Patterns of Purpose
"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well."
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our thoughts form our habits which in turn sets the lifestyle patterns that govern our lives. Many studies conclude that nearly half of our daily actions are repetitious. New Year's resolutions are about new habits, which are formed by repeated actions.
Think of your sleeping habits, daily food intake, morning routines; all of these are patterns developed over time. The saying "Practice makes Perfect" is accurate; we perfect those things we repeatedly do. All it takes to make one year better than the previous one is an intentional commitment to aligning our daily living patterns to our purpose.
Setting new patterns in life requires intentionality
The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live.
– Mortimer Adler
Your starting point is always "Make a decision!" Definitively state what you're going to do, how you're going to do it, and when you will begin? Never go back on your decision or commitment to continue.
See yourself consistently doing it before you begin. It is said that visualization acts as a coding system that creates a mental blueprint of how an activity should be carried out. Seeing the steps, you'll take beforehand will allow you to develop new habit patterns rapidly.
Athletes use visualization as a part of their training all the time. Repeatedly seeing yourself performing an activity helps muscle memory normalize it until you can do it unconsciously.
Thomas J. O'Grady, Ph.D., remarks, "The more often you visualize yourself acting as if you already had the new habit, the more rapidly this new behavior will be accepted by your sub¬conscious mind and become automatic."
Brian Tracy says, "When you are born, you come into the world with two natural qualities. First, you are completely unafraid. You are totally fearless. You have no reason to be afraid because you have had no experiences to make you afraid.
The second natural quality is that you are completely spon¬taneous. You laugh, cry, pee, poop, sleep and express yourself with no thought or concern about whether anybody approves or disapproves. These are your qualities in a state of nature.
The first negative habit pattern you learn is called the inhibitive negative habit pattern. This is what soon becomes the fear of failure, risk, and loss. As a child, you're extremely curious. But often your parents react to this behavior by discouraging you as much as possible."(1)
Manage Your Finances
"Lifelong Learners become Lifelong Earners"
– JSP
People who live, love, laugh and lead well tend to leave an inspiring legacy to accomplish that requires financial integrity. Below are five simple bullet points that have helped me avoid unnecessary debt and help my family enjoy life more.
• Highly successful people manage their finances
• They have a specific spending plan
• They live within means
• They do not needlessly incur debt
• They leave an inheritance
"Taking the time to stop and think about where it's all going will save us from having to stop and think about where it all went."
– JSP
Have a Personal Development Plan
"The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment."
– Earl Nightingale
Personal development is just that, "personal." Don't copy others, be inspired by them to develop your growth plan. Know who you are and what you do best; all personal growth is rooted in our purpose.
Be committed to learning something every day
Personal development isn't achieved by accident; it's intentional. The quality of our development plan determines the level of our success. John C. Maxwell advises to "Focus more on character than on competence."
Value the process more than the Promotions
Enjoy the experiences the process brings into your life. Take careful note of everything you're learning. Embrace every failure in the spirit of non-attachment, for their inherent pearls of wisdom. If you learn from your failures, have you really failed?
Become Self-Motivated
Act now, whether you feel like it or not. Keeping your intended objectives and personal transformation in view is all the inspiration you'll need. Focus on functioning in the areas of your giftedness, and you will never lack motivation.
"You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself."
- Jim Rohn
End Notes
(1) Million Dollar Habits by Brian Tracy https://amzn.to/3Hf1fVP