Discovering Your Life Purpose Before It’s Too Late

Several few months ago, I had an intriguing conversation with a good friend named Roger who confided he was tired of the rat race. He had worked for the same energy company for 24 years and decided his work was no longer fulfilling. He told me he was going to make some major changes in his life.

What struck me was Roger is a methodical planner and analytical thinker. He does not make irrational or snap decisions. He’s 56 years old, a former Army officer, unmarried and has an advanced degree in engineering. Given Roger’s management position with his company, I’m sure he earned $250,000 per year or more. I could tell something profound was stirring inside my friend.

Then, last week, Roger sent me another email announcing he had quit his job, sold his spacious home near Houston and moved to northern Colorado where works as a project manager for a non-profit organization that helps disabled veterans get their lives back on track. Despite the low-paying job, cold weather and one bedroom apartment, Roger couldn’t be happier.

In my email response to Roger, I had to ask, “What made you do it? Why did you toss everything aside and change direction in your life?” His answer was profound.

Roger told me he had attended a company-sponsored workshop on how to re-discover one’s passion for life and work. Roger attended the program as a way to get re-energized and motivated since his company was considering him for a major promotion since it was expanding its business. For several months prior to the workshop, Roger was bored at work and felt he was slipping into a velvet rut of contentment without any sense of personal satisfaction or growth.

But, during the workshop, the facilitator asked attendees to think about their legacy and how they would like to be remembered. “It was a haunting question,” Roger told me, “because I never really gave it much thought. I realized I was 55 years old and could spend the rest of my life leading a project team and having a nice retirement and a gold watch to show for it. Somehow, that just wasn’t enough. I knew if I had any doubts about how I would spend the next ten years, now was the time to make some changes. And, that’s what I did!”

Roger’s decision to quit his job and seek a new direction is not uncommon. In fact, every month -- at seminars and workshops I conduct on Finding Your Passion in the Workplace -- I am meeting dozens of people who tell me they are unfulfilled. They either hate their jobs or don’t think their lives have much significance. That’s not to suggest they’re unhappy or miserable. But, they are unfulfilled. They want something more out of life and they just need a good reason or hard shove to get off the dime and make the same changes that Roger made in his life.

Andrea DeBell, an author who writes on happiness and bliss in life, uses a beautiful analogy about footprints in the sand. She writes, “We all leave footprints in the sand; the question is, will we be a big heal, or a great soul?” It’s a powerful question because it captures the essence of our life purpose. And, sooner or later, it’s a question we must all answer. Even by ignoring the question, we answer it.

In my new book, 10,000 Days: The Secret to Finding Purpose, Peace and Passion for the Rest of Your Life, I challenge readers to consider their legacy and how they want to be remembered? Frankly, it’s not that long a time when you consider that 10,000 days equals 27 years and 145 days. The average person only lives about 30,000 days or 82 years. So, the clock is ticking for all of us!

The Course of 10,000 Days suggests that our lives are divided into three segments -- our Discovery Years, our Fulfillment Years and our Legacy Years. Each portion lasts ten thousand days. As we transition from our Fulfillment Years into our Legacy Years -- our final 10,000 days -- we begin to ask ourselves those haunting questions about our life purpose and how will we be remembered? It’s a natural part of life. But, it can cause major problems if you don’t have good answers. This is what my friend, Roger, experienced. He didn’t have any satisfactory answers so he decided to revisit his goals and dreams. That’s what triggered his major changes. Now, according to his own definition of success, his life has meaning and purpose. He has found his bliss.

While this period of self-reflection and introspection can occur as early as your mid 40s, typically it hits us as we enter our 50s. Some of us might think we are experiencing a mid-life crisis when, in fact, it’s simply our Inner Spirit challenging us to do something meaningful and memorable with our life. But, because our ego controls most of our emotional responses, our Inner Spirit (that third dimension of our Being that guides us through life towards our higher purpose) does its job by repeatedly posing those haunting questions and demanding truthful answers.

And so, like Roger, we begin to think about our footprint on the sands of life. Are we leaving a profound imprint that will not be washed away by the sands of time, or will our footprint disappear quickly because our life lacks meaning and purpose?
By examining your life through the questions and exercises of The Course of 10,000 Days you can leave a lasting imprint on the people you love and the planet where you live. But, it requires you to take that all-important first step and answer the question: How do I live a life worth remembering?

About the Author: Tom Hinton is one of America’s most respected authors and speakers on Personal Development, Professional Growth and Human Potential. He is the author of four books including:10,000 Days: The Secret to Finding Purpose, Peace and Passion for the Rest of Your Life, which will be published in 2011. For information, email him at: tom@tomhinton.com

How The Course of 10,000 Days Can Help You Reconnect with Your Inner Spirit

by Tom Hinton

Did you know that the average person lives about 30,000 days? But, thanks to the marvels of modern medicine we’re living longer! The Course of 10000 Days™ teaches us that our first 10000 days, which equates to a little more than 27 years, are known as our Discovery Years. These days span our infancy to early adulthood. We spend these days developing our personality and ego, learning values, shaping our character and behavior, and creating lifelong bonds with our family and friends. It is during our Discovery Years that we attempt to discover our gifts and talents and exercise creativity. We also learn how to assess risks, make mistakes and rebound, expand our minds, learn social graces, receive a formal education, plot our career path, forge our political beliefs and values, challenge the status quo, set goals and discover the power and pitfalls of money and romance.

Our second 10000 days are our Fulfillment Years. Most people spend their Fulfillment Years building their resume, acquiring wealth, searching for true love, starting a family, laying down roots, striving to achieve their goals, traveling and consuming all the world has to offer.

Ironically, as many people complete their Fulfillment Years they realize they are, in fact, unfulfilled because they have failed to live their dreams or achieve their vision and goals. They realize their Fulfillment Years have been reduced to climbing the corporate ladder, chasing success and keeping up with the Jones. It’s an awkward moment in our lives when we realize that we are completely ego-driven and have little connection with our Inner Spirit, nor any reasonable understanding about why we exist.

When this occurs, it represents the beginning of a major transformation in our life. It is the point when we come face-to-face with our third 10000 days, which The Course™ refers to as our Legacy Years. It is at this moment we realize something significant in our life is missing. We begin to ask ourselves such nagging questions as Who am I? How do I live a life worth remembering? and What is my higher purpose in life? This is the quiet, but steady voice of our Inner Spirit.

As we reach this turning point in our lives, we begin to ask our Inner Spirit to help us find meaningful answers to these difficult questions that will shape our next 10000 days. It is hard to get on with our lives until we have some rational explanation as to why we exist and what our higher purpose is on earth. It’s typical for people in their mid-40s and early 50s to start asking themselves such somber questions about life’s meaning and purpose as they experience the death of loved ones -- parents, a spouse, family members and friends. With each personal loss, the pressure to satisfactorily answer these unsettling questions intensifies and we hunger for meaningful answers. When loved ones pass away, a serious void is created in our life, and we realize our ego is incapable of answering these humbling questions.

This spiritual void is one reason why so many people enter their third 10000 days -- our Legacy Years -- anxious, unfulfilled and searching for answers. This is why so many 40 and 50-year olds undergo a mid-life crisis and walk away from their careers, marriages and families in search of something new. But, without clarity of direction, conviction of purpose and confidence in one’s self, these wandering souls are doomed to a life of ambiguity and unanswered questions.

During our Legacy Years, we struggle with two fundamental issues. The first deals with human vanity. We begin to show our age in unflattering ways. We also begin to show signs of mortality. Our body doesn’t work as well as it used to and we start sagging in certain places and expanding in others. The second issue relates to our personal legacy and how we will be remembered. We realize that there are so many dreams and goals we have yet to fulfill. Subtly, our Inner Spirit challenges us to not give up. And so, we begin anew to search for answers and this search rekindles our hope to salvage long forgotten dreams and goals. It is the beginning of our spiritual awakening and enlightenment.

Some people seek answers by going to church or by reading the Bible, embracing the teachings of prophets like Jesus Christ. While prayer and faith are powerful tools to help people find temporary comfort, our ultimate salvation is not in heaven, but here on earth. By connecting with our Inner Spirit and discovering our higher purpose in life, we can experiences human divineness on earth.

The Course of 10000 Days™ is based on a simple life-balance philosophy that teaches us how to control our ego and emotions so that they can work in harmony with our Inner Spirit to fulfill our dreams and live our higher purpose. While The Course™ is not aligned with any particular church, religion or philosophy, it compliments the life lessons we have learned from the greatest teachers, saints and philosophers throughout the ages.

The purpose of The Course™ is to help you achieve your greatest potential as a human being. To accomplish this goal, you must experience a spiritual awakening and walk the path of enlightenment where you can discover your higher purpose in life. It all begins by responding truthfully and deeply to the Three Sacred Questions of The Course™.

According to The Course™, we all have the same higher purpose. However, how we manifest it varies considerably from one person to the next. This is because each person has a different interpretation of life and the legacy they want to leave behind.

The purpose of The Course™ is clear. It is not some New Age phenomena, but rather the first step in our spiritual development whereby we find harmony and peace within, and create an equal balance among our Ego, Emotions and Inner Spirit. The Course™ refers to these three elements of our Being as the Triangle of Being. Each of us possesses these three elements. It is the Triangle of Being that makes us think, feel, act, behave and react to every situation or encounter in life.

Much of what you will learn from The Course™ deals with self-awareness and self-improvement. It is a process that will lead you through the Three Sacred Questions, over the Bridge of Forgiveness, and, ultimately, into the Kingdom of Roses.

Those who have completed The Course™ will tell you without hesitation that this process works. However, it requires an investment of time and effort on your part. The Course™ embraces the core principle that is written in the Bible, the Koran and other great books of religion -- that in order for you to experience a benefit, you must invest in yourself. If you are seeking lasting fulfillment, then The Course™ is right for you.

Regrettably, some people only want a quick-fix to life. They wrongly believe that if they have the answers, they can solve their problems and skate by. But, as The Course™ teaches us, knowing the answers without understanding the equation of life -- and why we think, feel, act, behave and react to things the way we do, will not help us discover our higher purpose, find inner peace or help us live a passionate life!

This is why prayer alone cannot bring salvation. You must help yourself by taking the next step. While self-help books and self improvement courses are encouraged, ultimately, in order to overcome anxiety, depression, panic attacks and fear is to change how you think, feel, act, behave and react to life. The Course™ addresses these issues and challenges by helping you confront barriers in your life that prevent you from healing and achieving your greatest potential. Ironically, what The Course™ teaches us is one of the best kept secrets in the world. Simply stated, it all starts with your commitment to become the person you desire; to dream your dreams; and, realize that your potential as a human being is unlimited if you believe in yourself.

We invite you to enroll in The Course™ and experience its amazing powers for yourself!

For program information on The Course of 10,000 Days™, please visit The 10000 Days Foundation, a non-profit organization at: www.thecourseof10000days.org

About the Author: Tom Hinton is well known as a thought leader and spiritual development coach. He is the author of the best-selling book entitled 10,000 Days: The Secret to Finding Purpose, Peace and Passion for the Rest of Your Life. Tom facilitates The Course™ weekend retreats in San Diego, California and frequently speaks at meetings and conferences on topics relating to human potential and spiritual development. He can be reached via email at: tom@tomhinton.com