“Never grow up. The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else. This makes you unique.”
~ Walt Disney
It’s a bright and clear morning here, and very breezy, which wiped the sleep quickly from my eyes. I think this is one of the clearest we’ve had so far this month.
I’m going to take a day for pause here from our discussions of Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich”. I told you that the chapter on Organized Planning was a long and detailed one, and I thank you for hanging in there with me. And before we end the chapter, we still need to figure out how we go about getting that job we covet and also what it takes to keep moving up in that position, and how to take an inventory of ourselves. We’ll also explore 31 causes for failure, before Hill ends the chapter with a very moving section on the American Dream. Finishing up this chapter is going to take us the better part of this week, before we move on to the 7th principle of success: The Mastery of Procrastination. Who isn’t going to love that chapter ???
As we move into the month of February, our sunrise will slowly creep from it’s latest entrance at 6:55Am to 6:40AM by the end of the month. I spent most of my day yesterday digging deep, really considering what my day and week needs to look like in order for this year to be a success ….
I had a friend write to me, saying she just wasn’t certain what she wanted to BE “when she grows up”.
Eeeekkk !!! To that I say, don’t do it !!! That sounds like torture.
When I think about the book “Life on Purpose” the author asks us to consider that a life purpose is the context, vessel or container into which you pour your life. He asks us to imagine you have your favorite coffee or mug in front of you. Take your mug and fill it. The mug represents the context of our life. The liquid represents the purpose of our life. When we think about the relationship, the mug gives structure to the coffee. Both exist independently, but aren’t really useful until combined.
A life purpose needs to be a powerful shaping force in our lives, long lasting and enduring, as well as flexible. Note this is not a job !! It’s more likely that in which makes you feel like a kid again. It’s a very strong abiding characteristic that makes you who you are ….
My friend and client Bridgette were talking about this just the other day. She is a connector. This is her life purpose. The container that holds this for her is mainly her musical career. But she also uses her love and ability to connect people with spirit through Reikki offerings and energy of food workshops. And above all, she will be further expanding her talent and offerings by developing Workshops on Self-Awareness. Helping people experience universal love in their daily lives so that they may prosper. Amazing stuff !!
I, on the other hand, am an idea generator. The container that holds this is entrepreneurship. I’ve used my life purpose to build businesses to serve others, and I’m in the process of building a 12 week workshop to assist others in doing the same. Web development, spreadsheets & graphic design are my favorite tools for idea generation, to get it out of mind onto paper.
What is it to be an idea generator? It doesn’t mean that I’m tied to people taking my ideas. No, I just delight in tossing things out there, collaborating, making people think, opening them up to new thoughts, so that their own intuition can take over.
To quote Walt Disney again: “I am in no sense of the word a great artist, not even a great animator; I have always had men working for me whose skills were greater than my own. I am an idea man.”
See … this is a life purpose. I can use it in many, many ways, including this writing here. It’s finding a container to best fit it in. This is when the real joy finds itself.
The next paragraph we will read in “Think and Grow Rich” is this:
Everyone enjoys doing the kind of work for which he or she is best suited. An artist loves to work with paints, a craftsman with his or her hands, a writer loves to write. Those with less definite talents have their preferences for certain fields of business and industry. If America does anything well, it offers a full range of occupations.
So this is what I spent my day considering yesterday. Is my week, as structured out really how I want to use my purpose as an “Idea Generator” ??
I’m not sure, to be honest. On paper, it looks like alot of work. Almost like I’ve put myself back in “a real job”
Two totally random conversations really hit home yesterday …
As I finished my blogs, I typed to a friend that I would check something out as soon as I “got to work”. What does that mean …? Is my blogging not “work”, providing value out of my purpose? I only the lack of being paid for it keeping me from fully engaging in it ?? How can I make changes so that I can keep doing what comes naturally and enjoy doing ?? What does this container look like? Who will pay me for this?
Secondly, she replied “Isn’t your mind almost always working? Your heart too… with great compassion.”
Yes, I replied! Unless I’m sleeping or drunk 😉 But this simply underscores that I enjoy thinking for the benefit of others. It’s something that’s very hard to turn off. It’s just who I am.
What this exchange and my own internal awareness brought me yesterday is that I need to open up to the fact that my container needs to be more fluid and more fun. My organization cannot look so structured that it feels like prison.
As I open up to this truth, I’m sending out prayers to Universal Intelligence that the idea, this new container, come and find me !!
Andrea Beck-Plough, this one’s for you <3
“I dream, I test my dreams against my beliefs, I dare to take risks, and I execute my vision to make those dreams come true.”
~ Walt Disney
