From next month this newsletter will be available in HTML format, if you would like to receive it in HTML (much easier to read!) please see the link at the bottom of this newsletter.

I apologise for the length of this newsletter which weighs in at just over 3500 words which I am only adding to by mentioning it so ..

This Month’s Article
9 Ways to Rediscover Your Life’s Purpose (Part 3)

This month we conclude this article with 3 more ways to rediscover our Life’s Purpose.  Last month we looked at Inspiration, Mistakes and Frustration and Desperation as being ways of rediscovering our Purpose in Life (see the link to the newsletter archive at the bottom of this newsletter).  Let’s continue with 3 “down to earth” paths to rediscovery ...


7 - Belief Modelling
As infants it is our instinct to copy or model the actions and behaviours of the people around us, we also unconsciously adopt the ways of thinking (beliefs) of the people most influential in our lives.  As “free thinking” adults we may become aware that some of the beliefs we adopted as children serve us and some do not.

What we believe to be true in any situation determines the actions we take (or do not take) in response to that situation, the actions we take influence our outcomes (results).  If you can imagine your life to be a continuous sequence of outcomes you can imagine that beliefs strongly influence (but do not drive [1]) our quality of life.

Belief modelling is the process of finding what someone believes to be true while engaged in an activity in which they excel.  As  a “belief modeller” you ideally need to find more than one person who excels at the same activity.  But if our Mission is unique to each one of us how does it help to model the beliefs of someone living a different Mission?  The answer to this question is “very much indeed!”

Let’s take a hypothetical example; supposing one of your models living their Mission is an author, she loves to write, she is good at it, when she is writing she becomes truly alive and looses track of time.  Your other model is a man, a healer, totally dedicated to the art of encouraging the wellness of the people he serves in his role.  While their individual Purposes in Life is different what we are interested in are the beliefs they hold in common.  If we can adopt the beliefs they share these will serve us as the foundation upon which we can adopt specific beliefs that serve our own unique Mission.

Interestingly enough the creator of the Belief Modelling method used for the Belief Models on the Mission Coach site, David Gordon (along with Graham Dawes) does not consider belief modelling to be a technique, which brings us nicely (if a little weakly!) to  ..


8 - Techniques
One thing you may notice if you ever go to any form of “self-development” training such as NLP Practitioner most people (including me!) cannot wait to get hold of the “manual” which they hope will be filled with life changing techniques.  We live in a “quick fix” world and many see techniques as a potential solution to their problems, sometimes they are right, after all a technique only has to work once to change your life!

In terms of Mission Coaching the ultimate outcome for any technique is to place the person into an empowered state which enables them to “be” someone they felt unable to be, and therefore “do” something they felt unable to do, and therefore “have” something they felt unable to have.

There are hundreds of techniques around, NLP is full of them.  You also have the Silva Method, the Sedona Method (more about this in a future newsletter).  Meditation is also a technique (although there are meditators who do not like to think of it as being so), these include Transcendental Meditation (T.M.), the CenterPointe “Holosync” technology and Siva Baba’s “Personal Transformation” program.

All techniques work for some people some of the time, none work for all people, all of the time.  We could spend a life-time of newsletters discussing and comparing techniques and there was a time when I would have been happy to do so – but no-longer! (more about this too in a future newsletter!).

Can we use a technique to help us rediscover our Purpose in Life?  The simple answer is “yes”, you could use an NLP technique such as “Time-Line” or, if you really want to blow your mind, try “Time-Scape” (see the link at the bottom of this newsletter) or you could use a technique which is specifically designed to help you achieve this outcome, an example would be the “Achieve > Act > Commit” technique in the February 2005 Mission Coach Newsletter (link to the newsletter archive at the bottom) which brings us nicely to …

9 - Mission Coaching
Rediscovering your life’s purpose is not that difficult if you are truly seeking [2].  For a few months now I have been using a version of the “Achieve > Act > Commit” technique adapted for coaching clients over the phone and it has been very effective at helping them make that rediscovery, often in the first session.  In fact (and I know this sounds daft) for some people it’s too effective! 

When faced with the undeniable revelation of their Life’s Purpose revealed to themselves by themselves (the role of the coach is to ask questions and follow the energy) the most common reaction is one of confusion, bewilderment and fear!  Given the fact many of these people have been earnestly seeking their Purpose in Life for years you would think they would be happy!  Why are they not cart-wheeling around the floor and jumping for joy?

There is a downloadable document on the Mission Coach site titled “An Introduction to Living Your Life’s Purpose” (link at the bottom of this newsletter) it used to be called “If it ain’t scary it ain’t your Mission”, I renamed it believing it would be of greater appeal to people interested in Mission Coaching, the original title was far more meaningful and accurate!  This document contains the following paragraph which explains the lack of cartwheels and jumping:

“If there is something, an activity or a way of being that excites you beyond words and, at the same time, the thought of doing the activity or being that type of person scares the pants of you - that activity is prob ably part of your Mission or something related to it!“

At the point of rediscovering that “activity or way of being” and seeing (probably not for the first time!) a vision of who we really are there is often confusion and fear.  Being human we have the gift of Free Will to decide how to handle that confusion and fear; it is likely to be in one of 2 ways:

1. ignore the vision, dismiss it as being “way beyond” who we are (currently) capable of being or doing  (which of course at that moment is true – that’s the whole point!) and therefore must be “wrong” [3].  Often this dismissal is subtle and will manifest as self-doubt (“but what about my ..” job, wife, husband, kids etc.) or procrastination (“I need to think about this.”)
   
   
2. embrace the vision, accept that it’s big and way beyond what we are currently capable of being and doing.  Accept we have doubt and yes it could be “wrong” even though every fibre of our being is telling us it’s not!

This decision is the critical point, the balls could fall either way and the skill of Mission Coaching is to prepare the client for position 2) and guide them there ready to catch the balls as they fall.
 
It is after the decision has been made to start Living on Purpose that the role of the Mission Coach becomes even more valuable.  With so many things in our everyday lives competing for our time and attention we all get distracted, to have someone to “hold us to our Mission” is invaluable.

More times than I can remember I have allowed myself to be taken off track by a distraction cunningly disguised as an opportunity and I still do unless I am in regular contact with someone who can help me “re-engage” with my Mission and filter out the distractions.  In future newsletters we delve more deeply into the subject of distractions.

This concludes the 9 ways to rediscover your Purpose in Life – well nearly! (please see the “Conclusion” below).

Conclusion – Next Month!
It wasn’t until I had completed writing point 9 and reviewed the 9 ways of rediscovering our Life’s Purpose that I began to see the relevance of the information.  This newsletter is already too long so please tune in next month to find out how rediscovering your Life’s Purpose is inevitable – if you choose!

Footnotes for this article
[1] It is a popular conception that positive beliefs “drive” behaviour, I would challenge this conception, please see the “Beyond Belief” article and technique on the Mission Coach site (link at the bottom).
[2] I have had Mission Coaching clients who were interested in rediscovering their Mission in the belief that in becoming more “whole” they would then find the perfect relationship or make more money. While this may be true it makes the process of rediscovery more difficult because the client’s attention is on the relationship or money, both of which can be huge distractions from rediscovering their Mission!
[3] From the perspective of the Spirit there can be no such thing as a “wrong” Mission, ultimately every experience serves us in some way.

This Month's Tool Review

This month we review the book “There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem” by Wayne Dyer, Published by Thorsons, ISBN 0-00-713147-X, 259 pages, price on Amazon £7.69 (see the links at the bottom of this newsletter).

This book started with a bang (for me) in the Foreword where Wayne Dyer writes about his experience of having a heart attack in 2000.  This guy is fit, running several miles a day and he eats healthily too. In his words “I don’t do heart attacks”, I didn’t think people like him did them either – but obviously they do!  This revelation of the heart attack and how he handled it using the principles outlined in this book serve as a powerful testimony to the idea “there is a spiritual solution to every problem”.

In the introduction he outlines the essential message of the book in 10 points, these include the topics of energy and frequencies of vibration, the higher vibrations being closer to the spiritual realm.  The book is then divided into 2 sections Foundations and Suggestions.

Part 1 - Foundations
Chapter 1 – Spiritual Problem Solving
In the first chapter the author defines the meaning of the words in the book’s title.  He defines the word Spiritual by describing 7 spiritual practices; Surrender, Love, Infinite, Empty Mind, Generosity and Gratefulness, Cheerfulness and Connectedness.  A Problem is defined as an Illusion and a Solution as the correction of an error.  The Solution section includes the following quote; “The power that we call God, which grows the flowers and moves the planets in perfect orbits, counts us as one of its creations.  I encourage you to learn to rely on that power in times of crisis.”

Chapter 2 – Ancient Radical Ideas
This chapter is based on the message of 5 Aphorisms from the Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali.  The author is clearly inspired by these teachings; “Patanjali teaches that we are capable of reaching a state of awareness in which we can perform miracles.  He explains we are transcendent beings to begin with and counsels us to be unafraid of transcending the limitation imposed upon us by the material world.”  He comments on the value of each Aphorism to “spiritual problem solving in the world we presently live in.”

Chapter 3 – It’s All Energy
Under the sub-heading “Everything Vibrates Everything Moves” comes these quotes which nicely sum up this chapter; “Every problem that you face has a vibrational frequency and movement to it.  When you live exclusively in the slowed down, solid-appearing world, you encounter slowed down solid appearing circumstances that we define as problems.” It continues; “I believe we all have the potential to explore beyond the world of the solid and motionless and learn to increase our speed of vibration.”  The chapter continues with 5 ways of being to move towards higher awareness.

Chapter 4 – Stop Giving Energy to the Things You Don’t Believe In
In this chapter he explains 4 traits of successful people; They express their desire, They are willing to ask, They state an intention, They have a hardening of the will. The chapter continues with the exploration of 4 ways to avoid getting what you don’t want.  Under the sub-heading Getting Rid of Your Personal History he offers this advice; “Give up your personal history which is nothing more than low energy thoughts that you carry around about the way things used to be and why you are upset today because they no longer are that way.”
 
Chapter 5 – Keeping Your Energy Field Uncontaminated
This chapter defines 3 energy fields; fast energy body, broader environmental energy field and mind field energy. The author explains the things that affect our energy field such as food and the people we allow into it.  The chapter continues with an “Eight Point Plan of Decontamination” and concludes with a section on Decontaminating Your Mind Fields of Energy.

Chapter 6 – Raising and Maintaining Your Spiritual Energy
The author urges us to see beyond our physical form; “Now go beyond those appearances and look deeply into your eyes and see yourself as a spiritual being having a human experience.  Imagine what you potentially could be, if you were unrestricted by all those appearances.”  A quick overview of some of the remaining sub-headings gives you an idea of its content; Your Mind is the Substance of All Matter, Mortal Sense Needs to Yield to Make Room for Spiritual Awareness, You are Not Being Punished, God Cannot be Divided Against God.  The chapter concludes with; “True Nobility is Not About Being Better Than Anyone Else: It is About Being Better Than You Used to Be”.

Part 2 - Suggestions
In this part of the book he takes the words of Saint Francis of Assisi’s prayer “Lord make me an instrument of thy peace” line by line exploring the meaning and offering some ideas of how we can apply the principles to our lives.
 
Chapter 7 – Lord, Make me and Instrument of Thy Peace
In this chapter the author tells us; “It’s those button pushers, the ones who succeed in sending you into a state of frustration and turmoil with a simple look of disapproval or a frown, who are your greatest teachers.  Begin recognizing that all of these people are your master teachers, assisting you in being an instrument of peace.”
He offers some suggestions for helping us to become instruments of peace including, Making time for ourselves daily, Meditation and Making peace with ourselves.

Chapter 8 – Where There is Hatred, Let Me Sow Love
This chapter starts with a memorable declaration; “Whatever you perceive to be your problems you can find a solution in these three straightforward, no nonsense, no room for equivocation words, love never fails.  This holds true in situations where hatred seems to be the problem.”
Some of the suggestions for sowing love are; Unobtrusively enter hatred energy field with love, Never take hatred personally and Forgive yourself and look upon yourself with love.

Chapter 9 – Where There is Injury, Pardon
In this chapter he looks at illness, injury and the physical state of our body; “Your body is your curriculum to God in this lifetime.  Some of us have the condition of a bald head, a short stature, eyes that don’t see, ears that don’t hear, legs that don’t walk, and on and on.  If you refuse to see these incarnated conditions as problems, and proceed to fulfil your destiny with guilt, anger or remorse, you attract a higher, faster energy into your life.”  Further sub-headings give a flavour of the author’s message; Your Body is Rooted in Spirit, Going Beyond Your Ego, Forget the Concept of Incurable and What is Healing?
Some suggestions for sowing pardon are; Using your thoughts to keep your energy on healing rather than disease, Take care of the sick but be indifferent to the illness, Practice directing healing energy and Let go.

Chapter 10 – Where There is Doubt, Faith
This chapter opens with a profound quote from Carl Jung; “One of the main functions of formalized religion is to protect people against a direct experience of God” (what a great opener for a future Mission Coach article!).  Sub-headings include; Replacing Doubt with Faith, Replacing Fears, Having That Knowing and Controlling Your Destiny Through Faith.
The chapter concludes with 10 suggestions for applying faith to doubt including; Practice developing a trust in the unknown, Affirm you faith not your doubt, Develop a private prayer that brings you into communion with God and Give God the credit.

Chapter 11 – Where There is Despair, Hope
Under the sub-heading Shifting from Pessimism to Optimism comes this: “The spiritual solution to any an all despair is one, to move your energy up by making conscious contact with God and trusting in that contact, thereby dissolving the images of negativity and pessimism, and two, to radiate outward this higher “up” energy toward others who are believing in and therefore living, lives of quiet desperation.”
Some of his suggestions for turning despair into hope are; Remember to call God and literally turn the despair over to God, Practice the art of being an eternal optimist and Be persistent in acting as if it is impossible to fail.

Chapter 12 – Where There is Darkness, Light
This chapter examines the nature of light and what the author believes to be its 4 components; Purity, Morality, Truth and Clarity.  The author reminds us; “Extend compassion and know that all is for good.  As I’ve said many times in this book, we cannot go where God is not, and where God is, all is well.
Suggestions for bringing light to darkness include; Practice being an appreciator of beauty, Become familiar with the literature of inspiration about those who have overcome darkness in their lives and Send out white light and bathe others in it.

Chapter 13 – Where There is Sadness, Joy.
This chapter carries a number of messages very relevant to us in living a Purposeful life, this quote comes from the section under the sub-heading “Moving To Purpose”; “Moving toward purpose in your life is like bathing yourself in joy.  It is a simple way to move up to the faster frequencies of spirit”.  Further in this section he talks about bliss; “It means refusing to pursue happiness and instead bringing happiness to all that you undertake.  In short, perfect joy is found in the absence of striving for it, and instead realizing it is within you.”
Suggestions for sending joy in the face of sadness include; Go to your purpose and know the joy that comes from being there, Remind yourself that joy is found in stillness and Feel supremely happy.  The chapter and the book concludes with a passage from the Bhagavad-Gita which the author takes line by line explaining the relevance to the message of this book.

Conclusion
If you are looking for a spiritual lift this book contains a distillation of wisdom that will help you find it.  This is one of those books that you can take from your bookshelf, open it on a random page and read the solution to a current problem you are seeking to solve.  I have a number of Wayne Dyer’s tapes which I really enjoy, as a presented he is brilliant, this book is worth reading too.

Next Month
Next month we will be reviewing “The Handbook of Higher Consciousness” by Ken Keyes.

What's New At Mission Coach

A Blessing In Disguise?
At the beginning of the year a friend forwarded me an application form for the Joseph Rowntree Visionary award, a fantastic scheme awarded to 6 people to develop their idea for a “more peaceful and just world”.  I applied with Mission Coaching as being a way this outcome could be achieved.

Unfortunately my application has not been short-listed however I am left with some useful material which I wrote for the application outlining my Vision for Mission Coach which I will be putting up on the web site. If you want to know more about the Joseph Rowntree award please see the link at the bottom.

Links For This Edition of the Mission Coach Newsletter

To subscribe to the free Mission Coach monthly newsletter (if this has been forwarded to you) click here:
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To go to the Mission Coach web site click here:
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To find out more about Mission Coaching click here:
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To go to the Mission Coach Newsletter Archive for last month’s newsletter click here:
www.mission-coach.co.uk/pages/mission_coach_newsletter_archive.asp (if the text for this link is on 2 lines the link may not work, in which case click here: www.mission-coach.co.uk and select “Resources” then “Newsletter Archive” from the main menu.

To buy “There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem” by Wayne Dyer from Amazon UK click here:
www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1854875957/selfleadershi-21

To buy “There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem” by Wayne Dyer from Amazon USA click here:
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0814719414/missioncoach-20

To go to the “Beyond Belief” Technique on the Mission Coach site clear here (if the link is on 2 lines it may not work, please copy both lines, join them together then copy and paste the single line into the address bar of your browser):
www.mission-coach.co.uk/pages/mission_coach_process_beyond_belief.asp

To go to the “TimeScape” Technique on the Mission Coach site clear here:
www.mission-coach.co.uk/pages/mission_coach_process_timescape.asp

To download “An Introduction to Living Your Life’s Purpose” article click here:
www.mission-coach.co.uk on the Mission Coach home page click on “Special Report” and click on the link to download the PDF document.

To change your Mission Coach Newsletter format to HTML click here:
mailto:htmlnewsletter@mission-coach.co.uk
Please ensure you send this email from the same email address this newsletter (May 2005) has been sent to.  There is no need to put anything in the body of the email, just put “HTML” in the subject line.

To go to the Joseph Rowntree Visionaries web site click here:
http://www.jrct-visionaries.org.uk/default.asp

To contact me (Paul Beeston) click here:
mailto:paul@mission-coach.co.uk