Weekender September 15, 2001
Volume 3, Issue 37
Leadership
Quote: It is the very essence of good leadership to give
away all credit for positive achievement, to
identify only team goals and always to refer to
them as such.
Joe Klock is and author and the retired Dean of Coldwell
Banker University.
Source: "Imemyosis," by Joe Klock from Like Klockwork by Joe Klock
Dreams
Quote: Writing down your dreams and aspirations is like
hanging up a sign that says, "Open for Business."
Or, as my friend Elaine puts it, by writing it
down, you declare yourself in the game.
Henriette Anne Klauser is the president of Writing Resources.
Source: Put Your Heart on Paper: Staying Connected in a Loose-Ends World
by Henriette Anne Klauser
UK
Integrity
Quote: You cannot trust a man in the world that does
not begin with his own heart, his own character,
and his own life.
Russell H. Conwell was an orator, writer, educator, and
Baptist minister. He founded Temple University.
Source: "Acres of Diamonds" by Russell H. Conwell
cited in Treasury of Inspiration
edited by K.S. Giniger
Time
Quote: Redeem
The time. Redeem
The unread vision in the higher dream...
T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) wrote poetry and plays. The Broadway
musical, Cats, is based on his Old Possum's Book of Practical
Cat. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1948.
Source: Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy
by Sarah Ban Breathnach
UK
Communication
Quote: He who knows only his side of the case, knows
little of that.
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) was an English philosopher and
economist.
Source: Power Quotes
compiled by Daniel B. Baker
UK
Bonus Reading on Purpose
by W. Bradford Swift
"Until thought is linked with purpose, there is no intelligent
accomplishment. With the majority, the bark of thought is allowed to
drift upon the ocean of life. A man or woman should conceive of a
legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it." Is your life on purpose? Does just the question stop you in your track as it does many people? Have you been so caught up in the frenetic pace of today's consumeristic culture that you've not dared wonder if your life is going in the right direction? Perhaps you feel a little like Alice in Wonderland when she was taken on a wild ride through the countryside by the Red Queen? No matter how fast Alice ran she couldn't seem to get anywhere. Finally, breathless from her efforts, the Queen allowed her to rest long enough for Alice to comment that "Everything is just as it was!" to which the Queen replied, "...here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!" If this sounds like one of your typical days or weeks, or your whole life for that matter, then it's times to jump from the not so merry-go-round and re-evaluate a few of your priorities. Responding to the following statements will give you a good starting point. Grade yourself on a scale from 1 to 10.
1. I am crystal clear what my life purpose is. Of course, to live a life on purpose starts with knowing what your purpose is. If you aren't sure, then that's where to start. Don't feel bad if you aren't clear. According to Cynthia Kersey in her book, Unstoppable (http://www.unstoppable.net), when psychologist, William Marston, asked 3,000 people the question, "What have you to live for?" 94 percent said they had no definite purpose for their lives - 94%! That leaves only 6 percent of us who know why we're here. No wonder we're not a particularly happy society. 2. The life I lead is a full expression of my life purpose. Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Agree Knowing your purpose is really only the start. About a quarter of the people who request my services as a life purpose coach feel they know their purpose but also realize that their life doesn't reflect it. In other words, they aren't living true to it. 3. I live a values-based life rather than a materialistic-based life. Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Agree Many Americans have sold out their values for the Great American Dream forced down our throats by Madison Avenue advertising. Luckily, we're starting to realize the dream is actually a nightmare, but with hundreds of exposures to advertising every week, living a value-based life can make you feel like a salmon swimming up stream. 4. My life is free of unnecessary clutter and complexities and I seldom feel overwhelmed, rushed or cluttered. Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Agree More people give themselves a lower rating with this statement than anywhere else. It appears many of other or choking on our own clutter. If you don't believe it, look around your own neighborhood. How many new self-storage businesses have opened up in the last five years. In the small mountain community where I live there's been at least two new ones, and their businesses are flourishing.
5. I regularly take time to nurture A big issue for many people. Some of my clients are so driven that the concept of taking even 15 minutes for themselves to just sit and do nothing but breath and relax is almost inconceivable. Taking an entire evening to just nurture oneself is beyond comprehension for most. How did you do on the sample test? Or did you feel you didn't have the time to take it right now because you need to get on to more important stuff. Wake up Alice! Nothing is more important than identifying your purpose and living true to it. It's just so easy to drift through life like a cork thrown by the currents of circumstances, back and forth, living what Thoreau describes as "lives of quiet desperation." The good news is that it's not too late. It is possible to start living on purpose immediately, even before you clearly know your purpose. Because even asking the questions, "who am I and what is my life for?" begins to shape your life into a new direction. It all starts when you ask the questions. "Seek and you will find. Ask and it will be given unto you." Start asking today. For a more in depth, FREE evaluation of how on purpose your life is, take the Life On Purpose Self Test at http://www.lifeonpurpose.com and earn a complimentary life purpose coaching session.
© 2001 W. Bradford Swift |