DISCOVERING YOUR LIFE PURPOSE
God has given you unique talents and gifts that no one else has so that you can make
a very special contribution to the world. You are drawn to do those things because
they ignite your passion, connecting you to your true self and God within. That
passion is the clue to figuring out your life purpose (DNA blueprint), which is
programmed into you at birth. Unfortunately, for most of us, our original program
has been overwritten during our lives with the software of society’s expectations. But
you can look beneath society’s programming to discover the plan God has mapped
out for you. Anything you do that comes from that place while building your new life
can only lead to success. Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act!
Action will delineate and define you.
- Thomas Jefferson -
To discover your unique gifts and talents, make a list of the things you are good at
and are fulfilling to do. Think of the things you do naturally in the course of your day,
the things you have done throughout your life that seem effortless and are satisfying.
(During your Life Review in the next chapter you may discover other things that do not
immediately occur to you at this time, which you can then add to your list.) These are
not things that society’s standards require you to do, but rather things that come from
within you. They are the things—both large and small—that you love the most, the things that inspire you, motivate you, excite you, bring you joy; the things you have a
desire to do even if you don’t have to. Your passions = your life purpose.
Passion is so powerful that it can change your life. If you listen to what resonates
inside you, what your heart yearns to do, this is your inner voice, your DNA blueprint
that when followed will guide you on the journey that is your new purposeful life, being
all that God intended for you to be. The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and
falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.
- Michelangelo -
Life Review
If you want to know where you’re going, you have to know where you’re starting from
and how you got to where you are right now. You must learn to distinguish between
society’s programming and your original DNA blueprint. Only by learning to clearly
see the difference can you move forward on your true life path.
During this self-examining process it’s important to look at the big picture of your
life and your entire lifespan to ensure that you clearly realize the urgency of beginning
your new life, A Second Life, right now. At the time of your birth you were awarded a
specific amount of time for this journey called life, and the months have been counting
down to the time when it will all end. Right now, as the countdown continues, you
need to decide how to best use your remaining time before it’s all gone. It’s up to you to
choose whether you will use it in a manner that is worthwhile and fulfilling, or if it will
be wasted and pass you by.
The following chart is set at seventy-eight years, which is the average lifespan of
people in the United States. If you smoke, drink, don’t eat properly, have an unhealthy
lifestyle, or a family history of illness, then you need to take off some years—leaving
you with even less time. This also goes the other way around, meaning if you have a
family history of living beyond the U.S. average and/or live a healthy lifestyle, then add
years to the scale.
Place yourself on the following Life Assessment Table to see where you are—meaning
how many years of “your time” you have left.
After calculating your time (years) used and those that you have left to live, next place
yourself in the appropriate category below to see and understand where you have been
and where you are right now.
Age 0–18 years: From birth to young adult you unknowingly get programmed,
which sets precedence for how life will play out for you. During these years you are
supposed to become independent and carve out what you “believe” is a life of your own.
The challenges you encounter = opportunities for your growth.
There are three levels of adulthood: young adult (19–30 years), middle adult (31–40
years), and late adult (50–65), but basically the entire time is spent in the active work
world. Your thoughts and actions based on your programming and experiences determine
how you feel about the way you’re using life’s minutes: a) gratitude for all the
choices you’ve made, b) dissatisfaction, or c) numbness/a feeling of emptiness.
From retirement to physical death (65–78 years) you slow down your activities, and
many people catch up on the little things they were too busy to do earlier in life.
Having more free time, you have the opportunity to refl ect on your life and how you’ve
lived it. Your inner voice will let you know if it was all that you wanted it to be—which
determines if your gift of this life was utilized to the fullest according to God’s wish or
it was not all that it could have been, and thus, wasted.
The fear of death follows from the fear of life.
A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.
- Mark Twain -
Reviewing Your Past
With this perspective on how much of the time you were allotted for this life that you
have lived so far and how much time you have remaining, review how you have used
your time. As you review your life so far, first think about the larger picture and then
allow the smaller scenes of your life to provide your answers. Ask yourself the following
questions:
- What have you accomplished in your life?
- Why have you done the things you’ve done?
- Why did you do them the way you did?
- Were the choices you made based on your true desires or on what was expected of
you?
- Who have you been trying to please?
- What do you most regret?
- What are you most proud of?
- In what ways have you grown as a person during your life?
- What ideals or people have been your role models?
- Do you feel you’ve made a positive contribution to the lives of others—not just
loved ones, but strangers as well—and your country?
- How have you served God?
- How have you honored your true self?
Every experience you have had provides an opportunity for you to learn. Looking
back at your life right now, you will immediately see that fear has been your biggest
obstacle, and it continues to this day: fear of disappointing others, fear of not living up
to society’s standards, fear of being unloved and alone, fear of failure, joblessness,
homelessness, starvation, ill health, suffering, even fear of death. The truth is, by living
with that kind of fear, you have been dying a slow death each day, disconnected from
God because you are not fulfilling your life purpose. You have been living in this way
because you are a victim of society’s ultimate power over you: you are society’s robot.
Only by realizing this is true and accepting it can you change everything.
As you begin to move forward into living your purposeful life, ask yourself: What
do you have to lose? Your answer should be: Nothing! When you learn to detach from
society’s expectations of the outcome you will be motivated instead by what you need
to do in order to fulfill your own, unique life purpose, a higher purpose.
Understand without a doubt the reality that only two things truly matter in your life: pleasing God and honoring your true self! Although analyzing every step you have
made in your life that brought you to this point helps you gain perspective and helps
you see what you could have done differently, in actuality it does not matter now. None
of that matters now. What does matter is that you change your beliefs about who you
are and the way things should be, that you look at your life and the circumstances you
find yourself in differently. Now you can begin to erase the negative indoctrinated programming
that has overwritten your original blueprint and held you back. By creating
a new vision of your life you can reconnect with your original DNA blueprint, develop
a game plan, and begin to transform your life. Through effort and hard work you can
become all that you were meant to be.
In order to clearly see your vision of how your life is played out it is recommended
that you now write your own obituary. A clear view of how you want to be remembered
will help you create an unconscious game plan for how to make this vision a
reality—which will happen as soon as you are clear about what you want. While
writing your obituary, know that you can do anything you set your mind to do once
you are free from your old programming. You are one with God inside and you are
here to serve him—not what your ego desires—by utilizing all of your gifts given. Your
potential is unlimited.
Once your obituary is written you will recognize what truly matters in your life.
You will notice that the qualities and accomplishments you desire for yourself and your
life can be exhibited or developed right now, this moment. Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.
- Albert Einstein -
With the new perspective you have gained, how will you live your life from this
moment forward? Answer these questions based on your aspirations to be living your
magnificent new, purposeful life, A Second Life in alignment with your God-given
gifts.
Beginning This Moment
- What are you accomplishing in your life?
- Why are you doing the things you are doing?
- Why are you doing them the way you are doing them?
- Are you making choices based on your true desires or on what is expected of
you?
- Are pleased with the way you are conducting your life?
- How are you improving each day?
- What are you most proud of?
- In what ways are you growing as a person?
- What ideals or people are your role models?
- Do you feel you are making a positive contribution to the lives of others—not just
loved ones, but strangers as well—and your country?
- How are you serving God?
- How are you honoring your true self?
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