I constantly read up and learn from various mentors of mine because I know that “success leaves clues”. And one of the things that ALL my mentors as well as other “successful” people that I know of have in common is a clear sense of their life purpose – the reason “WHY”. They all take their time to identify, acknowledge, and honor their “WHY”… what they’re all here to do on earth… and pursue their “WHY” with passion and enthusiasm.

Wherever you are at in your life, I believe revisiting your “WHY” is a great exercise that should be done frequently. Being that it’s the first day of the new decade and all, I decided to do this exercise myself and I suggest you do the same. Here’s why…

Without getting clear on your “WHY”, it’s extremely easy to get sidetracked on your life’s journey… wandering and drifting… without accomplishing much.

What does “being on purpose” mean?

There are different ways of defining the phrase, but here’s the best description I’ve ever heard of:

“To be “on purpose” means you’re doing what you love to do, doing what you’re good at and accomplishing what’s important to you. When you truly are on purpose, the people, resources, and opportunities you need naturally gravitate toward you. The world benefits, too, because when you act in alignment with your true life purpose, all of your actions automatically serve others.”

Isn’t that awesome?

Do you have a clear “WHY” behind everything you do?

Your “WHY” is like a compass that can guide you, your goals and your actions. Without this compass, you may be pursuing goals and diligently following action plans that may not ultimately fulfill you. The last thing you want is to get to the top of the ladder only to find out you had it leaning up against the wrong wall.

Ok. So, here’s the exercise called “The Life Purpose Exercise” that I did for myself. I learned of this exercise from the book, The Success Principles by Jack Canfield (it’s on page 23 of the book). It’s a simple, 4-step exercise but is really powerful. After sharing the steps, I’ll share what I came up with.

The 4 steps goes like this:

1. List two of your unique personal qualities.
2. List one or two ways you enjoy expressing those qualities when interacting with others.
3. Assume the world is perfect right now. What does this world look like? How is everyone interacting with everyone else? What does it feel like? Write your answer as a statement, in the present tense, describing the ultimate condition, the perfect world as you see it and feel it.
4. Combine the three prior subdivisions of this paragraph into a single statement.

Pretty simple right?

Ok. Here’s what I got from going through the exercise.

1. passion to help others, patience
2. to empower, to inspire
3. everyone is enjoying abundance; everyone is joyous and having fun; everyone is working in harmony.
4. My purpose is to use my passion to help others and patience to empower and inspire them to live their highest self based in abundance, joy and harmony.

So… the end result is what you see on 4) which represents MY life purpose statement that expresses MY “WHY” which will serve as my compass, guiding and directing my behavior going forward.

Now, I’m sure I’ll be tweaking this in the future as I evolve as an individual (and I don’t even know if I did this exercise correctly as intended, but what the hell… it looks pretty good to me for now…).

I hope the above serves as a good reference for you and encourages you to take a stab at the exercise as well. I’m sure it will be worth your while and will help you in your life’s journey.

Wishing you nothing but success,

Hiro

P.S. – love to hear what you’ve got out of this exercise. leave a comment and let me know!

Do you put off your work for later, only to find your deadlines steadily creeping in? Then you, my friend, are one of the millions of people afflicted by the procrastination virus. Procrastination is the biggest reason for loss of productivity and late output. Though many would not admit it, they would benefit greatly if they start their work on time.

For many people, putting off their work for later is more habit than desire. It can be so hard to get into a groove where starting your tasks in a timely fashion is a priority, especially if the consequences for being late are things that one can probably bear.

If you are one of these people, yet you desire to shake off your propensity for procrastination, then you have come to the right place. Here are a few tips to help you overcome this dilemma and become a more productive and reliable person.

1. Set schedules - It is very important that you have a list of activities to accomplish per day. This will help you realistically budget your time and resources. One of the cardinal sins people commit in regards to performing their tasks is to put off their work because they feel like there is so much time left. A journal, organizer, or calendar of events will help you plan and schedule your task so that you can start them promptly and finish them on time.

2. Save the Vacation for Later – Many people put their work off for later saying, “I’ll just have a little fun then buckle down to work later.” While it may be true that they may have more than enough time to accomplish their tasks, it would be better if they finished their work first and relax afterwards.

Wouldn’t relaxation be sweeter if it were after a taxing job? If you choose to lay back and relax before doing your tasks, you will be more prone to burnout and will have nothing exciting left to look forward to after accomplishing a task. It is always better to have slack period AFTER a job than before one, especially considering that people are wont to overusing their slack time. This is suicide if you are heading towards a deadline.

3. Never Underestimate Your Tasks – Sometimes procrastination sets in because people underestimate the resources, difficulty, and time spent for a particular task. They will usually say, “It’s just mowing the lawn, its easy; I could do it in a jiffy.” The problem is, no matter how trivial the task, it still takes time and resources to accomplish. If you underestimate a task, you will most likely set too little time to do it and schedule it too close to its deadline.

4. Don’t Allow Yourself to Get Comfortable Doing Nothing - It would definitely help if you kept a subconscious alarm whenever you are doing nothing. Get this alarm to remind you of things that may need to be done. This will help you foster the notion that jobs accomplished now means more time for relaxation later. However, even if this is the case, do not forget to put ample time in for rest and to remove all thoughts of troubles before hitting the sack. The trick here, however, is not to overdo you rest. There is a difference between resting and idling. Always set the right amount of time for rest and stick to that schedule.

Wishing you nothing but success,

Hiro Kaneko
Internet Marketing Business Coach

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What do you really want in life?

Most people don’t discover what they want in life until it’s time to die – and that’s a shame.

Most people spend the best years of their lives watching television or doing things they dislike. An author described humanity by saying, “Most people die at twenty and are buried at eighty.” Are you one of the living zombies?

What do you really want in life?

Some people struggle in answering such question. When asked what they want or what their goals in life are, many are unsure. They dillydally in their decision, hardly giving any thought about what they want in life. People without definite goals are letting time pass them by. Are you one of these people?

If you are undecided about what you want out of life, do not worry.  There are many ways of discovering your purpose in life.

To discover what you want in life, try looking deep into your heart. Oftentimes, people are ruled by logic. People live by what they think they should be or by what others like them to be. The discovery process is the perfect time to listen to your heart. What your heart desires comes from the whispers of your authentic self. Your authentic self is the real you.

Listen to your heart to be able to listen to your authentic self. What your heart says usually feels right. What your heart desires is what you usually love to do and this represents your passion. Anything done with passion is like play where the task is accomplished without hesitation. You pour out your very best and feel no pressure or resistance.

You will totally enjoy doing things that are your passion. Setbacks, difficulties, and obstacles will make it more challenging, but should not deter you from pursuing your goals. Naturally, there may be barriers that may prevent you from reaching your goal, but your heart’s desire will find ways to overcome these barriers so that you may ultimately get what you want in life. Remember this: the universe supports people who are pursuing their passion and those who are pursuing their destiny.

However, this does not mean that you don’t use your head. People are born with both the mind and heart. Your duty is to live your best life and be in harmony with your mind and heart. The poet Rumi wisely said, “Live completely in the head and you cannot feel the breath and rhythm of life. Live completely in the heart and you may find yourself acting like a love-struck fool with poor judgment and discipline. It’s all a fine balance – the head and heart must forge a lifetime partnership if one wants to live a beautiful life.”

Listen to your instinct. Part of human nature is the mysterious and spontaneous reaction on things. Often times, these are called instincts. Your authentic self communicates with you and guides you via instincts. Instincts are those gentle nudges that urge you to act and follow a certain path. Your role then is to listen attentively.

Often times, we listen to what others say and allow them to run our lives. Parents often do this to their children. “We come from a family of doctors, so my son must also be a doctor.” How often do we hear this from parents who have good intentions for their children? Parents unconsciously block the true expression of their child’s real self and calling. Friends and critics will discourage you and point out the impossibility of your dream. Before heeding their advice, evaluate the accomplishments of the critics. Did they achieve theirs dreams? Do they dream big at all?

Remember, it is your destiny that is in line, not theirs. It doesn’t mean, though, that you will not listen to what other people say. Hear them out just the same. But the final decision should be yours.

There is only one thing to remember: Every person, to live truly and greatly, must define how he wants to live and what his or her brightest life will look like. Listen to your instincts and follow your heart’s desire. You will never go wrong.

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