How to Discover Your Soul Purpose

Your soul has probably been trying to get your attention for some time.

When we finally awaken to an understanding of our soul's purpose, we look back and wonder how we could have been so unaware for so long. In reality, though, our soul was preparing and guiding us toward our mission.

Many of the clues to your purpose are sitting right where you can see them, even if you haven't yet recognized them for what they are. These clues are your education, training, jobs, volunteer work, and more specifically, the skills you have learned and the talents you possess. To remember your purpose, you'll want to pay attention to the areas that excite you the most. That's your soul jumping for joy as you venture closer and closer to what it knows - and you're beginning to see - and feel.

During your life you may have experienced turning points and "callings." Events that uplift you, even momentarily, from your day-to-day routine can be huge indicators of your greater purpose. So can your attitude and your degree of acceptance or rejection of these adventures and crises.

Another clue is those "soul memories" about your chosen mission that get triggered from time to time... when you read something or watch a movie scene that gives you goosebumps.

You'll find excerpts from my e-book below that helps you "trigger" soul memories about who you "really" are and what (in your deepest truth) you really love to do.

In my e-book "Living Your Real Life," I help you trigger "soul memories" about your chosen mission.

This is where we dig deeper for the "real" reasons you're here. Try not to prejudge or "left-brain" your replies when you read the words below. We're opening doors here and self-honesty is crucial to align the direction of your life with your unique purpose and contribution.

Essentially, you'll be "receiving" the memories stored in the subconscious and superconscious parts of your mind and bring them to the surface so you may ultimately act upon them.

To prepare, please make sure you're sitting quietly in a place where you will not be interrupted. Take a few deep cleansing breaths, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth... releasing any anxieties, worries or fears with each outgoing breath. Visualize breathing in clarity, inspiration and purpose to take the place of any stresses or negativities you may be feeling. Do this a few times until you feel relaxed and peaceful. You need to be in this peaceful state to hear what your Soul is telling you.

You'll start by choosing words that paint a picture of your Self. Circle or highlight the words that resonate, give you shivers, bring tears to your eyes or that feel warm and loving in your heart. If you stumble over a "should" word, test it again to see if it's real for you. Does it sing to your heart? These "singing" words are the ones you are looking for. Circle or highlight all the words that "feel" right.

(My e-book also includes a section on "I love to do...." in addition to these "I am" words below.

If you wish to, copy and paste this section so you can circle or highlight all the words that "feel" right. Add those words that "come to you" which are not already on the list. (My e-book has all this prepared for you. All you need is a pen and/or highlighter.)

The words that describe me best are:

I AM:

accurate
adaptable
adventurous
alternative
artistic
assertive
athletic
attractive
authoritative
bold
brave
broadminded
calm
caring
cautious
charismatic
comforting
compassionate
competent
complex
consistent
cooperative
courageous
creative
decisive
deliberate
dependable
determined
diplomatic
discreet
dynamic
elegant
energetic
entertaining
enthusiastic
experienced
expert
fair minded
flexible
fun
generous
gentle
gregarious
healing
helpful
hopeful
humble
humorous
independent
innovative
insightful
inspiring
instructive
intuitive
jovial
just
kind
knowledgeable
loving
loyal
mainstream
methodical
musical
objective
open
optimistic
original
outgoing
patient
peaceful
penetrating
perceptive
persistent
persuasive
pioneering
positive
practical
professional
prosperous
prophetic
psychic
quick-thinking
rational
realistic
reliable
reserved
resourceful
responsible
responsive
risk-taking
self-reliant
self-starting
sensitive
sophisticated
spontaneous
strong
strong-willed
supportive
tactful
thoughtful
thorough
tolerant
truthful
unique
unusual
versatile
vigorous
visionary
wise
Additional words that describe me:
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________

Action will be required of us to fulfill our purpose. What kinds of activities do you love to do? Which of these make time stand still for you? Which words excite you and feel right to you?

I LOVE TO...

accomplish
achieve
acquire
act
advance
advise
advocate
alleviate
analyze
appreciate
articulate
assemble
beautify
believe
bestow
blend
brighten
build
call
campaign
cater
choose
coach
collect
combine
command
communicate
compare
complete
compliment
compose
confirm
connect
construct
consult
cook
copy
counsel
create
critique
dance
debate
defend
deliver
demonstrate
design
develop
devise
diagnose
direct
discover
discuss
distribute
draft
draw
dream
drive
edit
educate
elect
elucidate
embrace
enchant
encourage
endow
engineer
enhance
enlighten
enlist
enliven
entertain
establish
evaluate
excel
excite
exercise
experiment
exploit
explore
express
fabricate
facilitate
fantasize
farm
feed
file
film
finance
fly
follow
forge
forgive
foster
found
fund
give
garden
garner
gather
generate
give
grant
guide
harmonize
heal
help
hold
host
identify
illuminate
illustrate
implement
improve
improvise
influence
initiate
innovate
inspire
integrate
interpret
involve
jest
judge
keep
know
labor
laugh
launch
lead
light
listen
love
magnify
make
manage
manufacture
marvel
master
measure
mediate
memorize
mentor
minister
model
mold
motivate
move
name
navigate
negotiate
nurture
open
operate
organize
overcome
paint
parent
participate
perform
persevere
persuade
photograph
pioneer
plan
plant
play
practice
praise
prepare
present
produce
progress
promote
provide
ratify
read
realize
reason
receive
record
recruit
reduce
refer
refine
reflect
reform
relate
remember
renew
renovate
repair
represent
research
resolve
respect
restore
return
reveal
revise
run
sacrifice
safeguard
sail
salvage
satisfy
save
search
select
sell
sense
serve
sew
shape
share
sharpen
simplify
sing
solidify
speak
stand
summon
supervise
supplement
support
surrender
sustain
systematize
take
talk
teach
testify
tinker
touch
toughen
trade
train
transform
translate
travel
turn
tutor
understand
undo
use
utilize
vacate
validate
value
venture
verbalize
vindicate
visualize
vocalize
volunteer
wait
walk
wander
win
work
worship
write
yield
What other words came to you that aren't on this list? They could be clues to your purpose... especially if you felt an inner flutter or an easing of tension about your future.

What if you currently live a very comfortable lifestyle and you have a lot of assets? How can you justify running off to do what truly makes you happy if it might put all your current assets at risk?

Here's my take on this...

To abandon a comfortable lifestyle that isn't deeply fulfilling is to abandon nothing. There's nothing of real substance there to protect. An income, a car, a house, or a lifestyle are not worth protecting if the cost of such protection is your own fulfillment and happiness. People who achieve some of the external trappings of success without internal fulfillment are only living an illusion when they tell themselves they have something of value to protect. In most cases the feeling that there's something to protect is just an excuse used to avoid facing the real fear - that maybe all this stuff isn't really worth anything compared to what's being lost... that maybe I should be living more boldly and not be so concerned about what happens to all my stuff.

I currently have some material stuff in my life. I have a business, computers, a car that's fully paid for, and my wife and I are closing escrow on a new home we've bought. But that's all just stuff. It doesn't matter. It doesn't have any real value. I'd gladly give it all up and live in a shack if that was the price I'd have to pay to live my mission. I want my life to have had more value than just acquiring stuff and living comfortably. I may die rich, or I may die broke. But I won't die with my music still in me.

After all, why are we here? Is it to acquire stuff, live a comfortable lifestyle, make our families as comfortable as possible, and then die? Whether there's an afterlife or not, one thing is clear - we can't take any of that stuff with us. Our comfortable lifestyle has no power to endure.

And here's the worst part. While you're working so hard to acquire and protect all that stuff, you could die unexpectedly. You might die today. You might die tomorrow. Maybe you won't die for another 70 years. Maybe your consciousness will be transferred into an android body a few decades from now, but you could still be destroyed in an accident, even if you make a backup of yourself. At least in the present, you're still vulnerable. Death happens to people every day. 150,000+ people died from the quake and tsunami in Southeast Asia. How many of them knew at the beginning of December 2004 that they only had a few weeks left to live? And look what happened to all the stuff those people acquired - destroyed. Fisherman or tourist - it doesn't matter. We all end up the same way.

So what is the point of a life dedicated to the acquisition and protection of stuff? All of your money and possessions can be taken away from you by forces outside your control. No matter how many asset protection techniques you apply, you can never guarantee full security of your stuff. It's perpetually vulnerable. There can be no true security then in a life based on the acquisition and protection of stuff.

So what have you got to lose? What are you truly risking if you go after your dreams? If your current lifestyle is unfulfilling, then you're starting broke, no matter how much money you have. It doesn't matter if you start with $0 or $1 million. You have nothing to lose either way. Money and material assets are just resources to use while you're here - you can't take them with you. You're only a temporary steward of the money and possessions that pass through your life. So when you risk money, you don't risk anything of any enduring value. Earn money, lose money, invest money. But don't make material objects more important than your own fulfillment and happiness.

If you're sitting behind a desk working at a job you hate in order to protect your current lifestyle, you are protecting nothing. Isn't there a part of you, deep inside, that wants to just walk away from all of that junk and start really living? Can you feel how empty and hollow your days are, how devoid of meaning? Have you forgotten what it's like to really live a day that fulfills you deeply as a human being? Look around your home at all your stuff. Recognize that in the long run, it will all eventually end up as dust. None of it will endure. It's all temporary. Your house will eventually crumble. Your car will wind up in a junkyard. You cannot permanently keep any of this stuff. Eventually you're going to lose it all. Or it will lose you.

So what kind of life is that - one that's dedicated to the guarding of dust? Is that what you want your life to be about? If you feel there's any purpose to your existence as a human being, then is this it?

Life is just too precious to waste. If you are spending your days working at a job that isn't deeply fulfilling to you, then you're spending your days guarding dust. There's no real value there. Stuff cannot fulfill you. Ultimately it will only distract you from living on purpose.

What does it mean to really live? Deep down, you already have a sense of the direction where this answer lies for you. Ultimately, it's a choice. You're totally free to live the kind of life you want. But you'll know you're really living when you would live pretty much the same way even if you knew you only had 18 months left. If you would make some big changes in your life upon learning that you only had 18 months to live, then why not make those changes now? Someone reading this blog entry probably has less than 18 months to live. Maybe it's you.

Live for what is real to you. Live for what truly matters to you.

What matters to me- what is real to me - is inspiring and helping people. Directly or indirectly, whenever I'm able to help someone solve a really tough problem or to motivate someone to finally push past a big obstacle, that is something I find tremendously fulfilling. And the fulfillment I get from doing this is so great that it trumps all the external stuff. It doesn't matter how much money I make. It doesn't matter if people reject my ideas or poke fun at what I enjoy doing. This (blog) entry may be read by over 1000 people, but it may be such that the ideas within are only able to help one person in a very small way. The other 999 may conclude I'm nuts and unsubscribe. And that's fine. It's that one person I'm writing for.

But at the same time, starting from the point of spending each day doing something that fulfills me, I'm building this work into a business that can support and sustain me and my family. This will ultimately include paid speaking engagements, and information products like books and audio programs. So I'm starting with doing what I love and building it into a source of income. The more money the business generates, the more people I'm ultimately able to reach. So making money is aligned with my own personal fulfillment - they aren't at odds with each other. If you do what you love, then you can surely find a way to turn it into an income stream - then the more money you make, the more you expand your capacity to continue doing what you love in bigger and bigger ways.

Taking what you love to do and turning it into a source of income, either as an employee or an entrepreneur, seems hard to resist. If you're going to spend so much time working to make money, why not make that money in the pursuit of your dreams instead of in the protection of dust?

What does your current to do list look like? Is it filled with tasks that aren't even real to you? Are you typing stuff that doesn't matter, going to soulless meetings, shuffling papers and filling out forms to appease computers, while sitting in a Dilbert-style cage all day? Why do you continue to choose that life each day? You're always free to stop at any time. You make the rules.

What percentage of the tasks on your to do list will fulfill you deeply to do them? What kind of to do list would be real to you? What items might it contain? Compose a new piece of music. Write something inspiring and share it with others. Give your spouse a massage. Exercise. Play with your kids. Make a snowman in Las Vegas. Clear out some clutter. Read a really great book. Audition for a local play. Start your own business. Tell your boss, "Talk to the hand. I don't do soulless work anymore." Do something that leaves you feeling at the end of the day that you really contributed the best of yourself. Don't die with your music still in you.

(This article is published copyright-free, with my extreme gratitude to Steve Pavlina.)

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."
-- Frederick Buechner

"A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience."
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes

"You have to trust your inner knowing. If you have a clear mind and an open heart, you won't have to search for direction. Direction will come to you."
-- Phil Jackson

"The blueprint for your true work here on Earth already exists within you."
-- Ken Carey

"Each man has his own vocation. The talent is the call. There is one direction in which all space is open to him... He is like a ship in a river; he runs against obstructions on every side but one; on that side all obstruction is taken away, and he sweeps serenely over a deepening channel into an infinite sea."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

How's your vision been lately?

And no, I'm not suggesting you see an eye doctor. I'm asking about the vision you have for your business. And whether the passion you once held for this vision stills rings true for you.

Every business in the world came into being for the contribution it could somehow make to others. My company, New Radiance, originated with a desire to illuminate the work being done by the body-mind-spirit community in Florida.

Over the past 15 years, the vision for my business has evolved and expanded to where it now stands for "evolving business consciousness" - not just changing how we view business and do business, but drawing forth the soul of the business itself to operate at the highest potential and purpose its owners and participants are capable of.

In a small or home-based business, that's basically you and me we're talking about.

So the care of the corporate soul rests a lot on the level of our personal vision and passion.

What was your intention, when you first decided to hang out your shingle announcing your entry into the business world? Does your original vision still appear vividly in your mind, and does your passion for your work blaze brightly in your heart?

Or are you now just putting in time?

Perhaps, like me, your vision grew bigger and altered shape somewhat. In these fast-moving times, that's often needed, if we want to stay attuned to our life's higher purpose.

How fulfilled do you feel at the end of the day? Do you start your day knowing that the work you do is world-changing or life-altering? Does your work "feel like home?"

I'm a big advocate of business niches. The word "niche" comes from the French verb "nicher" - to nest. Our soul knows where home is.

Our corporate soul - the soul imbued in our business by its visioneers and passionate participants - knows what feels right.

If sales slow down, do you do more of the same old, same old to get things going? Or do you get out your imaginary stethoscope and take the pulse of your business vision? If the old vision still feels true, then it's just a matter of re-enthusing yourself and others. But it may also be time for re-imagining the focus of your business.

As we grow personally in understanding and awareness, we may need to stretch our business vision as well. Sometimes, in a partnership or larger company, however, certain individuals can inhibit the full expression of company soul.

A top-down management memo isn't going to resolve this situation, either. The people involved will need to search their own souls for solutions for the highest good of the "group soul." As we evolve business consciousness, we'll figure out more win-win scenarios for resolving energetic anomalies within our companies.

See if you can connect energetically with the soul of your own business.

Breathe... Relax... And connect with your feelings to the essence of the business you created. Does it feel vibrant and alive or diminished and confused?

If it needs reviving, are you the person with passion and vision to do it? Or are you ready to sell or terminate that business and move on to something you are passionate about?

Clients feel energy too, you know. They can tell a depleted business from one that's full of life. And, believe me, they choose life every time.