Purpose & Power Is Found Within & Exercised Without
More & more I am coming into the habit of looking inside for power.
Power defined as the ability to act and to do.
In the past I often fooled myself by seeking power outside of myself. Thinking it was out there. Somewhere to be found.
That something outside could give me the what & the why...
Somebody, some thing, some organization could unleash what I knew has been lying dormant.
I've come to believe that the world will give us hints of our inner power. It will provide assistance in the discovery.
The outside world will reflect back to us what is inside waiting for us.
For me this has shown up as magical synchronous events that seem to have a common golden thread running throughout.
Moments that light me up & call me forth. Moments that resonate with my True Self.
Timeless times in which I feel at one with myself and with the world. These precious moments are transcendent.
Yet, if one doesn't reach out and grab the golden tether one may as well have never noticed it in the first place.
That chord of energy will continue to just float around unused.
Ah, but when we do seize upon that alchemical cord it electrifies us! Fills us up!
And when we act upon it we are left with true power. The power to act in this world and be of service to others and oneself at the same time.
Action begets action. Doing begets doing.
Purpose calls forth our limitless supply of energy.
Strength is found within. It is harnessed by sharing it without.
Harnessing the inner strength so that I can vitally share it with the world.
We all have an innate purpose. We all have innate power to be given to this world in service.
As we discover and develop a purpose that is greater than ourselves we are called into a "being" that is truly powerful.
The gift of our journey of life is to discover this purpose and spend our time fulfilling it.
“There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique and if you block it, it will never exist through any medium and will be lost...the world will not have it.
It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares with other expressions...it is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”
Alchemical Learnings:
- We all have a purpose. It is our life-duty to discover and/or find purpose & deliver upon it.
- Purpose can evolve over time & we can have more than one purpose in life.
- Purpose can be discovered by identifying & taking note of synchronous moments and events that make us feel authentic & truly alive.
- When we find purpose we find strength (energy) & happiness.
- Happiness is a byproduct of fulfilling on purpose.
- Having a purpose greater than ourselves creates a sustainable life-affirming power in our life and the life of others.
Alchemical Resources:
- The Power of Purpose by Richard Leider. Plenty of material and exercises in his books & on his website to help one develop purpose.
- Landmark Worldwide's seminar "Living Passionately." This is a personal & professional development organization that offers many awesome experiential learning seminars. It can be intense, but it will empower you to grow & transform.
- Go on a Vision Quest. My friend Ben at Tribal Edge organizes these every spring & fall.
- Have some other resources that have empowered you to discover purpose? Please share in the comments!
Alchemical Opportunity for the reader:
- Write down your purpose even if you don't have one fully formulated. Just take a stab at it even if you have no idea. Something is better than nothing. And remember, it can and will likely evolve over time.
- Start a "Synchronicity Log". This is simply a record of all the synchronous events that magically appear in your life. Just a brief description and date. Record daily and review weekly. Patterns will begin to emerge. These patterns will empower you to discover purpose. I'm all about making things easy so I just record these in my iPhone note app.
- Join up with some sort of organization or individual(s) that have a strong mission that even slightly piques your purpose--business, religious, community, hobby-groups, & inspiring friends all count. Then get active in the group or with the person(s) -- like really participate and notice your purpose come alive. This happened to me with my company Ohmygreen, Landmark, my fiance, & my creative partner at Wild Olympic Art Collective. Through deep interaction with these four powerful forces in my life I was able to refine my purpose into its current working-form: "To empower people & organizations to transform & self-actualize." This purpose is the driving force behind my writing & Alchemize Life.
- Still lost on your purpose? Go on Vision Quest or take a seminar at Landmark (links above).
Purpose is what we get up for in the morning. When our purpose is authentic and strong we wake up jazzed about life. We wake up with excitement and vigor for life.
When our purpose is unclear or not the right fit we wake up feeling like we didn't sleep. We're in a fog and we proceed to slog through our day. To be frank, life sucks when we don't have clear purpose. If you find yourself in this place then it is time for you to discover or find a purpose.
No one can give you purpose unless you decide to take it on. But be careful because if an outside purpose doesn't resonate with your true inner purpose (the reason you came into this world) chaos will ensue at some point. In my life this manifested as drugs, alcohol and other life-killing habits.
You will know when you have purpose clearly defined because life will flow and you will feel at home in the world. If you are not there yet, don't worry. Just begin the process of discovery and have fun with it!
In alchemy & service,
P.S. Please share this article with anyone looking for purpose! And please sign up for my NEWSLETTER to keep your life alchemizing & on fire! 🔥
