Live Your Life with More Meaning, Significance and Fulfillment
The following is excerpted from Michael Angier’s book by the same name.
The Two Most Important Days of Your Life
Mark Twain is most often credited with saying, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you figure out why.” It was true over 100 years ago and it’s still true today.
Never Too Old
Many people will think they are too old to discover their Empowering Purpose for their life. That’s simply not true. Having a clear purpose earlier in your life might have been better, but even God can’t change change the past.
Whether you are 22 or 82, it’s never too late to work through the process of discovering your Empowering Purpose. No one knows how much time they have left on this planet. Clarity on your purpose and conviction in its pursuit will make the rest of your life the best of your life. It will put life in your years and not simply years in your life.
Perhaps Dr. Wayne Dyer said it best: “Don’t die with your music still in you. Don’t die with your purpose unfulfilled. Don’t die feeling as if your life has been wrong. Don’t let that happen to you.”
Build on Your Strengths
Many success gurus advise us to shore up the weak areas of our life—getting better at things we don’t do well. I’m all for improving oneself, but I think that approach is a bit misguided. It places your attention on what you don’t enjoy doing instead of on what you do enjoy doing.
I’m confident that you will have more joy and success by focusing on getting better at what you’re already good at. No doubt you had teachers and perhaps parents who kept calling attention to your weaknesses rather than your strengths. In doing so, it most likely eroded your confidence—at least to some degree. You thought less of yourself because your so-called shortcomings were where your focus was.
We all have things we’re good at—and things we aren’t so good at. We all have certain talents, skills, interests and propensities. And no one is great at everything. So don’t concentrate your God-given talents on the things you find hard, challenging and unfulfilling.
It’s too big a life to be doing things you don’t enjoy—and that you suck at doing. Albert Einstein said, “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” I think what Einstein stated illustrates quite well the point I’m trying to make. I think it will make a huge difference in you living your best life while following your purpose. If nothing else, you’ll have more fun and a lot less stress and disappointment.
Clarity Leads to Power
I’ve spent most of my adult life studying what works and what doesn’t when it comes to living a great life. One of the things I’ve found that separates the successful from the non-successful is clarity. Winners know what they want, why they want it and have plans to get it. They are clear on their principles, clear on their strategies and rarely give up. I’m sure you’re not surprised by that.
I’ve written this book series to help you get clear on your Core Values, your Empowering Purpose, your Meaningful Mission and your Vivid Vision. From this solid foundation, you can effectively and wisely choose the goals, projects and tasks that will create your Best Life.
What I’ve found is that knowing yourself well, and having the clarity to this path of success, places you in the best position to win.
Always look for the truth. Stay focused on things that matter. Rout out confusion with clarity. Ask the tough questions. Seek solutions. Challenge your beliefs.
I look at beliefs as strongly held opinions or conclusions. They are not “right” or “wrong”; they are either empowering or disempowering.
And I feel confident that as you uncover and discover your Empowering Purpose, along with the other foundational building blocks of Core Values, Mission and Vision, you will continue to gain clarity and wisdom.
Recommended Reading
Discover Your Empowering Purpose
Live Your Life with More Meaning, Significance and Fulfillment
Empowering Purpose is a real game changer. If you’re looking for more direction, inspiration, motivation, determination and devotion, read this book, go through the exercises and watch your life catch fire.
