Live Your Purpose!

Victor Frankl psychologist and author of man’s search for meaning said; “Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated, thus, everyone’s task is unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.

As a young boy I had a poster on the wall in my room. It was a picture of a very busy and crowded city street. The city was full of confusion. People everywhere, crowded streets, with signs and billboards. The words across the top of the poster ask the question. Why am I here? My question to you is why are you here? What is your purpose on this earth? Maybe you’ve ask yourself that question before. Maybe you know your purpose but you’ve never made the decision to act on it.

Peter Drucker says; “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” The majority of people never live a life of purpose because it takes hard work and discipline. Most people just settle for what comes along. They live the life of quiet desperation. They talk about what they should do and dream big dreams, but never go forward. A life without action is a life without purpose.

Success has been studied and researched for years. We have more information on success today than ever before and one outstanding similarity is that the winners in life all have a major definite purpose.

You see, it’s your purpose that keeps you in a forward motion. Your purpose gives you momentum. We need to know that we are growing and making a contribution. Each time you reach a goal your self-esteem will grow and then you’ll build on that accomplishment, like an avalanche it will grow as it pushes forward.

 That’s why winners have goals and a major purpose for their life. Tony Robbins says, “People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals – that is, goals that do not inspire them.” Some people have a goal to get up and go to work. Go back home set down in front of the television have a couple of beers and go to bed, only to do the same thing the next day and the next day and the next day. If you don’t have a major purpose in your life, you will always be bound under the power of the people who do. I believe that many people you find in hospitals, prisons, and in the court system are without a major definite purpose. Without purpose you have no compelling future to look forward to.

Without a compelling future you give up on life and find yourself in a state of mind that’s not productive. And through the law of attraction you attract more depression and more of the things you really don’t want. Without a compelling future, people turn to drugs and alcohol to change their state of mind which is only a temporary solution and then it’s repeated over and over.

I worked as an EMT in my twenties and witnessed people without a compelling future many times. On one occasion we got a call to a railroad crossing in a little out of the way country town. The call was that a train hit a man on the track. As I was driving to the scene I was trying to imagine what to expect. I was thinking of different scenarios in my mind. We didn’t know if this person was alive, if they were in a vehicle or what. So I was trying to prepare myself for action.

When we got there I could see the end of the train way down the track and a figure of a body laying on the track about thirty feet away from the crossing. Then I realized that it was a man that had been ran over by this train. We later found out by a witness that this man had set there on the tracks for hours drinking beer waiting on this train. And just at the last second as the train was roaring down the track this man stood up in front of the train and his life ended in a tragic way.

I have no doubt that this man had no definite purpose in his life to look forward to. If you’re not growing in this life you’re dying. This world will eliminate you just as nature eliminates plants and animals. Think about all the things in your world that at one time served a purpose that you no longer have. You’ve gotten rid of those things because they no longer serve your needs. If you don’t know your major purpose in life, that’s ok. Most people don’t know what their purpose is. It has been estimated that only about three percent of the population ever have clear goals in life. As you learn to set small goals that are consistent with your values you will begin to see your purpose unfold.

Some people decide on a purpose at an early age, some wait much later. Col. Sanders started Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC as they call it today in his sixties. He said; “I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me.”

“Have the courage to live. Anyone can die.”

… Robert Cody

I am sure that every religion known to man all has one thing in common, that would be faith. Faith is about living your life and going forward without all the answers.

Faith allows you the freedom from being held back by worry, doubt and fear. You may find it hard to have faith, and to believe in yourself when people around you try to cut you down with words of discouragement. No matter what others say about you, your plans, your dreams, or your vision, faith in yourself has to remain. You lose the power of confidence when you forsake your faith and belief in yourself. Never allow others to shake your belief or faith. Having faith in yourself releases you from the opinions of others. The only opinion that’s important is the opinion you have of yourself.

Without the belief in yourself you’ll never find the confidence to overcome fear and challenges when the time arises. Any good fisherman will tell you that the best lure you have is the lure you have the most confidence in. The best martial artist will also tell you the best technique they have is the one they have the most confidence in. That is the same belief and confidence you need for yourself.

Without it; how can you sell an idea, communicate your needs, elicit help from others along your journey?

Change Your Friends For A Better Life

Ever heard the saying, “show me a person’s friends and I will tell you what sort of person they are”?  It has more truth to it than you may think.  Look around your own circle of friends.  It’s probable that you and they engage in similar types of behaviour.  If your friend spends lots of time shopping, it’s likely that you do, too.  You might have even found that, if you’ve been friends for awhile, you may share similar physical traits – a similar body-weight, for instance, or similar taste in clothes.  If there are some aspects to yourself that you’re unhappy with, unfortunately, your friends might be helping you to maintain them.

This is partly due to a psychological phenomenon known as Social Proof.  It’s whereby people follow the lead of the people they associate with if they’re unsure about something.  If you’re unsure whether you should be going out tonight because you have an early start tomorrow, but your friend does too and is already lining up the vodka shots, Social Proof might explain why you turn up late tomorrow.  It’s important, then, to choose the people whom we associate with carefully. 

You have to know what you want before you know whom to choose as friends, however.  Therefore, it is important to develop your own set of strongly developed personal values and attitudes.  Values are your own beliefs about what really matters in life.  Examples of values include ‘Abundance’, ‘Learning’, ‘Knowledge’ and ‘Teamwork’.  There are many lists on the internet that detail a wide range of values.  You might wish to scan one, and make a list of your personal top 10 most important values. 

Once you have identified your most important values, you should find, ideally, that your values guide your behaviour.  So, a person who values ‘Family’ should be attempting to maintain good relationships with their family members and should make an effort to spend time with them.  If you find that there’s a gap between your values and your behaviour, it may be time to re-assess your behaviour.  Given that we know friends influence our behaviour, it may also be time to re-assess your friendships.

This doesn’t have to mean we dismiss all our current friendships.  It may just mean broadening our social horizons, to include other friendships that are more in line with our personal values.  Someone who values ‘Creativity’, for instance, should seek to surround him- or herself with other people who also value being creative.  This will likely mean people who like to talk about art, who are imaginative and innovative, and who inspire you.  You can find these people through joining relevant clubs and associations, through internet forums and just by keeping an eye out for them.

Though there is some evidence that our choice of friends is influenced by our genetic make-up, it is certainly not impossible to consciously seek out people who will help us to grow into the people we most want to be.

Law of Least Resistance

Buddha said it best…”All unhappiness comes from attachment”

So much energy is wasted on being attached to so many things in life.

The Law of Least Resistance means to do less and accomplish more. The power of water and electricity follow this law and so can we.

Acceptance = Accept things today as they occur.

Responsibility = Take responsibility for who and what you are. Don’t blame others or yourself. This will allow yourself to have a more creative response to situations and events in your life.

Defenselessness = Give up the deep need to be right all the time. Relinquish the need to argue your point and to convince others that they should see it all your way.

These three things will create more energy in your life! Apply the Law of Least Effort and notice the difference.

Till Next Time!

Lynn Lane

New Year Goals..Business!

Happy New Year 2012!

One of the top 10 goals people set for 2012 is to learn something new and to get a better job.

A better job? I remember years ago a man told me that J.O.B. stands for Just Over Broke. When you work for the other person your boss has the control. The control over your time, money, your raises, your vacation and your livelihood is all controlled by your boss!

The economy is really in a bad way and unemployment isn’t any better. If history tells us much at all it is telling us to prepare for tough days ahead. I believe in having a backup plan that will help you in those tough times and help you be your own boss one day!

One of the best ways I know to get prepared and to get the control over your livelihood is to start a small business. Some people think that starting a small business is such a monumental task that they talk themselves right out of making the effort.

I have been in my own business in some form since I was about 5 years old. I remember my first lesson as an entrepreneur at age 5 likes it was yesterday. My Mom and I were on our way home from my Grandmother’s house when we stopped at a roadside vegetable stand. I noticed all the people that were there to give the guy running this stand all their money in exchange for a few tomatoes and some melons.

I had an Idea!

When we got home I went to our garage and started looking around for a table to set next to the road just in front of our house. I got the table and moved it to the road and ran back in the house and got most of the veggies my Mom just purchased from the veggie stand we stopped at earlier. That is called …low overhead!

I was in the middle of my first sale when…….my Mom shows up and shuts me down. She was not very happy to see that I was selling the veggies and she was really upset when she heard the price I was selling them for. Seems I was selling for less than she had purchased them for.

Lessons.

1. Never overlook you COGS…cost of goods and services!
2. Have good margins so you don’t lose money!
3. Cut your Mom in on the deal if she backs you!

That was a true story. Seriously…..your own business has many benefits that can serve you over time.

You can get started today in the next 30 minutes with a small internet business that you can run from your easy chair. It…is…not…that hard!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article one other top 10 goal of 2012 is to get educated or to learn something new. That is a great goal too. I push myself to learn one new thing daily. When you start your own business you will start to learn new things and even get excited about the process and progress you make.

Here is the great thing!

You don’t need to quit your job to start your business. Start small and let it grow as you grow in your knowledge of making it happen. As I write this I have many irons in the fire.

I can show you how to build your own small internet business that will help you generate some income on the side while it grows. Will it make 6 figures in the next year? I doubt it…but the possibility is there.

Your Journey.

We are all on a journey. You may work at the same job..live in the same home for 20 years without change. But…change will come if you create it or not. Why not begin today to prepare and create change in your life? Enjoy the journey.

Think about the things you are good at and love to just get lost in… then begin to look at ways you can make money with that activity.

Make this a great year to discover who you are and where you want to go! Enjoy your journey!

If you have an idea or would like to have some input on starting your new business venture contact me. No strings attached.

R. Lynn Lane

I Am Grateful For You!

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others” ~ Cicero

What are you grateful for today?

Thank you for being part of this great journey in my life!

Christmas Parade & Success