The Universe Dreams Through You

You are here for a unique, distinct reason 鈥� it is your calling, your purpose and it is something that ONLY you can do. No one else has the make-up of your gifts, talents, experiences, skills and world view 鈥� only you. No one else can make your contribution for you. Your greatness waits for you to claim it, because you are the only one with the secret combination to unlock and actualize your potential.

There are reasons for this, and while they may not make sense to you as you fumble around in life trying to figure it out, there is a universal rhythm to discovering, understanding and manifesting your life purpose. The simplest reason is this: the universe dreams through you.

Through our connection with universal source energy, and as a physical representation of it on this plane, it is up to us to live out the dreams of the universe. It is truly a miracle that the universe can contain a piece of itself in each of us 鈥� that includes you. By doing so, the universe is 鈥渟eeding鈥� itself to have exponential experiences to gain more for its / our collective consciousness.

Think about it this way鈥� as you sleep, you often dream, right? As you dream, you find yourself in interesting places, having journeys and adventures and meeting new people. Sometimes you find that those things actually play out in your life. The universe is the same way 鈥� we had to get this from somewhere, right?

The universe dreams about interesting adventures, journeys and connections鈥� it explores the very edge of what we consider the cosmos while actually containing all of the cosmos. It sets up the creational conditions for limitless possibilities. But the universe needs physical matter to carry out its dreams鈥� through you, the universe lives.

By seeking your higher purpose, you are seeking to reconnect with source energy. By understanding your calling, you are taking responsibility for your part in life鈥檚 universal rhythm. By expressing your life purpose, you are validating the dreams of the universe and fulfilling your agreement for being here.

It really is up to you to make the most of everything you鈥檝e got right here, right now. If you don鈥檛 yet see what you鈥檙e supposed to be doing, look for your signs 鈥� messages from the universe. If you don鈥檛 know how to translate those messages, work with a mentor to help you, just like you would if you needed to learn a new language.

One more thing: even though you living out your highest purpose is significant, meaningful and makes a difference, it doesn鈥檛 have to be 鈥渂ig鈥�. There is only one Mother Theresa, only one Bill Gates鈥� you are here to be YOU. Maybe you will be the next household name鈥� and maybe your name will make the biggest difference in your own household.

Whatever it is, you鈥檙e the living manifestation of the universe鈥檚 dream鈥� with that kind of power behind / in you, you CAN do what you鈥檙e here to do. So live your calling, your purpose, your dreams鈥� starting right now.

Mining Your Soul For Gold

Everything that you are seeking right now is already within you. That鈥檚 a big statement but it鈥檚 based on my belief that we are here as a physical representation of Divine energy. That is, the Universe lives through each of us, and that (naturally enough) includes living through you.

When you recognize that you are special, that there is no one else like you, and that it is only through you that your particular light energy will ever shine for all of our collective benefit, something magical happens. You realize that if you live with your brakes on, if you turn down your light so someone else won鈥檛 feel bad, if you 鈥榯ake more鈥� because you can and so you think you should, you are cheating not only yourself but the Universe from full expression. You allowing the gold (or platinum or titanium or whatever) of your soul to shine is your gift and it鈥檚 your responsibility. That鈥檚 why you are here.

Some people refer to that as knowing your calling, others as knowing your purpose, and still others name it living your truth. Whatever you want to call it, the concept remains鈥� you are a light being with a particular frequency that is completely unique, and it is your essential animation, or life force energy, that makes it shine.

Further, you get to choose how you want to direct it in this lifetime. By mining that which you already are, you get to choose what you want to share with the world in alignment with your values. And it鈥檚 the path to personal fulfillment as a soul-driven entrepreneur when you channel that energy into your business.

Three Things You Can Do Today:

1. 聽Look for what shines for you. You may already know what makes your cells sing鈥� from helping other people recognize their gifts to organizing to having interesting conversations to creating connections to conquering technology. Whatever your 鈥榞old鈥� is, if it already shines for you, it鈥檚 time to refine and share it with the world.

2. 聽Mine the deepest, darkest part of you. Often in the darkest corner, the most compressed shadow place is what you have put aside as your greatest weakness. It鈥檚 that very part of you that can be your greatest strength. For example, if you feel like your creativity is stuck or doesn鈥檛 express, it could be your invitation to help others learn to express their creativity. If you feel the pain of isolation or abandonment, it could be your invitation to help people connect more fully to themselves and each other. You can take your darkness into the light.

3. 聽Think about who will benefit from your gold. The people that will resonate with your gold are the people whose lives will be changed. There is no need to sacrifice your gold for the lowest bidder; rather, it is through you sharing in some reciprocal agreement (in the case of business, it鈥檚 usually money) that you express your sacred purpose and others benefit. It鈥檚 a win-win scenario.

Go within and find the riches for the sake of not only yourself, but the rest of us who will benefit by you sharing your gold.

3 Questions To Hear Your Soul

There is an emerging 鈥榠dea bank鈥� behind the 鈥榥ew鈥� models of successful entrepreneuring, and this idea bank includes such concepts as:

* Be who you are to be successful.

* Live from your passion.

* Risk taking what matters to you and share it with the world.

That鈥檚 all well and good, but how can you tell when you are living into those qualities?

Easy鈥� when you are pulling the power of your soul through everything you do, including your business.

Here are three questions to help you hear your soul鈥檚 message:

1. What would you (Universe, Source, Higher Power, etc.) have me do?

2. How do I feel about what I am doing in this moment?

3. Am I now best using what is available to me (time, energy and resources) to live my purpose?

The answers to these questions are your soul guiding you to what will bring you to your next best level.

Resistance and Resilience Reflect Each Other

Resistance is what we experience when we鈥檙e getting ready to do something that goes beyond what we know, expect or find familiar. It鈥檚 the thing that makes us have bad hair days, get paper cuts, drop the coffee, run late or lose the phone when we鈥檙e about to make big change. The ironic thing about it is that resistance shows up even when we actually want the change to happen.

One of the most apt descriptions I鈥檝e found in working with my clients to overcome their resistance is to have them think about getting in the car to drive somewhere. I ask them if they actually get in the vehicle when they want to go somewhere. Naturally, they think I鈥檓 crazy and say yes, of course. I point out that they don鈥檛 know what they鈥檙e going to encounter along the way鈥� they might discover a boulder in the road, a detour, an accident or a tree across the road. Does that sway them from getting in the car? And they say no, they would get in and go anyway.

Which leads me to my next question for them鈥� why would they get into a vehicle that is thousands of pounds and could be quite dangerous for themselves and others if they don鈥檛 know what they will encounter in the physical world as they drive it? Now they鈥檙e really confused. Until I point out that it鈥檚 their natural resilience, their trust in their ability to handle what comes up as they drive. And that鈥檚 the key teaching here.

What are you not trusting yourself about, so much so that you鈥檙e not willing to go beyond where you鈥檝e already been? Where are you holding yourself back from growing just because you don鈥檛 know what you might find? What detours do you believe yourself incapable of handling in life? When is the last time you learned that you could handle something new? And what does that mean for you now in thinking about new opportunities that are presenting to you daily?

Resistance is a message that you are about to grow beyond your comfort zone. And resilience is knowing that you can handle whatever comes up. It鈥檚 nearly impossible to not grow when you see that having the quality of resilience is natural in many parts of your life already. Now use it to handle your resistance and grow to your next best level.

Opening Up To The Big Change Within

鈥淐hange, when it comes, cracks everything open.鈥� ~ Dorothy Allison

If you stop and think about it, life moves in cycles. There are seasons to pretty much everything. Sometimes they are predictable in their shifts, like the seasons or waves coming to shore or the migration of geese but usually the biggest shifts happen when we least expect it, even 鈥� or maybe especially 鈥� when we know they are going to happen.

For example, you know that endings, which might be the death of a situation, circumstance, or relationship, are essential for a number of reasons. The reasons you give those endings might range from 鈥渋t鈥檚 run its course鈥� to 鈥渋t鈥檚 time for change鈥� to 鈥渢here is a bigger picture here鈥�, or a myriad of other substantiations for the ending that is occurring. And while all are some sort of rationale for the experience, each of them gives a sense that there is something new coming in鈥 new beginning of some sort. It is only through the ending of what was that the new can come into being; however, knowing that doesn鈥檛 always make the transition any easier.

What may people may not realize is that the change that is occurring through the endings and beginnings in the physical world is actually a reflection of their own inner state. That is, change that occurs within has no other consequence than to express in an outer form, in a physical representation of what occurred inside that person.

Consider how that has shown up for you in your life鈥aybe you were waiting to hear from someone who owed you money but it was only when you stopped thinking about that with anger that the check showed up in the mail. Maybe you had a misunderstanding with a family member and it was when you felt the forgiveness in your heart that the phone rang with their call. Maybe things didn鈥檛 flow in your world how you wanted them to and you channeled the frustration energy into cleaning your office and suddenly the world started working with you for a change鈥�

All of these examples represent that your inner experience impacts your outer world. You didn鈥檛 do anything different on the outside to create a new result 鈥� it was your inner relationship with awareness that made the new situation possible in the outer world. And for a soul-driven entrepreneur, knowing that can make all the difference in the degree of success you enjoy with and through your business.

Three Things You Can Do Today:

1. Everything counts. And nothing is the same when you understand that concept. Another way I鈥檝e heard it is 鈥渉ow do you do anything is how you do everything鈥� 鈥� wow. Talk about being accountable鈥he universe is noticing who you鈥檙e being when nobody is looking and THAT is the foundation that you are creating from in your business. We soul-driven types have taken on the higher vibration path of distilling who we are and the innate gifts we have in service to the world 鈥� no small charge 鈥� and that gives everything we do a little extra 鈥渒a-pow鈥� factor in every way. There is just no escaping that鈥�(hmmm鈥ome 鈥渒a-pow karma鈥� anyone???)

2. You are responsible for your creations. You are the only one inside you, as an expression of universal energy on the physical level; you are the only one who CAN be responsible for what you鈥檙e creating. In The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, there is a memorable passage: 鈥楳en have forgotten this truth,鈥� said the fox. 鈥楤ut you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.鈥� And it is only by 鈥榦wning鈥� what you have already created that you give yourself the power to create something new going forward.

3. Bigger physical results require even bigger inner changes. By asking for or wanting bigger results in the physical world, you are asking your spirit to bring you the inner experiences necessary to achieve that. The old adage 鈥榖e careful what you ask for鈥� is something to consider, because you are setting yourself up to clear out whatever is in the way energetically to have what you want.

Remember that the biggest changes can only occur from the inside out鈥o when it鈥檚 time to create something new, go to where it really matters to make it happen.

What鈥檚 Your Next Big Leap?

鈥淥nce you begin to understand, really understand, how your thoughts create inner reality, and how that reality spills into your world through your words and your deeds, then you are on your way to transforming them, and yourself. In order to live a life of material and spiritual abundance, everything about you must be in harmony.鈥� ~ Suze Orman

I look at leaping a lot. Every day, as I work with clients who want something more, something different, something new in their lives and businesses, I see the leaps that are just waiting for people.

Sometimes people can see their own leaps, which makes their hearts pound and their cells sing when they recognize what life can be after they hurl themselves into whatever is needed to get to the other side. Sometimes people know there鈥檚 a leap waiting for them, but they鈥檙e not sure of what that means or what difference it would make if they took the leap 鈥� they want the 鈥渓eap guarantee鈥� before doing it. And then there are the 鈥渓eap-less鈥� types, who either can鈥檛 or won鈥檛 look at the possibilities of what could be different in their lives. I don鈥檛 see too many of them.

Anyway, big change takes big leaps, and big leaps usually happen all at once. I鈥檓 talking about the really big leaps 鈥� the shift in your head, the commitment in your body, the knowingness that comes from that deep, inner place. It鈥檚 possible to have a series of smaller jumps that pull you just outside your comfort zone, but that鈥檚 not technically a leap. I forget where I heard it, but someone said 鈥測ou can鈥檛 cross a chasm in two jumps鈥�. See the difference between a leap and a jump?

So, as Suze Orman says (above), when you start owning your ability to create by being in alignment with who you are in every way, you are ready for some big leaping. Look at it this way 鈥� until you get rid of the baggage that鈥檚 holding you back, you might want to leap, but you鈥檒l either leap to a place you don鈥檛 really want to go OR you鈥檒l leap but find yourself practically glued to the ground OR you鈥檒l take two jumps to cross the chasm. That one hurts.

Three Things You Can Do Today:

1. Get rid of what鈥檚 not yours. This is the absolute priority, because it鈥檚 what holds most of us back. We鈥檙e so busy carrying stuff that doesn鈥檛 belong to us, or that isn鈥檛 truly who we are, or that reflects what we think we 鈥渟hould鈥� do/be/have because of someone else, that we are at least weighed down and, worse, paralyzed. This is decluttering at the highest level. I鈥檓 talkin鈥� relationships, habits, routines, careers, false obligations, shoulds 鈥� anything that is sabotaging leaping in your life or your business.

2. Listen to your cells sing. Your body will tell you where your next big leap is waiting. And if it鈥檚 been awhile, to refresh your memory, think about the last time you felt really, really happy 鈥� re-live that happy hum, that feeling of lightness, that natural ebullience that makes you want to giggle. THAT is your cells singing 鈥� and it鈥檚 what you鈥檒l experience when you stop to consider the landing place of, well, your next big leap. (Does that mean it will be easy to get there? No. But it can be simple鈥�)

3. Break 鈥渢he rules鈥� of where you鈥檝e been. After all, whatever you鈥檝e been living has outlived its usefulness, or you wouldn鈥檛 still be reading. Figure out where you鈥檝e been living between the lines and bust out of them. One of my clients is learning that she doesn鈥檛 have to accept whatever comes her way, and that her biggest leap might be to actually say what she wants from her mate. A 鈥渞ule鈥� is what you鈥檝e lived by to get to this point, whether it鈥檚 actually a rule or you just said so. So, as Cher said, 鈥淪nap out of it!鈥�.

Wild and Precious

Way back when, I read a bumper sticker that said “Life is not a dress rehearsal 鈥� this is it!”鈥� something along those lines, and it stuck with me. From early on, I knew I didn’t want to waste my time, that I wanted what I did to have meaning and to change the world in my specialness. I’m fortunate enough now to have that opportunity, and part of my opportunity is to guide others to theirs.

You are unique, in all of creation, because there is no one exactly like you. Yeah, yeah鈥� whatever鈥� people have reactions to that statement that range from shy to incredulous to apathetic and non-committal. But when a person realizes that they have the power to be / do / have something that cannot exist in any other way without them, THEN that person begins to realize how sacred their life is every single day.

When that “light bulb” moment strikes, a person is forever changed. The realization that today is right here, right now, that that particular person is the only person accountable for the state of their life, and that their spirit has chosen to express itself in this lifetime, in this body, in this circumstance and for specific lessons and a particular purpose鈥ell, this realization becomes the tipping point moment of their life. They no longer waste time in lower vibration activities, distractions, trivialities鈥� in other words, the small stuff. It just doesn’t matter anymore.

One of my clients had her breakthrough moment just in the last 24 hours. She is, admittedly, currently in a tough spot with her marriage, career, finances, confronting her past, accepting her gifts 鈥� you name it, and she’s pretty much had to face it in the last week. In having the courage to have a major meltdown, she began to realize the greater purpose of all this darkness that has manifested in her life. She saw that by knowing this darkness so intimately, she is uniquely positioned to help other people get through their dark nights of the soul. She saw that her empathic sensitivities positions her uniquely to work with other people for whom the veil is thinnest, to help them be in this human, complex world. And she saw that her purpose is so important that she can’t let the challenges in her current world hold her back. She had her “light bulb” moment in such a way that the darkness that was is no more. She now knows what she’s doing with her wild and precious life. More importantly, she’s moving forward in the embrace of her spirit.

If you haven’t had your tipping point “light bulb” moment, and yet don’t know what you are doing with your one and only wild and precious life, it’s time. Right now.

3 Things You Can Do Today:

1. Look at your environment. Your environment is everything around you 鈥� physical space, relationships, thoughts, ideas, books you read, movies you watch. Your environment is your external body, and is a reflection of your inner world. If you don’t like what you are seeing, or if there is something that you’ve been avoiding, your spirit is likely stagnant (best case) or dying (worst case). Your environment is your mirror, and must be cleaned up, addressed, put right. After all, if you have a sick fish, do you treat the fish or do you treat the water?

2. Consider your values. This is a simple but illuminating exercise. Write down what you value most in yourself and your world. Aim for the top ten, and, when you have them, on the left side of your list, rank them in 1 鈥� 10 priority order of importance (one being most important). When you’ve completed that, take a little break and come back to this list. Now, on the right hand side, number them in order of how they are actually showing up in your world. Finally, look at the differences. For example, if you most value love as the number one priority, but it’s showing up as a real value ten, you’ve got an alignment issue. Either you have different values and priorities than you believe, or you have an opportunity to create more of what you want in your world.

3. Look at your passions. What makes you feel alive? What do you get most excited about? What makes you animated when you talk to somebody else? What would you do even if you weren’t being paid for it? What is in your mind’s eye that you would love to do if money were no issue? I read another online story that made the rounds in email 鈥� something about a guy who grew up in a fishing village going to get an education and work his way up in jobs so that he could afford to spend all of his time fishing. Doesn’t make sense to do all that running around, does it? Look at what stirs your spirit and do more of it.

This is your wild and precious life. No one else can, nor should they, live it for you. Make it shiny and bright and exactly what you want 鈥� right now.

Where Does Courage Live?

Courage is something that people talk about but they don’t necessarily know when they’re doing it. And the reason for that is because in that moment, the one requiring courage, they aren’t aware that they need to exhibit it; rather, they’re busy being courageous.

Every day living requires great courage; after all, we chose to be here in the first place 鈥� the first act of unsung heroism. We’re the lucky ones, as we work out the lessons of Earth School. Our corporeal form that is the physical expression of divine cosmic energy helps us to take quantum leaps in our spiritual evolution. Here is where we are most tested for our ability to have resilience and take action in the face of sometimes daunting odds to experience and have more of what we want in our lives. And that means taking a deep breath and going beyond our comfort zone if we’re doing it right.

So what are some of the greatest acts of bravery that occur regularly that we overlook in their commonality? Maybe you’ll recognize yourself (and the people around you) in the following five heroic, audacious and maybe even flagrant acts of everyday courage.

Saying What Needs To Be Said

By voicing the truth, even when you don’t know what the response will be OR if you know it will be challenging, you are being the hero of the other person to help them learn and grow and, at the very least, you are honoring your spirit by giving it voice. Sometimes it seems easier to hold back, to not say something this time, to wish that they would just “get” it. But, in actuality, this kind of thinking is full-on sabotage. You’re not showing up authentically, which doesn’t allow them to be authentic with you. If you’re waiting to say something that needs to be said, you’re actually hurting your relationship and your own self-worth in that relationship.
This, by the by, goes hand-in-hand with authentic listening, where you are allowing the fullness of communication to pass without mental comment as the other person is still talking. If you’ve formulated a response before they’ve finished, you’re creating projections and assumptions and you’re the one who is missing out on something. Give yourself, and the other person, the honor of sharing the robust truth as you know it in the moment by attending to their communication and saying what needs to be said.

Taking Action When You’re Not Ready

When you don’t feel ready to follow through on something, don’t know how to do it, don’t feel like you have the resources or support to get it done, it’s not perfectly ready yet or you don’t know that it will turn out the way you want with any degree of certainty and you do it anyway, you’re operating from a different level of awareness. This happens for any number of reasons, like you feel you have no other option (the moving truck arrives tomorrow so you better be ready!), people are counting on you (to make a powerful presentation), or your bank account says it’s time to generate some cash (and you magically find a way to make that happen). Whatever the motivator, whenever it is stronger than the resistance to change, you find yourself taking action and transcending obstacles, barriers and things that could keep you stuck somehow. There are times when this means trying something again when you have to scrape yourself up to do it, knowing that the first time didn’t go so well. Doing what you can in each moment with whatever you have to work with is an act of courage worthy of big merit (although that may not come from others, since you are the judge of how much courage is needed proportionate to the circumstances!).

Living From Your Passion

There are a lot of people talking about their passion, their purpose and their power in creating an amazing life someday, but how many people actually do it? Letting go of the familiar status quo to pursue a life based on what feels good to your heart and spirit is still not the ‘norm’鈥� taking risks is encouraged but not if they’re too risky (people who love you will want to protect you and be risk-averse for you). By being a non-conformist, striking out on your own into the unknown (scary enough by itself) and doing it your way (which tends to be unpopular with groups), you are jeopardizing your status in your ‘tribe’. If you risk it and don’t make it, you could be abandoned or exiled, and if you do make it, you aren’t likely to go back to where you were because you’ve outgrown it. Either way, living from your passion is one of the fastest paths to extreme personal development. You are certain to attract new relationships that are in vibrational accord with your new way of being, which, in turn, can kick off adventures that you can’t even imagine that require courage on multiple levels.

Confronting Yourself

The inner journey is one that, to be done well, insists that you go deep, give up what feels routine and might upset the people in your known systems of support. By confronting the darkest parts of yourself, coming to grips with your gremlins and dancing with your shadow side, you are potentially seeking adversity with the goal of being whole in the end. People talk about as one door closes another opens, but nobody really talks about the long hallways in the middle鈥� those corridors can test the mettle of even the most seemingly together person. By feeling the fear of what you might find within and staying in action, you are taking the most significant ‘hero’s’ journey you could possibly undertake. But it’s also one of the sources of greatest life achievement and contentment. To thine own self be true鈥� and that includes all your parts.

Owning Your Life

You are the creator of your life experience, through and through. It would be nice to pick and choose what parts you created, wouldn’t it? You could just pick the birthday parties, job promotions and fabulous weather days in that case鈥� but, unfortunately, to really empower yourself to create what you want in your life, you’ve got to ‘own’ the adversity too. Not only do you have to have the nerve to get through tough situations in the first place, you’ve also got to claim that you created that in some way to help you get to your next best level. So you get to claim that colleague that pushes your buttons, or the neighbor who is extra loud, or your loved one who just doesn’t give “it” (whatever that may be) a rest. They are showing up for you, based on some energetic frequency that you are sending out asking them to be that for you, so you can get address and release whatever energy doesn’t feel good in your world. By owning your power in creating even the things that don’t seem so wonderful, by seeing the magic in all your creations, by demonstrating the courage to lay claim to creating all those parts which may not feel so good on the surface, you are empowering yourself to be all of who you are and to create what you want going forward.

Courage is made in the moments of life large and small鈥� but here’s the big secret to owning your life. Nobody has more power in your world than you do. And owning that could be the most courageous thing you could ever do for yourself.

What You See Isn’t What’s There

“The mind of the observer is integral to determining the nature of reality.”
~ Alberto Villoldo, “Dance of the Four Winds”

As I’ve said before, the surface view is the most limited view. I see it over and over in living my life and in working with my clients 鈥� what we see isn’t what’s there. Our interpretation is what creates the reality. And when we don’t like the reality, sometimes we just have to change the lens we’re seeing it through to see something different.

That probably sums up a lot of my work with people, actually. By natural design, we cannot see ourselves and so we need either a mirror or someone to reflect us back to ourselves. The quality of the mirror determines the quality of the reflection. And the same goes for our view of reality 鈥� if our internal mirror is flawed, we will see a skewed reality. When people are drawn to work with me, it’s usually an indicator that they’re ready for a new mirror, or viewing lens.

The other thing to know about seeing what is or isn’t there is that it depends on where we are in our life learning curve. We have a harder time seeing what it is that we need to learn; that is, if we already know something, we know what it is. If we can’t see something, it’s likely to be one of our life lessons. We can’t see it yet because we have to learn it. And we all have those things we can’t see 鈥� they’re our personal blind spots that represent our best growth potential.

Anyway, to get back to the subject, what we see isn’t what’s there 鈥� it’s only our perception that is telling us what’s there. The surface view is the most flat visual to work from鈥t’s when you go below the surface that you discover the real substance of the situation, relationship, or opportunity. And that’s where the real power lives to create more of what you want 鈥� it’s there that you will find more of the truth as opposed to what you can interpret from the surface view.

3 Things You Can Do Today:

1) Look at your external mirrors. Check out your environment, the people and relationships around you, the shows you watch and what you read to get clues as to what and how your brain is processing 鈥� how you are relating with your world. Remember that you are a dynamic, growing being; over time, what used to be enough may no longer support you. If you discover that there is a disconnect from what you thought was there and what is, it’s time to see what’s really there now. And if you need new or better mirrors, this is the time.

2. Consider what isn’t working for you. That is, take a look at your concerns, anxieties, tolerations, frustrations and insecurities in order to get a fix on your internal mirrors. We only experience friction, or resistance, where there is something that needs to be addressed or learned. Sometimes we don’t see or know what we want, but we always know what we don’t want. Understanding the places where you feel rubbed the wrong way could be your starting point to seeing things differently.

3. Value yourself. While this is a play on words, another way to tease information on what you’re not seeing is to write down your top life values in random order. Once you have that, go back through and find the top ten. Go through those to get the top 3 鈥� 5 values, and compare their importance to how they are showing up in your world. If they aren’t, it’s time to make some changes. For example, if you value physical wellness, but aren’t taking care of your body, you now have a message about your next step. Brainstorm with yourself on how to create more alignment with your inner values and your outer world.

The next time you think you know what you are seeing, try looking at it in a new way, from a different perspective and with what spiritual-types call the “beginner’s mind”. It’s guaranteed to bring you a new relationship with yourself, your world and your truth.

Using Ancient Energies
to Live Your Purpose Today

We humans are encoded to search out our reason for being and then express it. When we are not living on purpose, we know it 鈥� we鈥檙e unhappy, feel isolated, things don鈥檛 flow in our lives and our bodies reflect it. But when we ARE living in the rhythm of our unique purpose, we feel that too. Our bodies don鈥檛 lie 鈥� if we鈥檙e happy, it shows through the light in our eyes, the bounce in our step, and the energy we have that practically propels us to our next adventure.

Through the ages, we鈥檝e spent a lot of time figuring out how to express our inner being in a tangible outer way. Spiritual teachers, gurus, poets, artists, philosophers, inventors and, well, people who have gone before us have left us the roadmap of 鈥渓iving on purpose鈥�. While there is a process to expressing our purpose that we access regularly (whether knowingly or not), it is helpful to understand what purpose is – and is not.

Living on Purpose is NOT鈥�

Living on purpose is NOT a big production, contrary to popular opinion. When something is real, it doesn鈥檛 need trumpets to announce its authenticity – it just is. Looking to the outside to validate our inside doesn鈥檛 give us what we seek 鈥� that merely limits us because we are lacking self-trust. It鈥檚 the little ways that our purpose moves us forward that creates the results that matter.

It is NOT about a job or career. A job is the way we exchange our energy with the world in such a way as to be paid either for our time or our value, which can be two different things. An innate purpose expresses itself through us whether we are being paid for it or not.

It is NOT about being in bliss every single waking moment. Somehow, we have confused living on purpose with being in paradise. Just because we are on purpose doesn鈥檛 mean the people around us are, or that we magically have everything we want at the snap of our fingers. It means that we are making decisions from our true values, speaking authentically, and are aligned with our gifts and core essence rather than living a glamorous idealization. Living on purpose requires a humility that can be painful in reality 鈥� for an extreme example, consider Joan of Arc.

It is NOT defined outside of you. While you are an expression of source energy, it 鈥� and your purpose – is a part of you. You have free will in determining how to express it, but your purpose is within you. Regardless of the situation, your purpose reveals itself; for example, a healer makes people feel better but that doesn鈥檛 mean s/he is a medical professional. Your purpose is known internally and you choose the outer expression of it.

Living on Purpose IS鈥�

Living on purpose IS about who you are and how you show up on a daily basis. In fact, you can choose how to express your purpose through everyday choices 鈥� from relationships to careers to pursuing your interests 鈥� and then watch as whatever is not in alignment with your purpose eventually falls away.

It IS about the challenges of staying your course; that is, living your purpose causes you to grow through challenge, leave people, beliefs and situations behind as you develop beyond them, and live with the uncertainty of what鈥檚 coming next even as you know that it鈥檚 right. Sometimes it means not having the resources you need to be ready 鈥� and doing it anyway.

It IS creating as you go. It鈥檚 a dynamic process that means you are never wrong or in the wrong place; rather, you are always where you need to be to get the information that will take you from where you are to get you to where you want / need to be.

It IS about being in harmony with your own nature. This is trickier than it sounds because it means complete self-acceptance of all of your parts, even the not-so-pretty ones because, when loved, all of your parts become radiant and purposeful. This is all about you, and no one else. If you are not in harmony with yourself, it is impossible to be in harmony with your true purpose.

Ancient Energies for Understanding

Using ancient energies as a compass to live your purpose means understanding there are rhythms that underlie all of life in every moment, and being aware of your unique ability to merge with, and express, that source energy. Said another way, you have access to the same simple and timeless awareness that has inspired and supported every living being to express their special reason for being through the ages. You can access that awareness through various key points for guidance to your own purpose, including the following.

Watch nature for symbols, signs, cycles and flow in order to apply what you see to your own experience of your life purpose. Everything in nature has information about the gap between how you are living and how you are meant to live on purpose.

Look at the world around you; that is, everyone and everything around you are the mirrors that reflect the choices you鈥檝e made and how you鈥檙e showing up in the world. If you don鈥檛 like what you see, you鈥檙e not living on purpose.

Be present for yourself. Feel your feelings fully to acknowledge them as messengers for your truth. Be in the moment (vs. living in the past or projecting into the future); stay 鈥渉ere鈥� and let go of what鈥檚 not working right now. Incidentally, it鈥檚 not about judging good or bad but, rather, if 鈥渋t鈥� is serving you or not. If not, let it go.

Honor who you are; don鈥檛 take yourself for granted. You are an amazing and unique individual who has a purpose that is yours alone. By knowing that you are precious to the universe and taking care of yourself accordingly, it is where you begin to honor your purpose.

Accept that all is right up until now. You are where you are because you needed to gain experience, learn and grow. There is no shame in where you鈥檝e been, or even in being stuck, up until now. Accepting your role in expressing your purpose means that you have the power to create a different future. As you take responsibility for what you鈥檝e learned, your life 鈥� your purpose 鈥� becomes, well, 鈥渃leaner鈥�.

You鈥檒l find that your purpose expresses in direct proportion to how well you know yourself. Living on purpose means knowing yourself well enough to know what makes you feel lit up from the inside out most of the time. Your purpose is the expression of universal being through your unique, essential self. Perhaps Shakespeare summed it up best when he simply said, 鈥淭o Thine Own Self Be True鈥�. And remember, you鈥檒l feel when you are鈥�