Now that you have a written personal life purpose statement, you can use it to help you figure out the ‘whats’ of your life - like ‘what’ to do for a living. (That’s the first question most people have, and it’s usually the one thing that gets most in their way of figuring out their purpose.)

Let’s use me for an example, ok?

Here is a list of the ways I made a living before I figured out my life purpose:

1. computer programmer (job)
2. data processing manager (job)
3. Mary Kay consultant (self-employed)
4. capital budget analyst (job)
5. web programmer/analyst (job)
6. Melaleuca independent marketing executive (self-employed)
7. web designer/consultant (self-employed)

Now, here’s my personal life purpose statement:

• To use my experience, strength and hope to support and inspire others to live a life authentically their own, realize their potential, and leave their mark on this world in a way that is meaningful to them.

Here’s the list of the ways I make a living now that I know my life purpose:

1. Melaleuca independent marketing executive (self-employed)
2. web designer/consultant (self-employed)
3. substitute teacher (contract employee)
4. life coach/writer/speaker (self-employed)

Notice what’s dropped off the list? All that programming and accounting yuck! The three things left on my list relate directly back to my life purpose statement, in some form or fashion. Let’s look at that:

#1 - this is my network marketing business I started back in 2000. What I love about it is (not surprisingly) I have the opportunity to support others through the coaching and mentoring aspect of network marketing, which also allows me to help them realize their potential and leave their mark in a way that is meaningful to them. The downside is, that’s not (directly) how you make money with that kind of a business. So, it fits, not directly, but it fits. That’s why I still do it.

#2 - this is my web design business I started in 2003, after I got laid off from WorldCom. My clients are entrepreneurs pursuing their life purpose, and I get to use my experience and creativity to support them and help them realize their potential through creating and maintaining a web presence for them. And I’m definitely a part of them leaving their mark, at least where the web is concerned. So, once again, it fits my life purpose, even a little more closely than #1.

#3 - I substitute teach in the public school system because now that I’m self-employed - I can! I definitely get to put my experience, strength and hope to good use supporting and inspiring the kids to realize their potential - and you can bet it’s NOT the money! Teacher pay sucks! But I love teaching so much that if I could make the kind of living I want to make as a teacher, Learning Curve Coaching probably would not exist. But I can’t, so I substitute because I can fit it in around everything else I do and I can make a difference there.

But this #4? - Learning Curve Coaching? Oh Baby! It’s a perfect fit!! It is exactly what I am supposed to be doing for a living because coaching (and writing and speaking as a part of coaching) allows me to do EVERYTHING expressed in my life purpose statement!

And no surprise here: It brings me JOY.

Are there other things I could be doing that would also be a manifestation of my life purpose statement? Probably so! And if they show up in my life, betcha dollars to donuts, they’ll be added to my list. And you know what else? There is every likelihood they WILL show up - why? Because I am living my purpose and when you do that, you tend to attract even more ways to live your purpose!

Now, it took me years to find my purpose and find a way to earn a living at it (and the courage to pursue it!) It would have taken me a LOT LESS time if I had not been asleep at the wheel of my life for soooo darn long. And once I ‘woke up’, it took some time for me to make the changes necessary to move my life in the direction of my dreams. It was WORK!

But you know what I’ve since found out? When you do work that you love, that is aligned with your purpose - it doesn’t feel like work anymore. It feels like play and it brings me joy.

And that, my friends, is why I’m here. That’s why we’re ALL here: to live our joy.