Compliments of Earthwatcher via Flickr

As for me, I lost everything: my wife, my book, my job, everything that I thought was important. But I finally knew where I wanted to go. [The Wonder Boys].

In class I discuss the plight of low self-esteems, and their tendency to be talked into professions that don’t mirror their strengths. This turn of events becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when they perform poorly, and their shaky self-image erodes further. If they channeled all their abilities into their passion I think you would see a dramatic spike in their self-confidence.

Similarly, we allow our efforts to be diverted when (1) we “try to be nice;” (2) we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings, or (3) we subordinate our authentic requests. Each time this happens our embers fade, and we end up searching for our dream in a dimly lit room. Others are unable to see our resplendence when it’s covered with the demands of someone else, or with the tug of the almighty dollar. Individualism and courage (the types that enable us to throw caution to the wind), are what propel us to new heights.

Today, consider what feels right (and conversely, what activities seem tedious). If you discarded everything in which your heart wasn’t present, you would experience a sense of relief, exhilaration, and possibility that would pervade your entire being. The unimaginable would unfold before you like a wide open road – a clear pathway to your best life.

Don’t let the expectations of another (or short term greed) determine your everyday agenda. People standing to the sidelines are not responsible for your life’s work. Channeling intuitive insight is only possible when we simultaneously live the dream – when there is no contradiction in what we wish to do, and in what we’re actually doing. Unlimited potential is not housed in a straightjacket of ill-fitting obligation. Therefore focus – both internal and external – allows you to give a topic your white hot attention. It’s your personal version of the triple Lutz.

Focus provides a clearing in the forest of your thoughts. You see everything in a different perspective, that which is meant for your good. All of a sudden you know where to go, and you know how to get there. The seas part and your path is clearly visible. Consequently, people who have found their true calling are fierce competitors.

Make a list of all the activities which you feel divert your focus; then try to eliminate as many as possible. Later, bask in the glow of finding your purpose.