Monday Morning Momentum™
Are we
doing as much as we can with the life we have been given? Are we using our natural given talents to a
good end? Are we making a difference
with our work? Is this what we were meant
to do with our lives? Or directly said,
“What’s the point? Why are we here?”
These
questions have been asked for thousands of years. The way the question is phrased varies, but
the meaning is the same. Our quest is
universal.
Knowing our
purpose, or our calling, and living it, increases our happiness. Yale psychology researcher Amy Wresniewski and
others have also discovered in their research that living our calling leads to
superior work performance and career success.
Some of us,
throughout our lives, have actively sought the answer to the question, “What is
our calling?” We have thought about it for
as long as we can remember. Others have pondered
this question less often. But, when we
experience disruptions in our lives, we all ask the question.
Today’s
global economic crisis is that disruption.
It is causing us to reflect. When
we lose our jobs, or our salaries are cut or frozen, or our work roles are
significantly changed, the question of what we are doing with our lives becomes
more urgent.
If you are at
or near this defining moment, you are looking at one of the most important
opportunities of your life. The question
then becomes, “What do you do next?” You
can follow my “7 Step LIFE Calling Plan™” to get started.
(1) Write down the things you have frequently dreamed of
doing with your life if given the chance.
Write down which of those interests have inspired you the most and would
give you the greatest satisfaction if you pursued them.
(2) Write
down the expenses you must absolutely maintain in your life, and which ones
could be reduced or eliminated. Be
creative. You want as much financial room
as possible to maneuver into your new, more meaningful, but potentially less
lucrative path (at least in the short term)?
(3) Write
down the additional expenses you would likely incur on your new path. Do you need additional education, training,
or coaching to pursue your calling?
(4) Write
down five to ten of the most successful people in your domain of interest. Buy their books, listen to their CDs, read
their articles, follow their blogs…do anything to learn from them.
(5) Write
down everyone you know who does anything related to your interest. Write down when you will contact them to
learn more about what they do, and what advice they could give you.
(6) Pick up
your calendar, and choose four days when you can be alone or with a loved
one. Break from your normal routine and
environment. You can stay in a hotel,
motel, hostel, or the home of a friend or family member. Use this time to fully explore what your life
would be like if you pursued your dream.
How could you make it work? What
would you have to do?
Take the
time to sketch out an ambitious plan.
Then make sure to draw out a similarly bold timeline, but infuse it with
realism. You must consider the
commitments you have, and the ones you will need to modify – or give up – in
order to determine what you can do, when, and how quickly.
(7) Finally,
when you return from your time away, write down the reasons you are excited
that you are pursing your passion. And
then, start each day offering thanks for the freedom you have to choose what
you do every day. Immerse yourself in
the vision of your best possible life.
The time to
act is now. You are on a mission; you
have accepted the challenge of your calling.
You will not get there overnight, but you will make it happen. Nineteenth century British Prime Minister,
Benjamin Disraeli, said it best: “The
secret of success is constancy of purpose.”
Copyright
2009 David J. Pollay
Invite
your family and friends to join you
If you want
your family, friends, and colleagues to join us on our Monday Morning Momentum™
journey, send this post along to them.
Have a
great week!
Best to
you,
David
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remember you can sign up for my newsletter, Momentum
Minutes™, right here.
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David J. Pollay
is the creator of The Law of the Garbage
Truck™. He is a
syndicated columnist with the North Star Writers Group,
creator and host of The Happiness Answer™ television program, and an
internationally sought after speaker.
David’s book, The Law of
the Garbage Truck™, is due out later this year. You can find out about the No Garbage Trucks!
mission at www.thelawofthegarbagetruck.com.
David is the founder and president of the
consulting and seminar organization, The Momentum Project. He is also a founding associate executive
director of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA).
If you want to reprint one of David’s columns, email [email protected]. Here’s David’s full bio.
You can sign
up for David’s MO Minutes Newsletter here.
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