Take a sheet of paper lengthwise and make five columns. Label each column from left to right with these five headings:

· Off-Purpose Pattern
· Connection to Inherited Purpose
· Taking Responsibility for Inherited Purpose Actions
· Creating a New On-Purpose Pattern
· Implementation Action

Now, in the first column start a list of the patterns that you feel are based in fear, lack, or struggling to survive. You may want to work with the Be–Do–Have Model to see if you can identify different off-purpose patterns in each of the three areas of life.
For example, an off-purpose pattern that you identify in the Be aspect of life might be worrying about whether you will be able to pay your bills each month. Another one could be waking up feeling depressed anytime it is cloudy or raining outside. (These happen to be two that I’ve identified for myself.)

An off-purpose pattern in the Do section might be splurging at the mall whenever you feel stressed out, or isolating yourself whenever you feel like someone is getting too close to you.On the other hand, you may identify an off-purpose pattern in the Have section as having an overstock of books or new clothes. No wonder you feel overwhelmed trying to take care of all your stuff.

Obviously, as we have learned in previous chapters, there is often a close connection between the be patterns, the do patterns, and what you end up having in your life—in other words, your results. In fact, the most powerful way to conduct this process is by, no matter which area of life you first identify as having the off-purpose pattern, checking to see how it appears in the other two areas as well. For example, I might recognize that I often worry about paying my bills, especially at the beginning of the month. That’s occurring in the Be area of life. Then I look to see what actions, or in some cases, what lack of action takes place in the Do area of my life, and what do I end up having as a consequence.

Or I might notice that I have a surplus of books and clothes around my house. That’s the “having” aspect of a pattern, but what are the “doing” and “being” components? Well, I buy books and clothes without ever getting rid of the old ones. And why is that? Now, this can be tricky, because we often don’t want to tell the truth about the thoughts and emotions or feelings that shape our actions. Perseverance is important here and will pay off in large dividends because it’s at the level of our thoughts and feelings that we can effect the most profound changes.

When writing down your off-purpose patterns, be as specific as possible. Don’t just write down that you worry, but see if you can identify the patterns of what you worry about. Sure, there may have been times in your life that you have worried about almost everything, but what are the common patterns of your worrying?

Tomorrow, Making the Connection.