I’ve spent the last several days contemplating what would be a valuable Purposeful Pact to take in my own life, and I’ve found just the pondering process to be valuable. One thought I had was to resume a more regular schedule of meditation. And as I’ve considered it, I’ve found myself meditating more often, even without making a Pact.

So, I’ll probably continue that practice but I don’t think it’s what I want to take on as a Purposeful Pact.

I’ve thought it would be fun and beneficial if I were to combine a few of the other Power Tools to demonstrate to myself and others how they can be ‘mixed and matched’ for added benefit.

I’ve recently had the insight that I have some pretty unhealthy ‘Off Purpose Patterns’ in the area of money and finance. This shouldn’t be all that surprising given my early childhood years when my dad died very suddenly from a massive heart attack at the age of only 43. Not expecting to die that young, he left his wife and two young sons with no real savings or even life insurance.

This resulted in our really struggling to make ends meet for years. In fact, pretty much from the age of 7 to at least 17 when I finally went away to college, our finances were always precarious at best, and it shows in my Inherited Purpose statement: “I have to be smart and know all the answers (or pretend that I do), and I have to work really, really hard just to get ahead so I won’t be poor and so people won’t leave me.”

So, the truth be known, it doesn’t take much to spark an Inherited Purpose attack when it comes to money and finance. And unexpected bill, a downturn in cash flow, even one of my family members simply dreaming about something that I perceive will cost a lot of money. Any of these things and a couple dozen other things can set my Inherited Purpose off.

So, I’m in the process of delving into this further by using the Power Tool of Off Purpose and On Purpose Patterns, to really take on this recurring issue. (For more on this Power Tool, see my book LIFE ON PURPOSE: Six Passages to an Inspired Life http://www.wbradfordswift.com/lop/amazonlopbook)

And while I’m not quite ready to declare what my Purposeful Pact will be, I plan to make one that will begin to replace some aspect of this Off Purpose Pattern and replace it with a healthier, On Purpose Pattern, and to focus on this during the month of August, which is right around the corner.

So, stay tuned. I’m about to make this ‘yecky’ part of my life quite public. My palms are already sweating, but on the plus side, I’ve shared these thoughts with my family — with Ann and Amber, and they are cheering me on. Why wouldn’t they? They’re the ones that often receive the brunt of my Inherited Purpose outbursts.

NOTE: Let me repeat my challenge to you. Won’t you join me in the month of August with your own Purposeful Pact, and let’s all share how they enhance our lives on the Living & Working On Purpose Blog at http://www.lifeonpurposeblog.com. Who’s ready to play?