Column four is where the fun really begins, because you have the opportunity to create new patterns that are consistent with your life purpose. Before starting this next step, be sure you are awake and present to your Created Life Purpose. The idea is not to simply write down a pattern that is the opposite of your Inherited Purpose, because that would mean that it is still arising from and being shaped by your Inherited Purpose.
Instead, being informed by the first columns, you will now create a new on-purpose pattern that arises from your Created Life Purpose. In other words, it will arise from and be based in universal unconditional love, a consciousness of abundance, and being in the flow of the Universe.
Take your time and feel free to create several possible on-purpose patterns for each off-purpose pattern. You can then choose which one calls to you most strongly.
Take Action
The last step is vitally important. Look to see how you can begin to integrate the on-purpose pattern into your life as you release the off-purpose pattern. At the same time, you can choose which pattern to begin. Don’t overdo it. Start with one set of patterns you want to change and pledge to work with it for at least the next thirty days before moving on to the next set of patterns.
Also, in the action column, make a note of what support structure you feel you will need to be successful in making the change. Support might include sharing your intentions with a loved one, a Purpose Partner, or your coach. You may also want to invite someone else to make these types of changes with you. We are often much better at keeping our commitments when we surround ourselves with others who are involved in the same process.
Getting Bumped off Purpose
If you have ever tried changing old habits and patterns, you already know that it is not always easy to make the changes. From time to time, you may find yourself slipping back to the old, off-purpose pattern or not being consistent with the new, on-purpose pattern.
Relax. It happens to the best of us. The main thing to remember is to not indulge yourself with an Inherited Purpose attack by feeling sorry for yourself or beating yourself up. That would simply mean more of your life being shaped by your Inherited Purpose. Instead, acknowledge the break, forgive yourself, appreciate yourself and the effort you are making, and then recommit to the new pattern. If you stray off purpose consistently, then it is likely that your support structure is insufficient. Look to see how you can fortify it and then take action to put the stronger support in place.
MOVE FROM CONFUSION TO CLARITY
This powerful, transformational power tool for living on purpose was excerpted from Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life, the first how-to manual to take individuals from confusion to clarity about life’s greatest question, Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life(EliteBooks, 2007).
“A gentle and heartfelt guide to the fundamentals of living a life rich in joy and contribution.Brad’s style is accessible and user-friendly, and his book a compendium of thought-provoking questions and deep convictions.” —Gregg Levoy, Author of Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life
