All my life I’ve enjoyed words, word arrangement and the meanings we assign them. As a kid I was fascinated with the double meaning that I read into the slogan on the Vaseline jar…”the first aid kit in a jar”. Did they mean it was the very first aid kit or that that it was an actual first-aid kit in a jar? Ok, I admit this may not have the same deep significance for you as it did for me (to this day, I can’t look at a jar of Vaseline without asking the question!) but in my mind it stands out as an example of how we can interpret the same words to have different meanings. In my work as a psychotherapist, coach, writer and speaker, I continue to focus on the importance of how the words we think, speak or write influence our day to day reality.
In preparing this article, I spent many hours pondering the subtle differences between these concepts: living on purpose, purposeful living, life purpose, Soul purpose and living your purpose. At first glance it may seem as though they are all the same thing. Upon deeper reflection, subtle and not so subtle distinctions begin to appear. I collapsed these concepts into two main ideas that seemed to provide a structure within which to explore the general themes in more detail. These are: living on purpose and living your purpose. It occurs to me that it is possible to do the first without doing the second, but nearly impossible to do the second without doing the first, first.
In order to understand that, let’s take a look at what each of those statements mean. Living on purpose implies that you are taking full responsibility for your life that you are choosing to move from a state of automatic, reactive living into a state of conscious and intentional living. There is recognition and acceptance that you are fully responsible for your life, your choices and your results. You let go of blame, victim mentality and powerlessness. You embrace the Universal Laws of Attraction and become a conscious co-creator of your reality.
Living your purpose implies that you have embarked on a conscious, deliberate journey to discover your unique reason for being on the earth at this time. You have stepped onto the path of discovering your personal destiny, that thing which you are here to do differently or better than anyone else. The ancient yogis called this your Sacred Calling, your Dharma. Archetypal Psychologist Carl Jung tells us that our task is to take full responsibility of our unique gift and trust that the full manifestation of that gift is precisely what the world needs most from us. If we look at a modern definition of the word purpose, “the reason for which something exists”, it suggests that we are each here for a very specific reason.
Some of us choose to explore this question of life or Soul purpose in more depth. It’s important to ask ourselves a few questions before we start on this journey, such as “why do I want to know” and “what will I do with the information I uncover?” Once we get the answers, the question then remains, “now what?” Knowing your purpose implies a huge responsibility, if you are to really embrace what you’ve discovered. The enormity of this responsibility will keep many people from exploring this question at all. But for those who do, they must then answer the next question: “do I want to live my life as an expression of my purpose?” The answer may be “no”; the ego may choose to ignore the information it has received and go back to business as usual. Of course, once we have this knowledge, it is pretty hard to pretend we don’t know. Good luck with that!
If the answer is “yes”, then two possibilities exist in response the question of how you will incorporate your purpose into your life. First, you may choose to “BE” your purpose. That is, to incorporate the essence of your purpose, whether that be creativity, love, generosity, patience, etc., into every aspect of your daily living. Without creating major changes in your life, you bring your purpose into everything that you do.
The second option is to “DO” your purpose; to deliberately choose activities and work that are a direct expression of your purpose. This option is more likely to involve major life changes in relationships, work, finances, where you live, etc. It is not an option for the faint of heart, but can offer wonderful rewards.
As I mentioned earlier, I believe that we can live on purpose without knowing our purpose. Since, in my opinion, that will be the path that the greater number of people take, I’d like to explore that concept in more detail. As I see it, living on purpose involves four main components:
1. Getting clear on what you want in your life: recent studies have shown us that 80% of working Americans report feeling unhappy or unfulfilled in their lives. Many of us, especially women and caregivers, constantly put the needs and desires of others before our own. Men often toil at meaningless jobs to provide for the family’s financial security. To do otherwise is considered selfish or inappropriate. The result is exhaustion, resentment, body aches or disease, depression, anxiety or just a lack of joy and vitality. Getting back in touch with what lights us up, makes us feel alive and gives us a feeling of meaning and fulfillment in our lives is the first critical step to living on purpose.
2. Releasing limiting thoughts, beliefs and behaviors: adults process approximately 60,000 thoughts per day. About 95% are repetitive and 80% are unsupportive. Many of these thoughts and beliefs have been taken on since childhood, reflections of our family, religion, schooling, peers, and societal norms. Few of them have anything to do with the deepest truth of who we are as Spiritual Beings. There are many resources available to help uncover and release limiting beliefs, such as EFT, The Work, and energy psychology. Begin to educate yourself in how to increase your awareness of your limiting beliefs and systematically begin to eliminate them from your thinking.
3. Consistently choose in favor of what you want: this is the basis of the Law of Attraction. Everything is energy and whatever you put your attention on, whether consciously or unconsciously, will show up in your life. Once you get clear on what you want to create, every time you are faced with a choice, a decision or an opportunity choose in favor of what you want. Keep your awareness on what you want, not on what you don’t want. There are a great many books, teachers and resources that can help with this, including The Passion Test, Dream Coaching and anything to do with the Law of Attraction.
4. Expressing gratitude and appreciation: these are among the highest vibrations available to us. When we put ourselves in a state of gratitude we are increasing our vibration and allowing more goodness to flow to us. Begin a daily practice, perhaps writing in a gratitude journal everyday or voicing your appreciation for yourself, your partner, children, co-worker, store clerk, etc. Spread the love and it will come back to you! Any of the resources in #3 will work for this, too.
So, whether you choose to live on purpose, or live your purpose, start today. Set an intention for yourself, allow yourself to feel the energy of what it would be like to be living a life of greater joy, fulfillment and happiness and take one step in the direction of that which you choose. Remember the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Let the journey begin!

Author's Bio: 

Catherine Ewing-Rinker, LCSW, MDiv., is a Certified Dream Coach, Passion Test Facilitator, Psychotherapist, Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking and Reiki Master Teacher. She is a co-author of Incredible Life, a workshop leader, speaker and founder of Spirit Matters, LLC, a holistic healing center. Cathy supports those who may be experiencing life transition or searching for greater purpose, authenticity and joy. She is passionate about helping people release old traumas, beliefs and emotions that keep them feeling stuck and unfulfilled . She reconnects clients to their true spiritual nature, allowing them to step out of their story and into a life of passion and purpose