It amazes me that some people go out and spend 50k on a car, but don’t invest anything in personal growth and development. Especially when that new car is going to be paid for with income from a job they don’t enjoy. Maybe they feel better about themselves when they’re behind the wheel. That must be it, because there is no rational reason for it.

I read a book many years ago called “Swim With Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive” written by Harvey Mackey. He talks about Curt Carlson, who was the owner of the Carlson Companies, which, among other things, owns the Radisson Hotel chain. The point of the story was that Curt always drove a Chevrolet. I never owned anything more than that. As he said, “I would never spend the amount of money it takes to buy a Mercedes, or even a Cadillac. My ego doesn’t require it. I have nothing to prove to anyone. Now my house, however, is a Mercedes.”

It happens all the time today. People will spend 100K on a car and live in a 1100 square foot house. Or an apartment. It doesn’t make sense to me, but I’m Scottish, which means I have a really hard time spending money anyway. By the way, I’m not making judgments here, just observations.

I once read that Americans spend 10-15% of their income on things that will make them look and feel good on the outside. But they spend next to nothing on products that help them on the inside. And these are things that would give you true happiness, not just temporary, cosmetic false joy. And it’s not just about making more money or getting rich. We are all aware that money can’t buy happiness, however I like the fact that you can rent a lot of the same with money. But what about finding our true purpose in life? Guess what? Your true purpose in this life may not have anything to do with money. And that’s fine. Having said that, finding your true purpose is a process, not something that will just happen. The good news is that there are many programs and teachers available that offer you access to amazing people, fresh ideas, and amazing concepts that will help you realize your true purpose in life. What if you could spend 30 minutes a day with some of the most amazing and successful people who ever lived? And I don’t just mean financial success. If you could spend 30 minutes a day with, for example, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Bill Gates or Warren Buffett? (Just for his information, Warren Buffett still lives in the same house as purchased in 1958 for $31,500 ) Anyone you can relate to who has been successful at something you would like to do? Would you spend 30 minutes each day to do this? Well, you can spend 30 minutes a day with people like that. Through books, CDs, etc. These are amazing tools that are available to us in this world today. But it requires you to turn off the TV.

One of my favorite people in the whole world to talk to is not rich. He is not an intellectual nor an educated man, academically speaking. He was educated in the street, in the bad streets. In reality, he is an ex-gang member who ran away and now runs a home for children who want to get out of “life.” This man is amazing. And the obstacles he faces every day are the ones you and I can’t even comprehend. Not to mention the anguish of losing one of his children on the street. But he keeps doing what he does, one kid at a time. A true hero.

I have been in professional direct sales my entire adult life. I have never had a salary, I would not know what to do if I had a fixed salary. I’ve always enjoyed people saying they need the security of a consistent paycheck, while trusting their company’s salespeople to provide it. In other words, they are putting their salary entirely in the hands of the company’s salespeople. No sales, no paycheck, sooner or later. If I had a salary, I would like to be involved when prospective sellers are interviewed.

For many years, I thought I was the real deal. I thought I had it all. Then one day I was in the kitchen with my wife. And I asked her, “Honey, where are the kids?” She said, “they’ve all grown up and gone.” Ok, that’s a bit extreme, but is it really? I had spent most of my life working for “the man”, making them rich and missing out on much more important things. And I made a decision. I was done with corporate life. The long days, the trips and everything else. I didn’t want any more of that. But it is not so easy. After examining my life and wondering why I wasn’t happy, I had to face the facts. It was fear, doubt and a bad self-image that were the reasons. There’s no way to sugar coat it. I had not found a purpose for my life. The truth is, he didn’t even try to look for one.

And so, I had to be real with myself. I needed to discover what moves me, makes me happy. And as has often been said, success is a journey, not a destination. You may have more than one purpose in this life. My purpose right now? My granddaughter. Since I’m not “in the office” anymore, because I took a leap of faith and started my own home business, I can drive her to and from school. My wife and I are raising her, and for whatever reason we are doing this, she is a true joy and pleasure to be with every day.

I have other purposes as well, some of which I am doing, others that require more investment of time and/or resources. They will come, all in due time. Now how do you find your true purpose? Let’s be simple and start at the beginning.

#1 – Grab those old standards, a pen, and a piece of paper. And just write what makes you happy. Try not to link any of the things you write to anything else. In other words, don’t think in terms of career, money, to-do’s, or anything like that. Just write what makes you happy. No matter what it is, if it makes you happy, write it down. If it’s something you’re passionate about, write it down. Remember that it is not about money. If what you love and are passionate about requires money, money will come, one way or another. It’s called the Law of Attraction and this law works all the time, 100% of the time. There is your starting point. Very simple. But you need to take time, preferably quiet time, to do this. It will clarify your thinking. I’ll come back to this topic and give you some other steps you can take to move the process along, but this first step is the most crucial.

I have successfully made the transition from corporate life to my own life, which is one of the greatest joys one can experience. I am no longer under the control of the “corporate family” as I like to call them. For many people, it’s like being in the mafia. Once they’re in, they can’t get out. It’s a joke. But once I admitted and accepted the fact that I had self-limiting fears and doubts, I was able to begin the process of removing them from my life. A habit can only be replaced by another habit. The trick is to replace a bad habit with a good one. Is it easy to do? Yes. Is it easy at all times? No. Many times we have become slaves to bad habits, but we must replace bad habits with good ones if we want to find our true purpose or purposes in this life.

And the fact that I took advantage of my corporate career and no longer have to deal with the corporate lifestyle is a huge plus. No more endless meetings, strategy sessions, trips, mandatory company functions, etc. And yes, no more corporate politics, which I hate.

Thanks for stopping by, I’d love to talk more, but I have to go, I have to pick up my granddaughter from school.

To your success.