OUR PURPOSE – Ignites the Spirit.

“Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own.”

“You are destined for greatness and you can do anything in life if you’re willing to work hard enough to get it.”

“You may not started out life in the best of circumstances. But if you can find a mission in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you from achieving success.” Kemmons Wilson

“When you come across challenges when pursuing a goal, stay focused on your purpose, and remains determined to deal with whatever comes your way. If you hang in there, your sense of purpose will inspired others, and together, you’ll be unstoppable”. Wayne Barton

Your Personal Action Plan: Igniting Purpose in Your Spirit

- Purpose can ignite your spirit, providing personal meaning and deep satisfaction to your life. Purpose is the why-why you are here – and your own special calling. Purpose is the unique gifts and insights that you bring to the planet and can contribute to your world. Purpose fuels your efforts and gives you the drive to continue, no matter what the challenges.

If the secret to living a rich, meaningful life is to live in accordance with your purpose, the obvious question remains, How do those who don’t know their purpose discover it? It’s a difficult but important question, because lasting happiness depends on your ability to answer it truthfully.

William Marsten, a prominent psychologist, asked 3,000 people, “What have you to live for?” the results revealed that 94% responded by saying they had no definite purpose for their lives and it has been said that “everyone dies, but not everyone really lives.” Meanwhile, they simply survive, going through the mechanical motions of living, without ever experiencing the spark of aliveness, they watch their lives quickly pass by and become increasingly fearful that their lives will end before they experience any true joy or deep sense of purpose. Have you felt that way – that something was missing in your life? I did.

Identifying Our True Purpose in Life.

Step 1: Discover Your Purpose.

Action 1: Start by writing “How I want to be remembered.” List the qualities, deeds, and characteristics for which you would like to be remembered by your friends, spouse, children, co-workers, the community, and even the world. If you have special relationship with other people or groups, such as church, club, or team, include them on the list too. In the process of waiting, you will begin to uncover your true value and the sources of meaning in your life. Example. I want to be remembered by my wife as a loving husband, who always believed in her, a partner who encouraged her to expand her vision of what was possible and to live her life to its ultimate potential. For my son, I want to be remembered as a father who deeply loved and believed in him and helped him see that there was no limit to what he could contribute. Accomplish, and become if he was committed to achieving it.

The question “ What do you want to be remembered for? Will induce you to renew yourself, the question makes you see yourself as the person you can become.”

“The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.” Barbara Kingsolver.

An excellent tool to help you clarify your purpose.

Describe the action you can see yourself doing for others

Choose the actions that best represent your personal calling and most excite you.

Acknowledge

“Our greatest strength as a human race is our ability to acknowledge our differences, our greatest weakness is our failure to embrace them.”

Educate

“You can educate a fool, but you cannot make him think”

Help

“Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are.”

“Other people may be there to help us, teach us, guide us along our path, but the lesson to be learned is always ours.”

Praise

“I asked God for strength that I might achieve. I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey. I asked for health that I might do greater things. I was given infirmity that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might be wise. I asked for power that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God. I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am, among all men, most richly blessed.”

Empower

“You can change your beliefs so they empower your dreams and desires. Create a strong belief in yourself and what you want.”

Improve

“First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst.”

Assist

“A true friend freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably.”

Encourage

“Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.”

Influence

“Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.”

Build

“What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.”

Inspire

“Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there.”

Remember

“Remember that happiness is a way of travel -- not a destination”

Communicate

“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.”

Entertain

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

Explore

“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and unwritten depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.”

Liberate

“The basic purpose of a liberal arts education is to liberate the human being to exercise his or her potential to the fullest.”

Serve

“The high destiny of the individual is to serve rather than to rule...”

Express

“It's easy to let life deteriorate into making a living instead of making a life. It's not the hours you put in, but what you out into the hours that count. Learn to express rather than impress. Expressing evokes a ''me too'' attitude while impressing evokes a ''so what'' attitude.”

Demonstrate

“I believe life is constantly testing us for our level of commitment, and life's greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never-ending commitment to act until they achieve. This level of resolve can move mountains, but it must be constant and consistent. As simplistic as this may sound, it is still the common denominator separating those who live their dreams from those who live in regret.”

Support

“There are nine requisites for contented living: HEALTH enough to make work a pleasure; WEALTH enough to support your needs; STRENGTH enough to battle with difficulties and forsake them; GRACE enough to confess your sins and overcome them; PATIENCE enough to toil until some good is accomplished; CHARITY enough to see some good in your neighbor; LOVE enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others; FAITH enough to make real the things of God; HOPE enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.”

Discover

“When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves.”

(Place yours…………)

Describe the type of person, organization, or cause you want to serve

Persons, Organizations, and Causes

Abuse

At-risk youth

Business professionals

Children

Child protection

Church

Community issue

Crime victims

Disadvantaged

Environment

Homeless

Life-threatening illness

Physically challenged

Poor

Poverty housing

Senior citizens

Youth

Describe the goal you want to co-create with that person, org. or cause

This goal should be a core value, ideal, or issue that is so important, you are willing to dedicate your time and resources to make it happen.

Acceptance

Self-confidence

Faith

Safety

Enjoyment

Leaving a legacy

Living responsibly

Achievement

Independence

Self-esteem

Freedom

Security

Love

Life to its fullest

Being the best

Self-sufficiency

Growth

Excellence

Making a contribution

Learning

Believing in themselves

Serving others

Once you determine where you’re headed and why, you could potentially save years of wasted time by not pursuing activities and vocations that offer little meaning and lack harmony with your true sense of purpose. Life is too short to spend it on anything less than meaningful activities.

Step 2: Integrate Purpose into Your Daily Life.

Once you have a clearly defined purpose, you now know where you focus your energies and efforts. Now you can begin to establish goals and make plans – goals and plans that serve your purpose and help create a life of greater meaning. Present and future goals should be evaluated by one criterion only: Do the goals serve your purpose?

Action: Identify one way you can integrate purpose into your life – through your job, business, or community. Commit yourself to taking action this week, soon, your goals will start taking shape and every aspect of your life will reflect and serve your purpose. When that happens, you will have a power to overcome obstacles that you have never experience before.

My purpose in life is to:( Place your comment.........)

Your Burnout Symptoms

Have you ever said, “I’m not as excited about my job as I used to be, and I don’t seem to be getting anywhere?” If so, that’s a possible sign of burnout. Have you ever asked, “Why am I always so tired?” or “What! Another staff meeting?” or “Who needs that client anyway?” These too, are possible sign of burnout. It sometimes become so advanced that it manifest physical symptoms such as insomnia, weight loss, headaches, backaches, nervousness and exhaustion. It can also reveal itself in behavioral patterns like absenteeism, less concern for clients, associates, and prospects, over reacting to criticism and rejection, or making snap decision about others based on limited knowledge. Left unchecked, this could lead to alcoholism, eating disorders, drug abuse, or marital and other relationship challenges.

Here are Ten Ways to Reverse the Feeling of Being Burned Out


1. Get adequate sleep and exercise daily.

2. Eat a balanced diet, maintain the proper weight, and take vitamins and food supplements.

3. Make positive use of your past and future.

4. Have something to look forward to.

5. Always be learning new.

6. Say no when asked to do things that are out of line with your dreams and goals.

7. Travel more and expand your network of friends.

8. Make a habit of dream building.

9. Set incremental, concrete goals, while keeping your plans flexible.

10. Regular associate with caring, supportive people who are where you want to be and can offer you advice and encouragement.



Do Your Best to Include Your Spouse – Ask for His or Her Support with Your Dreams and Goals

1. Use the fun/work vacation plan. By nature, positive producers often dislike vacations – it keeps them away from their beloved work! We need work the way an eagle needs to fly – we can’t stay away from it for very long. Still, we all need occasional short vacations and rest periods.

2. Let the money you earn benefit you both. Positive producers love to work, but as their financial picture brightens, they need to remember that they are also working to achieve dreams and goals – not only for themselves, but for their families as well.

3. Have frank discussion. Positive produces are single-minded, determined, and purposeful – but that doesn’t mean they’re always right. Evict your ego so you aren’t blinded to your faults. Listen, always be humble, accept responsibility for your behavior, and keep those conversational channels open. This goes a long way in creating and maintaining a happy marriage.

4. Use time-saving devices. Positive producers tend to put people on their own schedule rather than adapt to the schedules of others. This is egocentric/self-centered and arrogant, and reflects an attitude of “It’s all about me” – which is extremely ineffective in building a win-win marriage, or any kind of relationship for that matter.

5. Establish roles. Many positive producers assume they have to do everything themselves in order for things to be done right. But a perfectionist attitude can be extremely/tremendously offensive to a spouse. Instead, the positive producer needs to respect and encourage the spouse to handle that person’s share of the responsibilities.

6. Ask for business-related assistance. You know that old line that goes, “If you can’t beat them, join them” As a positive producer, you could reverse that adage and make it, “Since you can’t change my commitment to my business activities, then you might as well join me.” Be encouraged even if your spouse doesn’t want to help you with your business right now. He or she will most likely want to participate later as your attitude, enthusiasm, and success increase. Perhaps when your spouse observes how much fun you’re having, the new friends you’re making, and that you’re substantially increasing your income by doing it, this could be the catalyst for such a change.

7. Turn criticism into mutual appreciation. No one gets a free ride in life-especially entrepreneurs. As you achieve more success in your business, you will probably receive greater respect from your family. To encourage that, readily show the correlation between your positive productivity, your vision of a better life, and your ability to provide for your family. They might complain in the beginning, but keep persisting with what you know you need to do, and rewards will come for everyone.

8. Coordinate scheduling. Coordinate your calendar so you can make the best use of your time. The more you coordinate your schedule with your spouse’s, the more you’ll be able to continue your work – doing it together to whatever degree you can – and not be apart.

9. Give in - on both sides. Both the spouses and the positive producer (hopefully the spouse will become a positive producer as well!) need to develop mature love, which includes, among other things, patience, tolerance, respect, gratitude, a giving, positive frame of mind, flexibility, and appreciation for the other person. Before each comments about the other’s habits, attitudes, or behaviors, each need to do his or her best to understand the reasons behind such development.

Focus on arriving at a win-win situation rather than just criticizing and creating resentment/anger and a stand-off. Focus on establishing family peace rather than inciting a family debate that keeps the disagreement alive rather than resolving it. Agree to disagree on certain matters where agreeing isn’t essential for family harmony.

Success in business is of less value if you fail on the home front. But always do your utmost to be understanding of your spouse’s concerns, know what you’re working for and why, and stay focused.

“When you work to make your dreams come true, coupled with the noble and rewarding focus of reaching out and helping others, you are doing the right thing and working for the best reasons.”

“When our attitude is right about doing good work, as we build our business or career, and our actions reflect our attitude, our work is outstanding. A proper attitude, when habitual and fueled by our dreams, goals, or objectives is a natural incentive for a positive producer.”

How about you? Do you have the symptoms?
Share your experience...

Know Yourself

“Do you know who you are and the potential that lives inside of you, waiting to be released? We are all special, individualized beings capable of admirable accomplishment, and since we are born with the gifts of potential and desire, we need to discover and cultivate them. To know ourselves is to discover our desires and follow our dreams.” Dennis E. Hensley

“People who have a plan for guiding themselves and implement it discover, in the process, who they really are”

An Honest Self-Evaluation

Now let’s take a look at the A to Z of Attitudes & Behaviours that people often Respond to Negatively

Aggressiveness

“The most destructive element in the human mind is fear. Fear creates aggressiveness.”

Browbeating

“Hope is the word which God has written on the brow of every man.”

Cheating

“All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating, and mediocrity is easy. Stay away from easy.”

Disrespectfulness

“A child who is allowed to be disrespectful to his parents will not have true respect for anyone.”

Egotism/selfishness

“Egotism is nature's compensation for mediocrity.”
“Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.”

Flashiness/showiness

Grumbling/Irritable

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling (1 Peter 4:8-9).”

“There is a particular kind of pain, elation, loneliness, and terror involved in this kind of madness. When you're high it's tremendous. The ideas and feelings are fast and frequent like shooting stars...But, somewhere, this changes. The fast ideas are far too fast, and there are far too many; overwhelming confusion replaces clarity. Everything previously moving with the grain is now against-you are irritable, angry, frightened, uncontrollable...It will never end, for madness carves its own reality.”

Harassment

Inconsiderateness/coldness

“Let us not underestimate the privileges of the mediocre. As one climbs higher, life becomes ever harder; the coldness increases, responsibility increases.”

Jabbing

Kinkiness

Lateness

Morbidness

Negativity

“From the backstabbing co-worker to the meddling sister-in-law, you are in charge of how you react to the people and events in your life. You can either give negativity power over your life or you can choose happiness instead. Take control and choose to focus on what is important in your life. Those who cannot live fully often become destroyers of life.”

Over zealousness

“People are zealous for a cause when they are not quite positive that it is true”

Profanity/Blasphemy

“Profanity is the attempt of a lazy and feeble mind to express itself forcefully”

“But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”

Quarrelling/Arguing

“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”

“In quarreling the truth is always lost”

Reluctance/Unwillingness

“If you are reluctant to ask the way, you will be lost”

“The greatest difficulty with the world is not its ability to produce, but the unwillingness to share.”

Stupidity

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and consciencious stupidity.”

Talkativeness

“Labels are devices for saving talkative persons the trouble of thinking”

Unresponsiveness

“If human beings are perceived as potentials rather than problems, as possessing strengths instead of weaknesses, as unlimited rather that dull and unresponsive, then they thrive and grow to their capabilities.”

Vacillation/Hesitancy

“The greatest weakness of most humans is their hesitancy to tell others how much they love them while they're alive.”

“The percentage of mistakes in quick decisions is no greater than in long-drawn-out vacillation, and the effect of decisiveness itself 'makes things go' and creates confidence”

Whining/Humming

“Laugh at yourself and at life. Not in the spirit of derision or whining self-pity, but as a remedy, a miracle drug, that will ease your pain, cure your depression, and help you to put in perspective that seemingly terrible defeat and worry with laughter at your predicaments, thus freeing your mind to think clearly toward the solution that is certain to come. Never take yourself too seriously.”

Xenophobia (Fear or hatred of strangers)

Yelling

Zzzzz (Snoring)

“Why level downward to our dullest perception always, and praise that as common sense? The commonest sense is the sense of men asleep, which they express by snoring.”

Which of these attitudes and behaviours, if any, do you exhibit? Are there any others? Now get a sheet of paper and list them.

Rank Your Goals and Strength

Here are some personal goals as examples. Get a piece of paper and rank your personal goals according to their priorities.

• More time with family
• More travel
• Better health and fitness
• More overall accomplishment
• More business adventures
• More personal influence
• More leisure time
• More money
• Better social standing
• Early retirement
• Getting out of debt
• Financial freedom

List and rank your personal strengths related to business. Some of these may apply:

The Emotional You

“We must control our attitude instead of our attitude controlling us”

“Learn to use your emotion to think, not think with your emotions.”

In order to become more stable and more in control of our attitude and lives, we need to recognize the internal and external factors which cause us to generate certain emotional responses. Ask yourself why you responded in an inappropriate way. Consider the ten questions and write down as many responses as you can think of each one. Then, ask yourself, Now that I’ve recognized those emotional responses, what can I do to make use of them or control them? List those responses too.

• What sort of things do I get angry about?
• When did I last enjoy a hearty laugh?
• Am I ashamed to cry? Why?
• When frustrated or in a hurry, do I still communicate clearly?
• What situations do I find stressful?
• Am I generally optimistic or pessimistic?
• What triggers me to act with impatience?
• Do I have any nervous habits such as nail biting/freezing?
• In what circumstances do I feel secure or insecure? Why?
• When was the last time I had insomnia? What cause it?

“Getting to know yourself – no matter how challenging that maybe – is one of the most wonderful benefits in life”

Turning Negative into Positive

“Be open to the possibility of discovering negative factors about yourself, and use it to make a positive shift.”

Becoming Self-Motivated

“A motive is an urge within an individual that incites him or her to action. It is the hope or other force that moves the individual to produce specific result.”

Seven Key Elements for Turning Inaction into Action

1. Become aware of what your true desires are. 2. Get excited about and determined to obtain those desires. 3. Develop discipline in pursuing them step by step. 4. Upraise your enthusiasm and optimism about each of your achievements along the way. Show appreciation for any help you received. 5. See challenges as opportunities and be open to the possibilities they present. 6. Increase your confidence by becoming knowledgeable in your field. 7. Focus on becoming the successful person you’ve dreamed of becoming.

Make a list of what you need to do or do more of to spark yourself into action. Keep it in front of you.

The Hidden You

Answer the following questions. Do any patterns emerge? If so, what do they reveal about who you really are, what you really want, and how you need to proceed to get it?

1. If I had all my time and money challenges handled, what would I do? What hidden desires may I be ignoring? Who would I spend more time with? Where would I go? What would I buy?
2. What is my next simple action step to move forward to achieve my goals/dreams?
3. How happy am I really about what I am doing?
4. How might I be holding myself back and why? What excuses might I be making?
5. How can I give myself a sense of urgency to get moving? Do I realize that I am not going to live forever and that any procrastinating I may be doing is delaying my achievement of the better life I yearn for?
6. What tapes/CDs/videos/DVDs can help me?
7. What positive, uplifting, growth-encouraging books do I need to read to become a more positive producer?
8. What helpful skills and attitudes do I already have? Which ones do I need to develop?
9. What training sessions, seminars, conventions, opportunity meetings, product fairs, and other motivational, continuing education-type meetings and get-togethers do I need to attend?
10. Am I always taking notes, asking questions, and exhibiting an open, teachable attitude? If not, what do I need to do to get started?

“Do you know who you are, and do you realize the potential that lives inside of you just waiting to be released? We are all special, individualized beings, capable of admirable accomplishment, and since we are born with the gifts of potential and desire, we need to discover and cultivate them. To know ourselves is to discover our desires and follow our dreams.”

Respond to all questionnaires, guides and idea lists. Keep those responses in a special files and review them each month. See how you are changing, maturing and growing. Note the progress of any re-conceptualization goals you have set for yourself. Completely retest yourself every six months to discover any changes in your needs, opinions, and goals. In short keep in touch with yourself.