Clarifying Your Purpose


I believe that a common unifying desire among us all is the desire to truly become the best, brightest and most fulfilled version of ourselves possible.

And sometimes along the way we come to a place where a distinct crossroads sits before us.

In seeking out what that path of passion and purpose looks like in our own unique lives, there are times when first we get clear on what it is not and then, sometime later, we get clear on what it is  ~ or vice versa.  Two sides of the same coin and both inform each other ~ both are tremendously useful pieces of information as you seek to get clarity on your next steps.

In her MAPP interview, Renee Trudeau shared how it was as if she was seated across from her “wisest self” and just knew ~ this is what I must do.

Dr. Sara Gottfried, in her interview, shared that she experienced the other side of the coin:  She knew what she could simply no longer do or … in a sense, no longer tolerate.  She didn’t know what it was she was supposed to do, but she knew what she had to stop.

That knowledge helped her to make some baby steps forward, knowing that moving away from what is no longer serving you is, in fact, contributing to the same journey as moving toward what does serve you most in life right now.

There is a way that motherhood calls you to be the best version of yourself. ~ Andrea Scher

Give yourself a magic wand and simply state what things you must do or have as part of your life.  Then state the things you must no longer do or not have as part of your life.  Don’t concern yourself with how you must do and not do these things … just start by stating them.  Get concrete, specific, elemental.

1 |  What must you do?

What do you need in your life?  Include what you need to bring in for self-preservation.  Forget the how, just state what your “wisest” self knows right now about what must come into your life in some form.

2 |  What must you no longer do?

What do you need to eliminate from your life?  Include what you need to shed for self-preservation. What you will no longer tolerate.

Sit with these reflections and rest.  Yup, you read that right, rest.  Consider this as a puzzle- you know the end result, just not the “how” for right now- and that’s okay.  Let the solution come to you – maybe in a fleeting moment when you are doing the dishes or taking a shower.  But when you feel that spark of insight and intuition around this – follow it!  Take the next step in your passion-purpose path right now.

This post is taken from the Vibrant Living Strategies workshop which was born out of the MAPP Gathering– a free intimate interview series with authors, leaders and artists about their personal paths of passion, purpose and motherhood.


Comments

6 responses to “Clarifying Your Purpose”

  1. I must get up before my son wakes up and start my day with un-interupted time in God’s Word. My whole day has focus, purpose, and joy after that!

    I no longer can waste my time browsing the internet for no intentional reason.

    1. Oh protecting our mornings is so crucial!

  2. Seemingly so simple, yet so profound. I especially love your comments about waiting after I have decided what I must do and what I must not do. So often I can get caught in trying to plan my next step or two or ten, that I forget to rest and just let the inspiration that leads to action come when the time is right.

  3. Hi Lisa,
    I am going to ponder on your questions to ask myself. However can you please clarify what you mean by “self preservation”?

    thanks

    Michelle

    1. I mean protecting your sacred core- not allowing your life energy to be sapped out and drained by things that shouldn’t have access to you. This could be as simple as the busyness of our days or our addiction to media of all forms. Or it could be draining relationships or caustic thoughts.

  4. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open PDF files (it’s free). Download that, then see if the files open. Word 2003 cannot open PDF files

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