“Try not to be a man of success, try to be a man of value”
Albert Einstein.
Presence
Your ability to be aware of your presence in any situation or circumstances is inextricably tied to your ability to ‘simply be’. To be free to focus totally on what is going on within you, in front of you and around you, an acceptance of your space, being aware of an ending of one thing and a beginning of the next.
‘Presence’ begins with the discovery of your individual purpose, not the purpose of your business, company or organisation, but your individual purpose.
Finding Your Purpose
Finding your purpose can prove to be challenging, perhaps it evolves as we grow through each of our life phases. Not only is purpose scaled by the phases of our lives but also by our present roles responsibilities and maturity.
However ‘purpose’ is only realised through getting to know the authentic self .Not accepting the conscious reality that is presented, but rather being aware of the unconscious building blocks that have contributed to our experiences. Experiences that have caused deep reflection forcing the questions of who am I? What do I stand for? Why do I what I do, and for what purpose?
The ability to answer these questions requires us to examine our values. By reflecting on our stories our narrative, our true values emerges from the beliefs and convictions that had been tested under pressure, within these narratives. It is here we learnt what was truly important from our experiences. It is here that we emerge stronger and surer of our purpose. Such stories are a reliable indicator and predictor of our ability to find meaning in such events positive or negative.
Richard Leider, founder of the Purpose Project, author and a top executive coach. With over 30 years of researching ‘purpose’ believes to find purpose is misleading because it’s not something you go out to “get” but rather something we need to turn within and “unlock” and its power determined by its maturity and its inner growth over time.
Where is the Key to Unlock Purpose? (Richard Leider)
Well here are clues to unlocking ‘purpose’, ask yourself the following questions
• Why do I get up in the morning?
• What do I truly love to do?
• What do I feel passionate about & are important to my way of being?
What is Purpose?
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary : Purpose, is the reason why something is done or used : the aim or intention of something. The feeling of being determined to achieve something. .
Why Do We Need a Sense PURPOSE?
Without it we become more vulnerable to anxiety, depression and more susceptible to addictive behaviour and habits. The powerful positive affect of having a strong sense of purpose means engagement with working towards our purpose, less likely to experience unease because our mind and energies are immersed in achieving the purpose rather than being occupied with ‘mind chatter” which often triggers negative thoughts and feelings. Aligning ourselves to our purpose often makes us less self centered, allows us to feel a part of something bigger and external to ourselves making us focus less on our own worries and anxieties.
This alignment can bring about the experience Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi refers to as being in ‘flow’ a powerful source of wellbeing that causes us to feel happy!
Discovery of your individual purpose brings with it a self awareness, a self regulation hence an existential ‘presence’ in the here and now. Take your first steps of action Just click below for a special introductory offer.
An investment in time and energy, to pursue a purpose will require mobilization’ this catalyst is called ‘passion’ the subject of my next blog