Webinar Notes: Tuning Into Your Calling

Notes taken during a webinar hosted by Sarah Rozenthuler and the Scientific And Medical Network, my 20th or so SMN webinar. At the end of this post I begin exploring what my purpose really is - something that's always evolving. I've been going back and forth whether I should publish webinar notes to this blog, but I think I will, and may upload notes of past webinars eventually.

The pandemic has certainly caused many/most people to ask "why?" - "why am I doing x" or "why does x matter"

“The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.”
— Michelangelo

The Great Resignation

"Purpose creates an uplift in wellbeing and performance"

"How to help people in their day-to-day work link with their sense of purpose"

What does purpose mean to you? (me)
- useful/fulfilling application of skills & talents which generates happiness and contributes positively in the world
- learn and apply lessons, benefit one's community
- Roger: "to accomplish idealized conditions of existence for all persons I am connected with such that they are beneficiated."
- Diana: "Being centered in essence and not ego."
- Stefan: “Purpose is my unique way to make this world a beautiful, happy place.”
- Chris: "Our purpose is our own unique goal that we plan to attain in this lifetime while observing the natural principles that describe Divine Love. It is a set of actions; a directional path of intent we desire to pursue for the expansion, growth and evolution of our own consciousness."

Defining personal purpose
A meaningful and enduring reason to exist that:

A. enables you to earn a living
B. is intrinsically enjoyable
C. makes a difference to others (human or non-human)

Individual reflection
- How would you rank these three elements? Why?
- Is there a 'D' for you?

others' D's:
- D. Gives a meaning to my life
- D: Provides scope for personal development or growth
- D) for me: makes me feel more alive and connected to life or God.
- My D would have to do with spirituality. Carrying out the Soul's purpose for example

Roger: "A personal purpose harnesses and allows the directing of one's spiritual Life-Force . . . and it from this basic that all else can follow."

I like what Eckhart Tolle says:
“You are here to enable the divine purpose of the Universe to unfold. That is how important you are!”

Diana: "At 81 I look back on having followed purpose all my life. At one time, after founding The Inside Edge, I gave parties where people were invited to show up as who they would be in 5 years. Dr. Susan Jeffers was there and had not yet written a book. She showed up with 3 mock books and said she'd just returned from her 3rd NY Times bestseller. She actually did that, starting with “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.” "

---

How to uncover an authentic purpose?

"To change the world's mind about God" - Neale Donald Walsch ("prolific author")

his purpose in 7 words. how can I do that? what is my purpose?

---

What is a 'beneficiary'?

- Your team members if you're a team leader
- Your customers if you work in a call centre
- Your patients if you work in a healthcare organisation
- Animals and plants if you work in such professions

Organisational Purpose Diamond - Beneficiaries
- Founding purpose: What the founders created the organisation to do
- Espoused purpose: The articulated purpose of the organisation
- Lived purpose: The purpose that the organisation currently embodies, regardless of what it says it is doing
- True/authentic/compelling purpose: The best future potential of the organisation

Personal Purpose Diamond - Beneficiaries
- Inherited purpose: The purpose given to you by your family of origin - what others expect you to do
- Constructured purpose: Your articulated purpose - what you say you're about
- Lived purpose: What you are currently embodying, regardless of what you say you're doing
- True/authentic purpose: Your best future potential that brings a sense of aliveness

Benefits of an authentic purpose:
- Flow
- Optimism and hope
- Motivation
- Orientation
- Resilience
- Self-esteem
- Lowers psychological discord / psychic entropy

Six varieties of purpose
• Survival purpose – satisfying basic needs (yours and your children’s) for food, shelter, safety and security
• Pre-existing purpose – aligning with a belief system or religion or affiliation to a club/group
• Personal-accumulative purpose – achieving more wealth, status, success or power
• Altruistic/idealistic purpose – improving or contributing to society, alleviating suffering
• Self-expansive purpose – uncovering and expressing your potential through creativity, intellectual growth or spiritual development
• Transpersonal purpose – becoming a channel for a purpose which flows through you

"Guidance encourages us to muster courage and take risks"

---

First breakout room:

1. How do you perceive your purpose?
2. In which of the six categories would you place it (or in none of them)?
3. How has your purpose evolved beyond what your parents/ancestors/main caretakers expected of you?

Use the "Six varieties of purpose" above


Second breakout room:

1. What do you feel drawn to? Where do you feel a sense of ‘this is me’? With whom? Doing what?
2. In what way is the future ‘whispering’ to you?
3. How could you inject more joy, meaning and creativity into your life/work/retirement?

---

So, what is MY purpose? Still figuring it out, and it'll always be evolving.

general fantasy idea that circulates my mind: usher in a solarpunk atlantis?

channel and materialize the creativity & inventiveness of my soul/spirits? save the reefs? share my stories to inspire others? channel divine inspiration? share stories, channel & materialize inspiration, serve others? To use my God-given talents/abilities in service to others while providing personal fulfillment. To develop & evolve the soul. To have a humbling human experience and transmute darkness to light to raise global consciousness. I had a professional astrological "vocational report” done for me which really illuminated my innate talents & “soul” purpose.

Perhaps my purpose is multifacted and could be broken down 6 ways:

- Transpersonal purpose: perform the works of God / channel divine inspiration / align with my higher self / follow my heart & gut

- Self-expansive purpose: understand and express my Self in the Flow state / through creative endeavors & industriousness

- Altruistic/idealistic purpose: share my story of addiction & darkness to help others, help save the reefs, help steer society in a positive direction locally and perhaps through software/technology, rise to servant leadership if called upon

- Personal-accumulative purpose: not driven by material wealth & power but to acquire knowledge & wisdom & skills, to overcome fears & obstacles, to constantly improve each day, to evolve my soul. but simultaneously yes I'd like to acquire large sums of money so I can redirect it toward both helping my family & friends and helping the greater community through funding my & others' ideas and through well-vetted donations

- Pre-existing purpose: I'm not really held to a belief system given to me my parents or society or such, except by subconscious programming of "be a good citizen", "follow the laws", "do unto others as you would have done unto you" and various commandments. but I do lean toward believing that my soul chose this incarnation with a purpose, and I'm to unravel all the programming/conditioning, get my ego out of the way and figure out what it is I'm supposed to be doing. kind of "transpersonal" though

- Survival purpose: enough money/sustainability for clean air, clean water, healthy food, shelter, safety. not work a job i hate, not spend time doing things i don't want to do. building & maintaining healthy physique, able to lift & run & swim a lot. etc.