"To love what you do and feel that it matters-how could anything be more fun?" ~ Katharine Graham
What is so important about having a purpose in life? Increasingly, people are looking for something more than just "making a living." They're realizing that there seems to be something missing in their lives and they're experiencing an inner sense of dissatisfaction. Many outwardly successful people describe feeling "off-track" in some way or a sense of being incomplete. That missing something is a sense of purpose.
Without purpose, we may drift through life directionless and unfulfilled. According to business psychologist and psychotherapist Douglas La Bier, "The consequences of not finding your purpose include chronic, lingering dissatisfaction; an absence of inner peace and a sense of not being fully in sync with your inner self."
Here are some of the benefits of connecting with and pursuing your purpose:
1. It gives you control over your own direction in life. You stop following the "shoulds" of family and society and set your own course for what you want to do with your life.
2. You're more likely to have a healthier outlook on life and be more resistant to stress.
3. You have more focus in life, making choices based on what's meaningful to you.
4. You have a greater sense of inner peace and satisfaction as you align with what you were "made for."
5. You live more in the flow of life, rather than in struggle. This isn't to say there aren't challenges but when you have a sense of meaning and purpose the challenges don't seem as large and you get through them more quickly and easily. You're better able to handle the ups and downs of life. *
6. You enjoy more satisfying relationships. A 2009 study of over 1,000 adults found that those with a high sense of meaning in their lives spent more time and attention on their loved ones and communities. They were more engaged with their families, neighbors and colleagues.
7. It redefines what success means to you. It's not about climbing the corporate ladder, a particular title or how much money you make. This isn't to say you can't make good money. When you're doing what you love you are actually more aligned to everything you want, including financial abundance. It simply means that the usual markers of success in our society are not as important as the inner satisfaction of how you're spending your time. Success is defined by what brings you joy.
8. You'll love knowing what you're doing is making a contribution to the larger whole. When you're "on purpose" you'll be doing what you love and utilizing your talents in a way that adds more positive energy to the world. Serving more than your own self-interest connects you to your higher self. It opens your heart and summons your spirit.
9. Your overall happiness increases and you have more of a zest for life!
10. Having a sense of purpose can help you live longer! **
If you've connected with your purpose, congratulations! You're already reaping the rewards of "doing what you love and feeling that it matters." Whatever it is that you've found, if it is your passion and has meaning for you, it does matter.
If you're still wondering what your purpose is, I encourage you to explore the possibilities. What do you love to do? What talents and skills do you enjoy using? You may want to enlist the help of a coach to go deeper. The world is waiting for your unique gifts!
* From Ed Diener's research on the science of wellbeing.
** From researcher Patrick Hill of Carleton University, Canada. Published in "Psychological Science," a journal of the Association for Psychological Science
Estra Roell is a certified Law of Attraction Life Coach, certified Life Purpose Coach, Advanced PSYCH-K® facilitator and Happiness Generator Facilitator. Estra helps clients get in touch with their passions and purpose and assists them to uncover and remove any blockages or old patterns that may be holding them back from living a life of joy, purpose and abundance. Estra is also a co-author of the books "101 Great Ways to Enhance Your Career" and "How to Create a Rich, Successful and Fulfilling Life." She's the author of the e-book, "4 Keys to Living Your Life Purpose."
Visit her website at http://www.americaslifepurposecoach.com/ to receive her free report on "Visioning Your Purpose and Heading Toward it Today." Sign up for a free "Life Purpose Strategy Session" at http://www.americaslifepurposecoach.com/strategy-session.
https://ezinearticles.com/?10-Benefits-of-Knowing-Your-Purpose&id=10237778
Saturday, July 11, 2020
Friday, July 10, 2020
Turnaround Time
Solstice is the day near year end when the sun is furthest away from the Earth, and immediately begins to come closer again. Solstice marks a celestial turning point, and it's no coincidence that we celebrate the end of the old year, and begin a new year of birth and renewal at this time. It's a time of new beginnings, of letting go of the old and generating the new. Many of my clients come in looking for a new way to see or do things, or a way to let go and refocus.
What kind of renewal do you want to generate in your own life?
• Are you feeling too caught up in things, and you want to let go a little, to learn to relax more?
• Is there a new goal you want to make happen in your life?
• Are you isolated and lonely, and want to generate more activity and more friends in your life?
• Do you have a relationship that needs a re-charge?
• Or are you happy and delighted with your life and the past year, and you just want to begin another that will be as good?
Just as the sun is making its turn in the heavens this season, try making a turn in your outlook:
If you've been holding on, struggling to make something work, try letting go a little. Take it less seriously, laugh a little more, breathe more deeply, and walk a little slower. You'll be surprised to find out that things still get done. Let the returning light make your life a little brighter, a little easier, and a little less frantic.
If a goal has been eluding you, try giving up on it for a moment, and then re-approaching it with a new attitude. Often, goals elude us because we're trying too hard.
If life seems empty, boring, or lonely you can also turn it around. Anticipate the returning warmth, and let it affect your life. Give whatever you can by getting involved in volunteer projects, helping others, or working pro bono. Remember, no matter who you are, you are always welcome as a volunteer somewhere. By turning your focus around toward giving, you'll enrich your life, and you'll find others doing the same thing who will want to be your friends. By giving of yourself, you'll learn more about true intimacy with others. As you learn, the other relationships in your life will change, too.
Perhaps your turnaround will be within a relationship. Are things not as good as they could be with a lover, with family, with a friend? How can you see it differently? It can often be helpful to let go of expectations and acknowledge that the other person is different from who you'd like them to be. Or, maybe you need to listen more to what the other person is telling you, and learn something about yourself. It's also possible to be too giving or accepting, and if that's the problem, you may need to learn to take better care of yourself in all your relationships. Is there a relationship that has not been working for you, that needs help?
If things are going great, and you're really in a celebratory mood, this is the perfect season for that, too! Give thanks for your wonderful year, enumerate one by one all the blessings you received this year. Congratulate yourself, give yourself a big pat on the back, and throw yourself a party! Then, let it all go. Life is about change, and the traditional time of change is upon us. There's a new year coming, a new start, a new day.
Life blesses us with this opportunity constantly. No matter how bad or good today is, like Little Orphan Annie says, tomorrow is brand new. We get another start. We can slow down, speed up, make changes, and do it over. There is nothing we can't approach differently at the beginning of a new day. At this time of year, when the old year is ending, and the new about to begin, I like to remind myself of the opportunity this constant renewal brings.
I am grateful for this reminder, this yearly re-focus of my attention and dedication. Just as the world renews itself, no matter what wars, pollution, injustices and problems are going on, I have the opportunity to renew my self and my life; no matter what drama may be going on in it.
What kind of renewal do you want to generate in your own life?
• Are you feeling too caught up in things, and you want to let go a little, to learn to relax more?
• Is there a new goal you want to make happen in your life?
• Are you isolated and lonely, and want to generate more activity and more friends in your life?
• Do you have a relationship that needs a re-charge?
• Or are you happy and delighted with your life and the past year, and you just want to begin another that will be as good?
Just as the sun is making its turn in the heavens this season, try making a turn in your outlook:
If you've been holding on, struggling to make something work, try letting go a little. Take it less seriously, laugh a little more, breathe more deeply, and walk a little slower. You'll be surprised to find out that things still get done. Let the returning light make your life a little brighter, a little easier, and a little less frantic.
If a goal has been eluding you, try giving up on it for a moment, and then re-approaching it with a new attitude. Often, goals elude us because we're trying too hard.
If life seems empty, boring, or lonely you can also turn it around. Anticipate the returning warmth, and let it affect your life. Give whatever you can by getting involved in volunteer projects, helping others, or working pro bono. Remember, no matter who you are, you are always welcome as a volunteer somewhere. By turning your focus around toward giving, you'll enrich your life, and you'll find others doing the same thing who will want to be your friends. By giving of yourself, you'll learn more about true intimacy with others. As you learn, the other relationships in your life will change, too.
Perhaps your turnaround will be within a relationship. Are things not as good as they could be with a lover, with family, with a friend? How can you see it differently? It can often be helpful to let go of expectations and acknowledge that the other person is different from who you'd like them to be. Or, maybe you need to listen more to what the other person is telling you, and learn something about yourself. It's also possible to be too giving or accepting, and if that's the problem, you may need to learn to take better care of yourself in all your relationships. Is there a relationship that has not been working for you, that needs help?
If things are going great, and you're really in a celebratory mood, this is the perfect season for that, too! Give thanks for your wonderful year, enumerate one by one all the blessings you received this year. Congratulate yourself, give yourself a big pat on the back, and throw yourself a party! Then, let it all go. Life is about change, and the traditional time of change is upon us. There's a new year coming, a new start, a new day.
Life blesses us with this opportunity constantly. No matter how bad or good today is, like Little Orphan Annie says, tomorrow is brand new. We get another start. We can slow down, speed up, make changes, and do it over. There is nothing we can't approach differently at the beginning of a new day. At this time of year, when the old year is ending, and the new about to begin, I like to remind myself of the opportunity this constant renewal brings.
I am grateful for this reminder, this yearly re-focus of my attention and dedication. Just as the world renews itself, no matter what wars, pollution, injustices and problems are going on, I have the opportunity to renew my self and my life; no matter what drama may be going on in it.
Thursday, July 9, 2020
Diving Through The Collapsing Wave
Diving Through The Collapsing Wave ©2020 Joan M. Newcomb, CPC
After a year and a half of commuting to New York to care for my brother who's had a stroke, the exhaustion caught up with me and I put a pause on my regular ezine/blog posts and you tube videos. I felt like I was saying the same thing over and over again.
I thought I'd start up again in February but the Coronavirus swept across the world, and it seems I was in front of it. The first reported cases in the US were in the Seattle area in February, and I attended a large gathering at the Seattle Center on February 22nd. Then I flew to New York City just as a single case was reported there. On March 1st I flew to Spain, and over the seventeen days there I got to witness the city of Madrid shift from being rarely casual about the outbreak ("there are only 400 cases in a city of 4 million", to completely locking down on March 14th - people were not even allowed out to exercise. Only one person in a car. You could be fined 50-600 euros for being on the street if you weren't going grocery shopping for essentials.
I flew back to NYC on March 17th and self-isolated for 14 days. I thought I only had a cold but now with better awareness of the symptoms am convinced it was a mild version of COVID19. While in NYC my sister in law came down with much more recognizable symptoms, and I was there a full month helping her recover and doing my best to keep my disabled brother from catching it.
I've been on Vashon Island since April 16th (did not leave the house at all for the first 14 days) and feel like I'm only just getting my head above water.
It's been an intense few months and it ain't over yet.
Regardless of what city I'm in, the fear is palpable whenever I go out. I've been hesitant to give a spiritual perspective on what is happening, feeling that neutrality could be mistaken for being disconnected or in denial. Also, if I'm so good at what I do, why am I in this parallel Universe? Why haven't I changed, fixed, or manipulated this hologram?
Here's the thing - this is all part of the Consciousness shift. What is breaking down, what is disintegrating in our lives whether physically or emotionally, is because greater Consciousness is coming into form.
Now I used to resist the doom-and-gloomers who said, 'not everybody is going to make it'. And yet, wow, we're seeing an awful lot of death in a short period of time. But a way to look at it is, there is no death, our loved ones have just left their physical forms for the loving embrace of greater Consciousness. There's no good or bad about dying or the amount of time you spend in one lifetime in physical form. Also from my "5D" perspective, there are parallel universes where their bodies are still alive. And as Consciousness we're always connected, whether we're together in body or not.
My interpretation of "5D" isn't that we're all going to shift into it, one of my favorite astrologers thinks that means death. What I have found is, as I experience myself as Greater Consciousness coming more into my body that my reality feels lighter and more fluid. Time is malleable. Grounding is different. Physical reality is less dense. It's like going from dialup to wifi.
As Consciousness, I'm in total agreement with what is going on, even as my personality rages against it. It's not about superimposing a rosy vision on what is. It's more like observing as a city or neighborhood or world goes through an upgrade. Telephone poles get taken down, sewers gets dug up, squalid tenements get condemned.
Right now it's very glaring that this is a world of opposites. The loudest and weakest are in power, the old paradigms they're fighting so hard to continue imposing are fading away. What is emerging, I see, is a new, internal sense of empowerment, that we are all inherently and uniquely valuable. As we expand in our awareness, the old definitions are fading away as well, in terms of gender and sex.
It ain't easy, and it won't be over in a minute or a month, this transition will continue to unfold.
A while back while playing in the waves at the beach, I learned not to turn my back to the ocean when a giant wave came towards me. You just dive through it to the other side. As these waves of change come towards us, face them, take a deep breath, and dive through them. Reality will be a lot more fun on the other side.
Joan Newcomb has been helping people with growth and change for over 35 years. For more articles like this one, go to https://jmnewcomb.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10309597
After a year and a half of commuting to New York to care for my brother who's had a stroke, the exhaustion caught up with me and I put a pause on my regular ezine/blog posts and you tube videos. I felt like I was saying the same thing over and over again.
I thought I'd start up again in February but the Coronavirus swept across the world, and it seems I was in front of it. The first reported cases in the US were in the Seattle area in February, and I attended a large gathering at the Seattle Center on February 22nd. Then I flew to New York City just as a single case was reported there. On March 1st I flew to Spain, and over the seventeen days there I got to witness the city of Madrid shift from being rarely casual about the outbreak ("there are only 400 cases in a city of 4 million", to completely locking down on March 14th - people were not even allowed out to exercise. Only one person in a car. You could be fined 50-600 euros for being on the street if you weren't going grocery shopping for essentials.
I flew back to NYC on March 17th and self-isolated for 14 days. I thought I only had a cold but now with better awareness of the symptoms am convinced it was a mild version of COVID19. While in NYC my sister in law came down with much more recognizable symptoms, and I was there a full month helping her recover and doing my best to keep my disabled brother from catching it.
I've been on Vashon Island since April 16th (did not leave the house at all for the first 14 days) and feel like I'm only just getting my head above water.
It's been an intense few months and it ain't over yet.
Regardless of what city I'm in, the fear is palpable whenever I go out. I've been hesitant to give a spiritual perspective on what is happening, feeling that neutrality could be mistaken for being disconnected or in denial. Also, if I'm so good at what I do, why am I in this parallel Universe? Why haven't I changed, fixed, or manipulated this hologram?
Here's the thing - this is all part of the Consciousness shift. What is breaking down, what is disintegrating in our lives whether physically or emotionally, is because greater Consciousness is coming into form.
Now I used to resist the doom-and-gloomers who said, 'not everybody is going to make it'. And yet, wow, we're seeing an awful lot of death in a short period of time. But a way to look at it is, there is no death, our loved ones have just left their physical forms for the loving embrace of greater Consciousness. There's no good or bad about dying or the amount of time you spend in one lifetime in physical form. Also from my "5D" perspective, there are parallel universes where their bodies are still alive. And as Consciousness we're always connected, whether we're together in body or not.
My interpretation of "5D" isn't that we're all going to shift into it, one of my favorite astrologers thinks that means death. What I have found is, as I experience myself as Greater Consciousness coming more into my body that my reality feels lighter and more fluid. Time is malleable. Grounding is different. Physical reality is less dense. It's like going from dialup to wifi.
As Consciousness, I'm in total agreement with what is going on, even as my personality rages against it. It's not about superimposing a rosy vision on what is. It's more like observing as a city or neighborhood or world goes through an upgrade. Telephone poles get taken down, sewers gets dug up, squalid tenements get condemned.
Right now it's very glaring that this is a world of opposites. The loudest and weakest are in power, the old paradigms they're fighting so hard to continue imposing are fading away. What is emerging, I see, is a new, internal sense of empowerment, that we are all inherently and uniquely valuable. As we expand in our awareness, the old definitions are fading away as well, in terms of gender and sex.
It ain't easy, and it won't be over in a minute or a month, this transition will continue to unfold.
A while back while playing in the waves at the beach, I learned not to turn my back to the ocean when a giant wave came towards me. You just dive through it to the other side. As these waves of change come towards us, face them, take a deep breath, and dive through them. Reality will be a lot more fun on the other side.
Joan Newcomb has been helping people with growth and change for over 35 years. For more articles like this one, go to https://jmnewcomb.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10309597
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Your Focus Keeps You On Track and Amps Up Your Productivity
Your focus and effectiveness are inextricably linked.
Indeed, time management tips, no matter how well-grounded they may be, are only as effective as your capacity to focus and follow-through.
So, your focus is a powerful productivity tool.
But that's not all. Your focus actually helps you restore your energy and free your creativity, too.
Staying on Track
In our information-saturated world, you can practically hear the battle being waged for your attention as an incessant buzzing in your head. Concentration can be difficult to come by, let alone sustain. Yet your focus is one of the most remarkable inherent strengths you can ever develop.
So, would you like some support around staying on task and on track? Read on...
Your focus is about you...
It is really all about your quality of relationship with yourself. Whenever you need the motivation to calm your mind and concentrate, recall these three key advantages you will always gain when you focus:
Whatever you are doing is enhanced.
You are more present in your life.
No time is required; there is always enough time to sharpen your focus.
This is about quality, not quantity. When you are centered you are bringing yourself fully to each of your moments and getting the most from what your moments hold. An hour is still an hour, whether you are present to it or not - but the content of that hour is essentially different when you are engaged as your fully attentive self.
What can your focus do?
So, let's deepen our appreciation of what this powerful and transformative time tool brings us by looking more specifically at what your focus can do for you. It can:
Transform Your Relationship With Time. Your anxieties about the future melt away because you fully inhabit the moment you are in. This is the rich experience of centuries of meditation practice, worldwide. You can trust it. When you are in the flow of the present moment, you experience the power that is always yours. You direct your inner relation-ship, with the rudder and sail in your hands. You attune yourself to life's winds and waves, and feel fully alive as you steer with increasing skill! The feeling of inner safety that comes when you fully occupy the moment cannot be matched.
Free You From Time-Consuming Past Scripts. Each of us carries stories from our past, created when we had limited understanding. Formulas we once thought kept us safe may now simply slow us down. So, how can you gain the perspective to step clear from old time traps? The ability to silence inner chatter and closely observe what surrounds you is an essential first step. As the Zen master instructs the student: "Attention... Attention... Attention... "
But that's not all...
Clarify Your Perceptions and Enhance Your Productivity. The less distracted you are, the more energy you direct to your task. Watch your effectiveness grow. The next time you start to feel scattered, breathe from your belly and warmly tell yourself that you can do one thing well. What about those urgent imperatives that vie for your attention? Write down whatever is distracting you. Promise yourself that when your task is completed, you can attend to that matter.
Increase Your Confidence. Nothing can match the feeling you give yourself by letting yourself experience the centered, relaxed, receptive self-intimacy that focused activity brings. By exercising positive control over your mind and your time, you immerse yourself in the flow of the present moment. Confidence grows organically when you direct your best energies to the task at hand.
And there's more...
Nurture Your Creativity. Do you question how creative you can be? As you cultivate your focus, new avenues of inner communication open up to you. Only when you silence the chattering that surrounds you can your wise and quiet voice of intuition be heard. Experiment with simply focusing within, on the effortless rising and falling of your breath. Let thoughts bubble up, and see which ones catch the light.
Continually Develop Your Skills. As you let yourself experience the satisfaction of being fully in the moment, you become less and less vulnerable to the nagging illusion that there is something outside of yourself that you 'need.' This encourages a rising spiral of self-reference, enabling you to direct your energy ever more skillfully.
In the end, focus, which takes no time, will actually give you time because it increases your power, satisfaction, confidence, and productivity. It allows you to pour your best energies into what you do right now, and watch them multiply.
So how will you start putting yourself in a position to find more success and satisfaction, beginning with this very moment?
You'll find expert guidance quickly with our free Finding Time Success Kit, so check out our video at https://thetimefinder.com/ and then sign up for your Kit!
You'll receive our Finding Time Boundary Template, our popular Weekly Tips, and our monthly, award-winning E-zine -- all free and all right to your in-box!
For even more time tips, tools and techniques, visit our blog at https://thetimefinder.com/blog/
Offered by Paula Eder, Ph.D. The Time Finder Expert
https://ezinearticles.com/?Your-Focus-Keeps-You-On-Track-and-Amps-Up-Your-Productivity&id=10192654
Indeed, time management tips, no matter how well-grounded they may be, are only as effective as your capacity to focus and follow-through.
So, your focus is a powerful productivity tool.
But that's not all. Your focus actually helps you restore your energy and free your creativity, too.
Staying on Track
In our information-saturated world, you can practically hear the battle being waged for your attention as an incessant buzzing in your head. Concentration can be difficult to come by, let alone sustain. Yet your focus is one of the most remarkable inherent strengths you can ever develop.
So, would you like some support around staying on task and on track? Read on...
Your focus is about you...
It is really all about your quality of relationship with yourself. Whenever you need the motivation to calm your mind and concentrate, recall these three key advantages you will always gain when you focus:
Whatever you are doing is enhanced.
You are more present in your life.
No time is required; there is always enough time to sharpen your focus.
This is about quality, not quantity. When you are centered you are bringing yourself fully to each of your moments and getting the most from what your moments hold. An hour is still an hour, whether you are present to it or not - but the content of that hour is essentially different when you are engaged as your fully attentive self.
What can your focus do?
So, let's deepen our appreciation of what this powerful and transformative time tool brings us by looking more specifically at what your focus can do for you. It can:
Transform Your Relationship With Time. Your anxieties about the future melt away because you fully inhabit the moment you are in. This is the rich experience of centuries of meditation practice, worldwide. You can trust it. When you are in the flow of the present moment, you experience the power that is always yours. You direct your inner relation-ship, with the rudder and sail in your hands. You attune yourself to life's winds and waves, and feel fully alive as you steer with increasing skill! The feeling of inner safety that comes when you fully occupy the moment cannot be matched.
Free You From Time-Consuming Past Scripts. Each of us carries stories from our past, created when we had limited understanding. Formulas we once thought kept us safe may now simply slow us down. So, how can you gain the perspective to step clear from old time traps? The ability to silence inner chatter and closely observe what surrounds you is an essential first step. As the Zen master instructs the student: "Attention... Attention... Attention... "
But that's not all...
Clarify Your Perceptions and Enhance Your Productivity. The less distracted you are, the more energy you direct to your task. Watch your effectiveness grow. The next time you start to feel scattered, breathe from your belly and warmly tell yourself that you can do one thing well. What about those urgent imperatives that vie for your attention? Write down whatever is distracting you. Promise yourself that when your task is completed, you can attend to that matter.
Increase Your Confidence. Nothing can match the feeling you give yourself by letting yourself experience the centered, relaxed, receptive self-intimacy that focused activity brings. By exercising positive control over your mind and your time, you immerse yourself in the flow of the present moment. Confidence grows organically when you direct your best energies to the task at hand.
And there's more...
Nurture Your Creativity. Do you question how creative you can be? As you cultivate your focus, new avenues of inner communication open up to you. Only when you silence the chattering that surrounds you can your wise and quiet voice of intuition be heard. Experiment with simply focusing within, on the effortless rising and falling of your breath. Let thoughts bubble up, and see which ones catch the light.
Continually Develop Your Skills. As you let yourself experience the satisfaction of being fully in the moment, you become less and less vulnerable to the nagging illusion that there is something outside of yourself that you 'need.' This encourages a rising spiral of self-reference, enabling you to direct your energy ever more skillfully.
In the end, focus, which takes no time, will actually give you time because it increases your power, satisfaction, confidence, and productivity. It allows you to pour your best energies into what you do right now, and watch them multiply.
So how will you start putting yourself in a position to find more success and satisfaction, beginning with this very moment?
You'll find expert guidance quickly with our free Finding Time Success Kit, so check out our video at https://thetimefinder.com/ and then sign up for your Kit!
You'll receive our Finding Time Boundary Template, our popular Weekly Tips, and our monthly, award-winning E-zine -- all free and all right to your in-box!
For even more time tips, tools and techniques, visit our blog at https://thetimefinder.com/blog/
Offered by Paula Eder, Ph.D. The Time Finder Expert
https://ezinearticles.com/?Your-Focus-Keeps-You-On-Track-and-Amps-Up-Your-Productivity&id=10192654
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