Dear Friends,

Happy summer! Here in New England, we're enjoying some gorgeous weather. I frequently find summer to be a great opportunity to reflect on my life, where it's headed and how I'd like to make changes. My wish is that this month's insight provokes new thoughts in you – and the possibility that an even more satisfying life is only a paradigm shift away. Enjoy!

My best to you!
Claudette

Choose Purpose

"I just want to retire comfortably."

Each time I hear these six words – and I hear them pretty regularly – they give me pause. Why? Because they are based on an old paradigm called survival mode: the assumption that our only purpose is to exist from day to day. In that end, the paradigm says, we're supposed to make ends meet, afford to retire and stay one step ahead of our biggest fears. From this perspective, we view retirement as the golden reward for our efforts.

While I recognize that many people throughout the world are simply trying to survive at a fundamental level, so many of us have successfully risen above this day-to-day existence. Yet I notice that many of these successful individuals still let the fear that we won't survive dictate our life path. We live for the future in which we can retire comfortably and tell ourselves that then, and only then, can we start enjoying life.

Here's the problem with this line of thinking: it's predicated on the notion that you don't actually like what you do to generate money. If you loved your work, if it felt purposeful and fulfilling, you wouldn't wait for something better to come along.

Life is for the enjoying –right now, even your work life. We're charged to take our perspective up to the next level: to live with purpose, to contribute through our passions and interests, to express ourselves through our work.

So why does this matter? Because when you live a purpose-driven life, your productivity and contribution levels skyrocket, you have more to give others and you want to give because your own well is filled.

Living a purpose-driven life requires a simple paradigm shift; in other words, change the way you think and you'll change the paradigm.

What does this paradigm shift look like? Here are some thoughts to get you started.

• Answer this question: How has being "realistic" kept you from living the life you want?
• Embrace the notion that it's unacceptable to spend 40-80 hours per week doing something you don't actually enjoy. Nothing is worth that sacrifice.
• Being in survival mode and settling for less than what you want are closely connected.
• Living a purpose-driven life and only settling for what you really want are closely connected.
• Enjoying your life is not a frivolous exercise. So many of us hold a limiting belief that fun, fulfillment and joy are optional in life or reserved for "sometime later."
• Playing it safe isn't fun – and it's actually a tremendous amount of work.
• Allow yourself to dream. Dreaming is a relational activity and one that's important in all relationships, including the one with ourselves.

This new paradigm includes the idea that you can be financially successful (if that's important to you) while simultaneously doing work that you enjoy. What's the best way to move this new paradigm forward? First, appreciate your old paradigm of survival as you prepare to release it. Your old paradigm served you well – it allowed you to survive and you now possess a set of skills in case you need them. Use the list above to assess yourself. Be honest – are you still in survival mode when you are ready to live a purpose-driven life?

As you reshape your life to be a "life of purpose" remember these tips:

• Your choices are based on what you WANT as opposed to what you think you can have or should have. When you're in alignment with yourself, you have more to give others and a greater contribution to make.
• If you don't love your work, take steps to change that.
• You have the power to take calculated risks and seize opportunities.
• You can throw the word "realistic" out the window because the only reality is the limited one that exists in your mind.
• You can expand your realm of what you believe is possible.
• You can embrace the notion that enjoyment and fulfillment are life requirements rather than life options.
• You have the power to stop allowing "survival mode" fears to run the show. You can make the effort to dismantle the blocks and fear-based thinking that hold you back.

The paradigm shift from survival to purpose is a simple one, and one that's available to you right now. How purposeful is your life? Where do you hold back simply because you are afraid? How would your life change if you focused on purpose? Answer these questions and your life will shift into focus like never before!

return to top

Products & Services

• Career Coaching with Claudette.  Do you love your work? If the answer is "no" – there’s no time like the present to begin the process of identifying the work you’d love to do.
  
  Please contact me today for an introductory 30 minute coaching session, find out more about my process, and we’ll get you on the road to satisfying work, (and work that’s financially rewarding – if your financial needs aren’t met, how can work be satisfying?). Reach me directly at 781-316-1923 or write to  claudette@metavoice.org.
  
  P.S. Remember, when you enjoy your work, you have so much more to give the rest of the world – purpose in action.
   
• The Highlands Ability Battery (THAB).  One of my business partners, Deirdre McEachern is an absolute expert with THAB. Read on …
  
  Stop buying books and attending seminars! You could easily spend 6 months - or a lot more - trying to find satisfaction in your career. Why do that when you can take 3 hours to get the answers you need right now?
  
  You'll take the THAB in the comfort of your own home on your computer, receive a 33 page report and enjoy a 90 minute individual consultation to help you understand your results. This test is truly a life-changing investment. Please go directly to:
  http://www.vip-coaching.com/resources-highlands.htm
   

return to top

Useful Resources

• The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. I love this book! Ferriss lays out a plan for abandoning the "deferred-life" (slave, save, retire) in favor of mastering the currencies of time and mobility to create a satisfying lifestyle in the here and now. Talk about a paradigm shift! If you want a new perspective on your life, this is a MUST READ.
   
• You Tube: Paul Potts video. Be sure to check out this YouTube video http://tinyurl.com/2akffc of a gentleman named Paul Potts singing the opera piece Nessun Dorma. His performance is breathtaking and a wonderful example of authenticity and self-expression in action. Every time I watch it, I get goose bumps. My description can’t do it justice – just watch it!

return to top