Find Your True 2021 Purpose! | Jack Canfield

At this time of year, there's usually a lot of talk around doing your annual planning for the year ahead. And sitting down and creating a plan for the year ahead is an extremely valuable thing to do. And I want to encourage you to do it, because when you get crystal clear on what you want your next year to look like, it's going to be so much easier for you to bring your vision to life. But this year, I want to encourage you to think about your annual planning a little bit differently instead of just thinking about your goals and the actions you're going to take every month to achieve those goals. And I would like you to start by first clarifying your purpose, because when you're clear on what your purpose is, and then you choose your goals to align with and fulfill your purpose, you're going to find it much easier to reach those goals. You know, I found that when I'm clear on my purpose and I align all of my activities to achieve that purpose, my life works really well. And when I get involved in projects that are not aligned with that purpose and things don't go all that well, and having worked with hundreds of thousands of people over the past 50 years, I have found that the same has been true for my students and for my clients. I think the reason is that we're all here with an inborn purpose, something we're here to contribute to the world or to express or to learn. And when we're working in alignment with that purpose, our path is easier. There's more flow, there's more synchronicity, more support, more what seem like miracle moments. Unfortunately, most people are not aware that they were born with a purpose. And so they don't invest the time and the energy to discover what their purpose is. And it's not something we're taught in school. Now, some people are fortunate in that they seem to have an innate knowledge of what that purpose is. From a young age, they trust themselves, they follow their heart, and they pursue what they're most attracted to and what brings them the most joy. We all know the stories of the musicians and singers who knew early on that they wanted to create and entertain. We see the videos of them when they were younger on the backstories of their contestants on TV shows like the Voice and American Idol. We read about them and they tell the stories in their childhood in People magazine and when being interviewed on talk shows. The same is true for kids into science, math, and inventing things. While still in middle school or high school, we see the childhood prodigies in the arts and in sports. But unfortunately, most of us didn't get the support and the reinforcement for our innate abilities and interests. When we were children, many of us were talked out of pursuing our purpose and our passions by usually well meaning parents and other adults guiding us to do things that they were more familiar with or that they thought were more practical. And the result is that way too many people are living according to someone else's expectations for them and are working in jobs or fulfilling roles in life that don't ultimately leave them feeling happy and fulfilled. I want more than that for you. So I've dedicated my life and my work to helping people discover their purpose and and then build lives and careers and businesses that lead to the fulfillment of that purpose and therefore to a happy and meaningful life. Now, with that in mind, I'd like to walk you through an exercise I often teach in my Breakthrough to Success trainings to help people gain deeper clarity around their purpose. And make sure you have a pen and paper handy because you're going to need it to do this exercise. All right, so let's do it now. First, I want you to answer this question. If you were to think of two qualities that you love expressing in the world, what would they be? How would your friends answer that question about you as well? And by qualities, I mean things like enthusiasm, joy, love, peace, creativity, understanding, compassion, faith, optimism, strength and confidence, courage, leadership, passion, playfulness, wisdom, and curiosity. For example. For me, my two are love and joy. So what two qualities do you most enjoy expressing in the world and that you would like to focus more on in the coming year? You might want to take some time to think deeply about this, but once you're clear, write down the two qualities that you feel are most important to you on your paper. As I said, you can also ask your friends and family to tell you what they think there are too. Now, after you've done that, what I want you to do is ask yourself, what are the two ways you most enjoy expressing these qualities in your life? Do you enjoy expressing those qualities by teaching? Writing books, creating art, using your computer skills, making music, entertaining people, making people laugh, coaching people, healing, working in nature, organizing people or projects? Maybe it's managing people or designing, building, filming, editing, all kinds of things. So make sure to write down the two ways that you most love to express those qualities. And remember, it's just a first draft. You can always edit this over the next few days as you think more deeply about it, as you meditate on it, or as you ask for feedback from other people. Now for me, my two ways are inspiring people and empowering people. Inspiring people by sharing stories of people who've lived their dreams and overcome obstacles, made a difference in their life, created fulfilling relationships and successfully navigated the challenges of life. You know, all the Chicken Soup for the Soul books are an example of that. And I empower people by the success principles books I write, the courses I create, the trainings I conduct in, the coaching programs I lead, in, the videos I create. Like the one you're watching now. Once you've decided your two favorite and most fulfilling ways of expressing your two most dominant qualities, take a few minutes to write a description of what the world would look like if it were working perfectly. According to you, that might be something like everyone is taking 100% responsibility for creating their own happiness. Or everyone is living an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Or everyone is treating each other, no matter who they are, with compassion and respect, or people are playing and having lots of fun. Or everyone is living a healthy, non toxic lifestyle. Or people everywhere are operating from a position of love rather than fear and greed. Now, for example, in my perfect world, everybody is living their highest vision, which means they're following their own inner guidance. They're expressing what they see as their truth, doing what they most love to do, and living their most heartfelt dreams. So think about what that perfect world looks like and feels like for you. And when you're clear, then you write that down. And then after that, the final step is to combine all three of these things. Your two unique qualities that you most enjoy expressing, the two ways you most enjoy expressing them, and your vision of what the ideal world would look like if it were perfect according to you, into one statement. For example, my life purpose is inspiring and empowering people to live their highest vision in a context of love and joy. And this has been my purpose for many, many years. And it's also what I plan to focus on fully living in the year ahead. So staying true to this purpose gives me the direction, the motivation, and the determination I need to keep me focused no matter what life may throw at me in the months to come. So go ahead and take time today and combine your three answers to the questions we just discussed into your personal and and your professional purpose statement for 2021. And as I said, give yourself permission to sit with it for a few days, play around with it, craft it into your purpose statement that will keep you focused, inspired and motivated no matter what happens to you in the year ahead. And once you're clear on your purpose, you're going to find it much easier to set goals that align with that purpose and that will result in the true fulfillment that you're seeking. Now, you've probably heard the phrase, you don't want to get to the top of the ladder and find out the ladder was leaning against the wrong wall. Well, you see, when your goals come from the needs of your ego rather than from your deeper or your higher self, you're going to end up achieving them. But you probably won't feel the level of fulfillment and contentment that you want. In my experience is that when your goals are aligned with your purpose, they're much easier to achieve. It's as if the universe lines up to help them come true because they're more in alignment with your true nature and what the world really needs from you. So once you have your purpose, I encourage you to use it as your inner guidance system and to get from where you are to where you want to be. And just like a GPS system in your car, you can use your purpose to help you know what to say yes to and what to say no to. And if something doesn't align with your purpose or bring you closer to your ideal life, you want to spend as little time and energy on it as possible. And always remember that living your life on purpose still takes work. Even the most gifted musician still has to practice. But the work should feel natural and enjoyable, like rowing downstream rather than upstream for example. I love teaching, I love writing, coaching, speaking, creating courses and leading workshops. And I love to bring other people who do the same kind of work together for masterminds and conferences to share ideas and co create new approaches to our work. And I enjoy doing these things. But it's still work. I've had to invest many years in learning how to develop the tools and master the skills of my profession, but I've loved every minute of it. So remember that when you're experiencing joy in what you do, that's feedback telling you you're on course that you're doing something that is fulfilling your true purpose. And when you're unhappy and suffering, that's feedback. It's telling you that what you're doing is off course and moving you away from your purpose. So if you find yourself consistently in pain, being unhappy, being miserable, or struggling, if you dread going to work every day, try. Trust me, it's a sign that you aren't living your purpose and it's time to follow your heart and begin to pursue the work you truly long to do and the life you want to live. But also remember this. You don't have to overhaul your whole life all at once. Don't do anything self destructive. Instead, start by making small changes that bring your life into greater alignment with your purpose. And keep doing that one step after another and then again at a pace that works for you until you eventually get to where you want to be. Now you may have to learn some new skills, partner up with some new people, take some new risks, and maybe even go back to school to get a new degree or some credential to pursue your dream. But whatever it takes, know that you can ultimately be living a life of purpose and fulfillment. Just keep following your joy and moving toward what you are attracted to do now. If you found this video helpful, please make sure to like it, share it with a friend who may need it, and subscribe to my channel for more videos like this one, and for additional resources on how to find your purpose and live your purpose, visit jackcampfield.com and make sure to check out the links in the description below and also let me know what you think in the comments. And finally, thanks again for watching.