When I woke up this morning, I felt a great sense of achievement for all of the stuff that I have achieved this weekend (all connected with my goals). Despite all of the good stuff, I had a sense of something but couldn’t put my finger on it. I guess it’s because just recently, as you do at the turn of the year, I have been wondering more about this whole thingy of what life is all about.
What am I here to do?
My mission, purpose, the reason for being – my IKIGAI, and why has morphed greatly with the past few years’ events. While I adore my alone time, one thing I haven’t been able to find is a community that feels like a safe, sacred space that also offers opportunities for personal growth. So, I decided to create one – Learning To Fly.
I found myself needing to create something where I could be of greater service to others. I believe that we are all creators, and by getting in the driving seat and connecting with our passions, we can live a life that has a greater sense of purpose and meaning.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to start to know what we want to create for ourselves and the wider community (or even the world).
Having a passion project is a great start. This may or may not be connected with your job or business. But whatever it is it can help build your personal brand and helps you to become visible and reach others – because people get to know a different side of you.
We can spend endless hours pondering the meaning of life and our place in it or start doing things that fill our hearts and souls.
I have spent many hours pondering, journaling, reading books, being in spiritual circles, and meditating, I don’t really know what came before or what comes after. One of the benefits of all of this is that I know myself better and have learned a lot.
Pause and ask. How does pondering the meaning of life influence your daily choices or outlook on future plans?
What is something you could start?
I have a fertile imagination and a strong belief, which helps keep me grounded, and I truly believe that there is some purpose to all of this. Though sometimes and more in recent times, I do wonder… I think there is more to life than meets the eye. I am an adventurer in the sense of the inner adventure, and I want to know what’s out there as much as the next person.
What if, for a moment, we allowed ourselves the luxury of knowing why we came.
Here’s the deal: before we come to inhabit our host body, our soul gets to choose what they are going to do and be. Imagine you (as a soul, whatever that looks like) sitting at a big computer in your soul office at the Soul Place, skimming the options.
You chat to a few soul mates, sign a few soul contracts and say, ‘Hey guys, see you on the other side for a bit of chaos, fun and whatever.’
After you create your magical life combination, you pop over to the soul tube, and wham, you are in amniotic fluid and waiting for departure.
At this point your memory is wiped, you are in the body space, and it’s time to work out the meaning of your life.
Since we begin with nothing and end with nothing, the in-between (our lives) can be seen as a blank canvas. This perspective aligns intriguingly with existentialist philosophy, which posits that life inherently lacks a predetermined meaning, and it is up to each of us to create our own purpose.
It encourages us to ask: If we truly start and end with nothing, what do we wish to fill the space of our lives with? This is a liberating concept, as it implies that our purpose is not something to be found or given but something to be created according to our own values and desires. What do you think?
So with nothing to lose, let’s get on with it, shall we?
So, you are here on Earth. You can’t remember your life purpose. There’s a limited amount of time before the rubbish body you’ve been given expires.
It’s a rubbish body because you’ve forgotten that you are supposed to look after it, and someone else’s life purpose (the viruses) is to tempt you with sugar, tobacco, alcohol, drugs and Big Macs. You are not in control, and the host body is leading you astray…
Limited time, rubbish body, wicked viruses, searching for the meaning of life… It’s all quite exhausting, isn’t it?
Come on, let’s make the best of it, shall we?
In the context of the quote, since we have nothing to lose, why not present the most genuine version of ourselves? Indeed, why not?
Life purpose = living life with a sense of purpose, doing every day what you love, what brings you joy and is connected to your passion and making sure that before you expire, you have a ball in whatever way you can.
Sure, some of it is crap, but that is behind you. Let’s draw a line in the sand, put the rubbish stuff in a bin bag and put it out for the bin man (bin = trash).
The past is for reference, not a place to dwell. When you return to the Soul Place, you can watch your Earth holiday movies, just laugh at your antics, and I am sure all of your soul buddies will have done some cringe-worthy stuff too.
So here is your invitation to embrace the freedom that comes with our impermanence, to craft our own life purpose, to be authentic in how we present ourselves to the world, and most importantly, to prioritise joy in our lives. By recognising that we have nothing to lose, we might find the freedom to fully embrace and enjoy the life we have.
The Golden Egg exercise
Now imagine you are standing with a line in front of you.
It’s the meaning of lifeline, your life. Take your faith in whatever form that has meaning for you and look along the line. At the end is a huge golden egg, that is my gift to you. You can put anything you like in it, anything.
I can’t promise that you can have it all. I cannot gift you the red Porsche, a house on the hill overlooking the sea, or $1 million in the bank, but I can gift you the personal permission to hold a picture in your head of what you want for yourself and what gives you a sense of purpose.
Pause and ask. What are the moments that made you question the meaning of life recently? Or Describe the feelings and thoughts that come to mind when you ponder about life. What do you want? What will you put in your golden egg?
Humans need to remember to live each day in the present moment (I know it’s a tough one sometimes). We need to know that there is purpose and meaning and something to work towards, so mix that up in whatever way that works for you.
When you have all of these things, feel into why, feel the energy of your decisions and the responses your body is giving you.
Pause and ask. As you wonder about life, notice how your body reacts to these thoughts. Are there any physical sensations or emotions that accompany these reflections?
Go back to the beginning of your line and survey it. You are looking for the not-so-great stuff.
Next, gather up anything that feels off and shove it in a rubbish bag. You can toss it out or burn it later. And breathe…
Pause and ask. What went in and why? How will you make sure that it won’t bite you on the bum again?
I don’t know about you, but I am feeling relieved already that my rubbish is out for the bin men and that I have a golden egg stuffed full of love, laughter, light, and things that are meaningful to me and right by my side are my gorgeous soul family, the ones that I was supposed to find. I know sometimes finding your soul group is a tough one. Is there a reason we make it so hard?
Past behind me, golden egg in front of me, living life on purpose, living in the moment, line in front of me, and knowing the meaning of my life, now what?
Your personal brand, of course
We now need to consider how we express all of your gorgeousness to the people out there.
What is a personal brand?
Developing a personal brand is partly about discovering what brings you joy and fulfilment and then envisioning how those things can be translated into how you can inspire and impact others while loving what you do and who you are. And, of course, taking action and showing up.
Your brand should truly reflect who you are, not just a persona you think others expect. This authenticity fosters trust and credibility, both with yourself and others.
Your personal brand, however, also exists in the minds of others in the way they perceive, think, and feel about you. It’s important to remember that your personal brand is not what you think it is but what others perceive it to be. It is up to you to understand what makes you, you.
Personal branding begins with self-discovery. Understanding your core values, passions, and what truly motivates you is essential. This involves introspection and may require stepping out of your comfort zone to explore new areas of life.
Consistency in your actions, messages, and presenting yourself helps solidify your brand. This doesn’t mean you can’t evolve or change; rather, it’s about maintaining a consistent core message and values. This is how we build trust.
I’ll cover more about personal branding as an inner journey in another article and expand on this in the context of purpose.
Back in the Soul Place…
So, back in the Soul Place, and you are waiting to catch the tube to Earth, you need to find a way so that your soul group, the rock band that you belong to, can instantly recognise you. You program in your personal brand.
One last look to make sure you have your life purpose, the journey mapped out – the meaning of your life and your personal brand – your soul group identity so your mates can find you, and it’s off for the adventure of a lifetime. Sunglasses, sun cream and a good book, you are off!
Despite the silliness of this blog, there is a serious message.
We don’t really know what came before or what comes after; all we know is now, and I want now to be a place where I have a life I love, live and work with people I love, and control my personal brand.
Everything I do and how I am is connected with my heart and from a place of love, kindness and compassion.
Personal brand is how you know what I stand for and who I am. It is my identity, my visual representation of everything I say and do. It’s how you will know if we are right for each other.
I’d like to think that we are a match made in heaven.
See you back at the Soul Place, the party is at mine. Bring your smiles and hold onto your bellies. I think we may be laughing a lot!
Grab your Exploring Purpose e-book. It’s less silly than this blog and has some great questions.
Join me for The Wheel Of Life Workshop, where we will consider creating a sense of purpose by aligning our goals with what is meaningful.