Purpose Driven Life
Issue #19 - Reflect, Question, Write.
Hi Friend,
I trust you had a stressful but productive week.
I mean the good kind of stress that pushes you to do more.
To become more.
Last week, we talked about meaning.
I shared how everything around us programs us into some form of meaning.
Either you subscribe to it or not by yourself. Some meanings are viruses.
We want to understand. We seek to understand non-stop. We want to have a sense of control. And this only comes through the derivation of meaning.
If you missed the letter, you need to read it HERE
Today’s letter is a continuation of last week’s.
Read, Like and Drop a Comment.
I would love to answer your questions.
As a good teacher, I gave you three tasks last week.
If you know you did not attempt the task, raise your hands.
Bad! Bad! Bad Students!
How should I punish you now?
Like my teacher will say - "Kneel and think of your punishment”
I will then be wondering if kneeling is not a punishment already.
The task I gave you might seem trivial, but it could change the trajectory of your life.
You need to take it seriously.
Let’s break down each of the tasks.
If you are one of the good students, I congratulate you on completing your task.
You will enjoy this better.
First, Sit & Reflect on where you draw meaning from. This might prove difficult at first, but you don’t have to look inside only. Take a look at the results you produce. Look at the way you react to things. Take a look at the friends you walk with, and take a look at your parents; most times they are the source. The community (both virtual and physical) you belong to also.
This task can only be done in solitude.
You will need a quiet room with little or no noise.
You will then start an evaluation or review of your life. It can be as little as starting with what kind of people you follow on Twitter/Instagram. Oh, you think that's not important. It is.
The people you follow determine the content you consume, and the content you consume determines your habits. Your habits will determine your….?
LIFE!
We spend most of our days on social media, even if it’s as little as viewing people’s statuses on WhatsApp. It induces some form of perspective into us. That’s why I watch the kind of people I follow on social media, and the kind of status I leave unmuted on WhatsApp.
Because I know these things are very important.
You can take this as an example and apply it to other things you give your time to. The books you read, the friends you walk with, your parents, and your environment.
We have to carefully select the things we give ourselves to. They make us.
As much as we don’t get to select our Parents, and we don’t have a choice of not staying with them at the very early stages of our life.
When we begin to grow up, we need to sit down to analyze what they deposited in us that might be bad and the things that might be good.
Then you intentionally start shutting down the bad.
Some people get angry easily or talk back to people. And it is simply Because your mum does and lusciously, you do it also without even realizing it.
Now these habits are affecting all your relationships.
Reflecting on what you draw meaning from shouldn’t be a single event in your life.
You do this monthly. I will share the how with you.
Secondly, Ask questions to gain clarity. Where am I coming from? Where am I going to? Am I in line with my dreams or something different? If I continue on this path, will I actualize my dreams? What can I do to be on the right path? What are the current hindrances to my vision?
Like we agreed on, we are beings of meaning.
We also agreed that meaning comes from knowledge and understanding.
Both come from asking strategic questions.
The truth is, you hardly ask yourself any questions about your life.
Questions like, what is the ideal persona of someone I want to marry? I mean beyond just the physical appearance.
This single question will save lots of people from ending up with people who could never be a match in the first place.
Questions are lamps that illuminate the dark cave of our lives. You don’t have to wait till the end of the tunnel before you see the light. You need the light to guide you to the end.
Have you ever asked yourself what you truly want from life?
What will your dream life look like?
Is it working or becoming a stay-at-home dad?
You need to ask questions revolving around every facet of your life.
Health, Marriage, Relationships, Career, Business, Family, Money, Wealth and lots more.
Lastly, Write down the result you get from the 2 actions above.
We trust our brains too much.
We’ve been told our brain has a capacity beyond the most advanced computer in the world. I don’t deny that.
But, our brain falls short when it comes to the retention of details. If that isn’t the case, we wouldn't need cameras, laptops, or pens to write.
I believe most times, we ask ourselves the questions I talked about above. The only problem here is that we don’t write them down.
We don’t have a journal that documents our journey and ideas.
You need to cultivate the habit of writing down things. I will suggest you work with a Google Doc/Google Keep Note.
You can work with any other platforms you are familiar with. Just make sure your works are saved to the cloud and can be easily retrieved.
Write down the questions we talked about and write down the answers below each one.
Come back to this document every month. Preferably weekly.
For me, I have a document I titled PATH.
This online document contains everything that is currently on my PATH.
I wrote a section called - Identity. Another is called - The Big Picture.
Identity tells me what I want to be known for when I die. It is short and precise.
The Big Picture is lengthy. It tells a story of what I hope to do and become while on earth.
It even has the name of my Kids. It’s that beautiful.
This document - PATH - carries lots of sections. I can’t mention them all.
It also contains my Targets and Goals for the next 10 years derived from my big picture. Broken down into 5 years, 3 years, 1 year, months, and daily.
This document also has my career plans, my financial plan, and the books I intend to write.
One day, I will be having a live class to show you how to create a document like this.
But for now, you get a glimpse of why writing down things is important.
Imagine the joy I feel when I go back to this document and realise my BIG PICTURE is happening right before my eyes. Ticking off goals brings a sense of fulfilment.
It also helps me set priorities. I know the community I prioritize and I also know the principles I live by because they are all written down.
I go through this document daily because my daily tasks are on it. My Affirmations also.
The only way I can lose that document is if Google shuts down. I believe I would have moved it before they did, after their announcement.
I hope you are inspired. I am.
Action Steps
Complete the task I gave last week if you haven’t.
Create a Google Doc and Put down words. It doesn’t have to be like mine. Write down what makes sense to only YOU.
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This Week’s Ponder
Here is something you should brood over for the week.
In the wise words of the writer and naturalist, Henry David Thoreau...
“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it."
Share what you understand by this in the comments.
What am I Reading?
I am done with The Big Picture by Ben Carson. I will probably share a review on Medium. I am currently reading 2 books. A new one on Marketing. Yes, I love and do marketing.
Fiction: Tomorrow Died Yesterday by Chimeka Garricks
Non-fiction: Marketing by Patrick Forsyth
What am I Watching?
I am left with 3 episodes of House of Cards. I will be watching a documentary next - Inside Bill’s Brain (Decoding Bill Gates). If you’ve seen it, how was it?
Breaking Bad & House of Cards
What am I Selling?
Pre-order - WRITE YOUR BOOK WITH EASE. If you are looking for ways to easily write your book this year. It shares strategies to write, publish and market your book. Make sure you jump on this:
Buy the BOOK - CLICK HERE
Talk to you Next Week.
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Much Love, Friend.
Sam Femi