“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
From the Preamble of the Declaration of Independence
What is ‘life’ as an unalienable right? I believe it’s more than what we’ll find in the dictionary — 1 a: the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body.
I mean there’s life at the level of surviving and then there’s life at the level of thriving, and a lot of space in between. I think our forefathers meant that we have the right not only to survive but to thrive in our life. And that will look and feel different for each of us, which leads naturally to the second ‘unalienable right’ of:
LIBERTY
the quality or state of being free: a: the power to do as one pleases b: freedom from physical restraint c: freedom from arbitrary or despotic control.
Liberty means having the freedom to live as we please, as long as our living doesn’t harm those around us. But to do this takes courage. I have found that knowing one’s true life purpose can provide us with that courage. The courage to live an unconventional life if we choose. When we develop this courage, we’re free — free not to try to live up to the Joneses. Free to design our lives to be consistent with our core values, our vision for what’s possible, and the very essence of who we are as spiritual beings.
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
How are we doing with realizing that last “inalienable right,” the “pursuit of Happiness?” According to a recent article, entitled No Satisfaction: Why What We Have May Never Be Enough that appeared in the Wall Street Journal, we’re not doing very well:
“As a country, we are richer than ever. Yet surveys show that Americans are no happier than they were 30 years ago. The key problem: We aren’t very good at figuring out what will make us happy.
We constantly hanker after fancier cars and fatter paychecks — and, initially, such things boost our happiness. But the glow of satisfaction quickly fades and soon we’re yearning for something else.”
According to some experts “We aren’t built to be happy. Rather, we are built to survive and reproduce. We wouldn’t be here today if our ancestors didn’t struggle mightily to protect and feed their families. The promise of happiness, meanwhile, is just a trick to jolly us along.”
I reject this notion. Perhaps in our earlier evolution and development, life was mostly about surviving and reproducing, but life continues to unfold and evolve. I believe we are now ready to move beyond this level of subsistence, and are ready to claim our ‘unalienable right’ to not only pursue happiness but to capture it, hold on to it, wallow in it and get ourselves thoroughly blissed out on it.
To do this we need to stop looking for happiness in all the wrong places. Happiness is not out there in the world somewhere. Life our life purpose, it’s an inner game. In fact, the key to happiness is to first know who you are and what you are here as a spiritual being to be and to experience. In other words, it starts with knowing your life purpose with crystal clarity.
THE PURPOSEFUL PATH
I’m excited to announce that we have a new way for you to step upon the purposeful path that leads to clarity of purpose and your ability to design your own life on purpose.
This past week, I completed the audio book version of Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life. It’s over 9 hours of downloadable MP3 audio that you can download to your computer and/or MP3 players and listen in the car or wherever you choose. I want to make is as easy and as convenient as possible for you to clarify your purpose. It’s simply too important to put it off. After all, let’s not just pursue happiness, let’s capture it, and experience it each day of our life.
Take advantage of our Special Audiobook Launch Price and order your copy today by CLICKING HERE.
