but then I simply ask myself, “Can I say for certain that I am living my purpose with this choice?” If the answer is yes, then I can relax and let go. If the answer is no, then I know I have a little more work to do. Either way, I am heeding Love’s call and therefore fulfilling my purpose. That is the recipe for a truly successful and satisfying life.
About the Author:
Arria Deepwater, Author of Love Threshold: Practicing the Art of Choosing Love in Every Moment and President & Spiritual Director of Love Threshold Group, www.arriadeepwater.com
