by Chris Kyle
A few days ago I wrote about the 3 Purpose Myths and shared with you the first Myth and how to bust through it.
If you missed Purpose Myth #1, go here to read it on our blog: Myth #1
The first myth is this: You can discover your purpose simply by thinking about it.
Now as we move a little further along the “purpose development” path we run into the second purpose myth.
Purpose Myth #2: Once your purpose is clear, you will naturally (and magically) overcome every hurdle and all obstacles without effort.
Let’s stretch the myth’s logic out a bit: the moment you get crystal clear on your purpose everything in your life immediately gets better and there are no more significant challenges, doubts or strife in your life. The clarity will bust through all of that.
That may seem way exaggerated, but it’s not far from the common belief in our modern western culture of the "quick fix" and/or the "magic pill."
So, finding your purpose from a personal development perspective could be seen as thatmagic elixir — “I’ve got my purpose in hand, now where are my just rewards… thank you very much”
The irony is that clarity of purpose helps you move through the challenges and obstacles and take the risks toward what really brings you alive. But at the heart of this myth is that part of us that really doesn’t want to (or doesn’t feel the need to) do the necessary work, internally and externally, to stay committed to our purpose path.
You may already know what that sabotaging, play-it-safe voice inside is saying: “It should just come to me naturally and without much effort; and if it’s too much work or risk then it’s probably not my purpose or my path.” That message, and the many variations of it, will pull you off course fast.
Busting Through Myth #2
The key to moving through this myth is understanding and activating a new kind of personal power in you to bring forth the necessary energy, conviction and creativity that helps you stay the course when the inevitable storms and problems come.
Tapping into this hidden power within you is the activating force of your purpose. It is your natural response system that helps you move through life’s unexpected challenges.
Being able to access this power source more fully requires you to go into the deepest fears, doubts and negative beliefs in your own heart and mind. Into the places that you don’t really want to look at — the vulnerable, messy or “ugly” places that are in the shadows.
So, it means becoming the hero of your own Hero’s Journey. Going into those dark places inside you, slaying the dragon (your own worst beliefs about yourself), and coming back into the world with new wisdom, clarity and confidence. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary.
Purpose Tool: The Hero’s Walk
This tool is simple, yet profound. Get out on the trail, in a park or on a sidewalk for a walk ALONE.
- Let your thoughts come to your body and it’s movement, to your breath and to the environment around you.
- Feel your feet in contact with the ground, notice the swing of your arms. Play with your stride and gait to bring your full attention to the sole purpose of walking.
- Your purpose in this moment is simply to WALK. That’s it.
- Now after a bit of this fully-present walking notice what thoughts arise from this place. Your thoughts will eventually intrude on your presence in the walk — what are you saying to yourself?
- The messages might be: “this is stupid, it’s just walkin,” or “If I go faster then I can catch the guy ahead of me,” or “I’m so out of shape; my body sucks.” And you may have positive, affirming thoughts too.
- Particularly pay attention to the negative beliefs or the self-criticisms about yourself, your Inner Bullies. These are the ones that do damage to your authentic power source.
Bringing these messages to your awareness is an important first step in reducing the power that they have over you and allowing new possibilities to arise. It opens the space to eventually invite potent affirming messages back into you as an antidote to the negativity bias in our brains.
In the Man On Purpose Course we go more deeply into the Inner Bully Archetypes and teach specific techniques for flipping the switch on the Inner Bullies to integrate them into a playful and harmless part of your personality that will aid in releasing more personal power. From there we focus on ‘taking in the good’ more consistently.
To your purpose,
Chris
P.S. George and I are holding a special Live Q&A Call on Thursday March 14th at 5:30 pm Pacific Time to answer all your questions about the upcoming 7-Week online course, which starts on March 19th. Mark you calendars now and we’ll be sending out dial-in and webcast info tomorrow.
Chris has trained and coached hundreds of individuals to achieve greater success in their businesses and their lives. In partnership with The ManKind Project®, he recently created The Power of Purpose Summit and the Man On Purpose online course. He is also the co-creator, with Amy Ahlers, of the ongoing tele-series, New Man, New Woman, New Life.
Chris is the former Chief Development Officer and Chief Marketing Officer at Evolving Wisdom LLC, an online learning company that produces virtual courses with leading luminaries in the personal development arena. At Evolving Wisdom he co-developed The Way of the Evolutionary Man tele-summit with host Craig Hamilton. Chris was an invited speaker for The Shift Network’s Ultimate Men’s Summit in 2011.
In addition to his leadership development work, Chris has spent over 24 years as an executive, entrepreneur, consultant and business coach, working in Fortune 500 companies and owning his own eco-adventure travel company. Chris graduated from Stanford University where he studied Political Science. He lives with his wife in Northern California.
– is a deeply personal issue that everyone decides for himself. Sometimes the price is high, sometimes low. But this is not very important for life. Life is an interesting thing. And the price on Viagra – too.
