Nike to the Ass: or Acting with Purpose

First, my thanks and gratitude to Jai and Jesse in real life (you know, the place without blogs and hyperlinks), and to all of my other friends (and cyber-friends) who have risen to support me with your advice, comments, and encouragement during my battles with my own discontent and melancholy as of late (see my recent blog post: "King of the Rut" for the background on this).

Jai introduced me, over a year ago, to a great book that has given me inspiration during this time and I shall quote and borrow heavily from its messages throughout this post:

"You have been fulfilling your purpose your whole life, even if you don't consciously know what your purpose is.

A purpose is not a goal. A purpose can never be obtained, reached, or checked off. A purpose is fulfilled, continuously, in every moment. Goals that can be defined, achieved, and noted are but way stations along life's purpose.

Some examples of purposes: "I am a joyful explorer," "I am a lover of life," "I am a servant of spirit," "I am a giver of happiness," "I am a willing student of life," "I am a scout," "I am a servant of humanity," "I am a joyful giver," "I learn and I teach," "I know and I grow," "I am a silent contributor," "I am a cheerful disciple," "I am an intense appreciator," "I am a lighthearted creator." Get the idea?"
--Peter McWilliams, from "DO IT: Let's Get Off Our Buts"

Yes, I know my bottomline, ultimate purpose in life. And that's at the very least a refreshing piece of knowing. And I know that I haven't been seriously engaging this purpose and that probably has led to my feelings of discontent expressed above. There have been moments of being in harmony again, and they have been like lightning bolts captured in a belljar--completely energizing and refreshing. This recent job-search in Redding and the types of positions I've been applying for are not leading me toward being in accord with my life purpose. There are, however, various occupations that could key into this life purpose: all of the aforementioned dream-jobs (in the "King of the Rut" post) certainly fit the bill. A few more have come to mind over the last day. Sometimes, I think you just have to VENT in order to start seriously considering and accepting where you are at RIGHT NOW and then you can start seeing what you can really do about it. I have already begun to feel a positive shifting in my energy field toward correct conduct and relief (tapping/EFT has also really added clarity, confidence, and relaxation to the equation).

Peter McWilliams also suggests that it's an important thing to keep this ultimate purpose concealed from others:

"It's a good idea to keep your purpose to yourself. This keeps it powerful and prevents comments such as, "You don't seem much like a joyful giver to me!" Keeping your purpose private also removes the temptation to choose a purpose that will impress others."
--McWilliams (ibid.)

I think it's one-part magickal thinking and two-parts precaution. Know your purpose strongly and wholly and you have escaped the necessity to look for approval or acceptance from others. I feel my purpose down to my DNA, and if others simply observe some my actions, behaviors, and commentaries, I'm sure it's easy enough to figure it out. I suggest you also work on discovering your purpose and really tuning into a powerful, succinct iteration of it for YOU: each time it lands in the plane of your thoughts, it should create a spark of total knowing and inner-truth. And also write it down on paper, read it aloud to yourself, make it into a mantra of self-realization.

Another wonderful piece of wisdom handed down from McWilliams book is the phrase, "You Can Have Anything You Want--You Just Can't Have Everything You Want" (ibid). Just a little tweak of the language, and a powerful truth emerges. If you try and do every goal at once, you are dividing your energy and attention, making little progress and draining your energy. If you're like me, you will find it difficult to choose just one uber-goal. McWilliams suggests using index cards and writing down every great idea or goal you can think of for yourself and systematically rating them and comparing them until the supremo-supremo goal emerges. This is an oversimplication of his method: GET THIS BOOK (I think amazon.com sells used copies for $0.90 cents at this point), and if you follow it step-by-step, you will emerge with your personal life purpose, your true goals, the steps you need to follow to manifest them, and a helluva lot of self-understanding.

Focus on what's really the most important (numero uno!) of your goals and really start taking the next do-able steps toward attainment of that goal no matter where you are at or what means are at your disposal. For instance, Don't stall because you don't have enough cash, or the right car, or the right anything (this is what McWilliams means when he subtitles the book "getting off our BUTS"). Just do the best you can with what you already have and I believe that when a man (or a woman) truly acts in accordance with their PURPOSE, the universe tends to dissolve your blocks to success and provide the necessary abundance to reach your goal. And a literary corollary comes to mind, from an earlier writer, and I shall end this post on it:

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."
--J.W. von Goethe

Best wishes to you all in your quests for fulfillment,
Justin

p.s. I've also found a good link for an online text of McWilliams' book "YOU CAN'T AFFORD THE LUXURY OF A NEGATIVE THOUGHT: A Book for People with Any Life-Threatening Illness -- Including Life."
Try this link: www.buildfreedom.com/content...contents
It contains the whole bit on life purpose that I have quoted from above, which I originally encountered in the book "DO IT: Let's Get Off Our Buts."