9 Maddeningly Common Myths about Living Your Purpose

Let’s face it. Many people do not succeed as they set out to follow their purpose and build a business based in their passion. There are two primary reasons for this:

The first is that too many people rely solely on themselves to figure out the HOW. They try to go it alone, thinking that their passion alone will be enough. They often end up isolated and embarrassed.

The second is that most people believe all the common myths about what it means to live your purpose. Maybe it’s because of the fairy-tale mindset we grew up with. Or maybe it’s because not many people in our lives can model the path of purpose for us.

Either way, it’s time to dispel some myths. Let’s look at the nine biggest myths around living your purpose.

Myth #1 – “And then she lived happily ever after.”

Finding and following your passion is a process from the minute you set the intention. It’s not an event. There’s no arrival. Put on your seat belt. Enjoy the ride.

Myth #2 – That you will never doubt yourself.

The very nature of your purpose means that you are stepping away from the comfort zone of the ego. Doubt and discomfort will be your bedfellows along the way.

As Seth Godin says: “People don't like doubt, so they pay money and give up opportunities to avoid it.

Entrepreneurship is largely about living with doubt, as is creating just about any sort of art.”

Nuff said.

Myth #3 – That THIS purpose will always remain THE purpose.

Your purpose is revealed to you in stages. You don’t start off knowing the bigness of it. You start off with just a slight pull or an awareness of delight. Your ego probably could not handle the depth of the journey right at the start. So, things will change. Purpose will unfold. Bigness will evolve. Your job is to keep stepping through the doors that open to you.

Myth #4 – “Now that I’m here, I’d like it all to just plateau please.”

I can’t tell you how many people say this to me in one way or another after they’ve reached a certain level in their business. It’s like bargaining with biology that your life gets to be different from every other organism on the planet. As if growth ceases once you decide you’re done with the discomfort of expansion. Um, guess what?

Myth #5 – “I’ll try this purpose thing for a year and see how I do.”

When I first got started in music, this was the advice I got from someone: “You can try it for a year, and if you don’t make it – then you can just go back and get a job.” This makes me laugh now. Purpose is not about dipping your toe in, and the universe knows it. (You know it too!)

Myth #6 - “I have decided to follow my purpose, therefore the heavens should reward me accordingly.”

There’s a word for this. What is it again? Oh yeah.
“Entitlement.”

Myth #7 – That everyone will be on board.

You can try forwarding this article to your friends and family with the message “See?!”

But chances are, not everyone in your life will be thrilled when you start turning things upside down. (Mostly because you will be pushing the edges of their world-view, and people never like that very much.)

Myth #8 – That you will magically leave your current self behind.

Finding and living your purpose doesn’t mean that some other cooler hipper version of you will magically emerge. In fact, you will run into you at every turn. (This means that one piece of your life purpose is to break through the ego and all of its “muckety-muck.”) This is called “awakening.” And it can be really fun!

Myth #9 – That purpose is big and explosive.

In my experience, purpose speaks quietly.

It’s the moment your client has a breakthrough and your heart nearly explodes in excitement for her. It’s when you realize you no longer are afraid of something you used to be afraid of. Those are the best moments of purpose.

Purpose is about new levels of depth in your relationship with your own true power. The external rewards can be awesome, but nothing measures up to the quiet sparks of knowing you are living the life you were meant to live.