Life is not making a living, but designing your life

Using metaphors can be powerful and inspirational for creating a mission or identity. I am a …. (fill in a metaphore from Nature). You can start by choosing a primary element (fire, water, earth & air) and then identify with specific items or places in nature you feel drawn to. It is sometimes helpful to identify with a certain animal which has certain values and charachter-trades you seek or admire which will fit your chosen role. Life design uses natural metaphores for the several cycles and development phases (growth) in our lives. When you identify your personal area of growth in your current life phase, you can take apropriate action.

Robert Dilts‘ alignment exercise (generally used in NLP-practice):

Having a personal Mission helps setting the course of your life. To help formulate a personal mission statement based on values, qualities and talents visit the Missionbuilder (from Franklin Covey).

Another way to positively investigate possibilities within an organization is by the method’s and interviewing techniques of Appreciative Inquiry.

Manifestation Formula

The Manifestation formula is build up as follows:
Purpose +
Thought +
Vision +
Affirmation +
Feeling +
Writing in Time and Space +
Action with Energy on Matter +
Gratitude +
Perseverance =
Manifestation
[Twelve secrets for manifesting your vision, inspiration & purpose: how to make your dreams come true, 1999, by Dr. D. Richard Bellamy]

Meaningful Life

The meaning of life and meaning can be broken down to the following elements:

1. Relationships; involvement with family, partner or friends.
2. Work; commitment with a job, school or primary occupation.
3. Personal well-being; an individualistic orientation with emphasis on experiencing meaning by enjoyment of life, having fun, and maintaining physical and mental health.
4. Self-realization; an orientation on- and reaching of tangible or non-tangible goals and psychological skills.
5. Helpfulness; an altruistic orientation on helping people in general.
6. Faith; dedication and practice of religious-spiritual or social-political beliefs.
7. Materialism; meaning coming from aiming at materialistic goals and satisfactions.
8. Future / Hope; focus and expectation.

In essence these above elements should be in balance. Very strong emotions related to one or more of these elements or focused dedication to only one aspect may suggest an imbalance.

Questions to find your meaning in life

1. RELATIONSHIPS
   I belong to ….., When I’m with … I…., People who are most important to me are…. because… ,I like … (name person / people) most because …., people like me because…., I classify myself as ….
2. WORK
   My occupation is…. because…, What I do is…. because …, What I like about it is…, what I dislike about it is…, What is the importance of these activities?… Things I do well are…., In my work I add value to people’s lives by…., My colleagues value me most for….
3. PERSONAL WELL-BEING
   I love to …., I’m extremely happy when I…., The nicest thing what could happen to me is…. because…., things I enjoy doing are …., I feel healthy when I …, things that take much of my energy are… and I prefer…..
4. SELF REALIZATION
   I want to ….because….., My goal in life is…., I know I can ….. , the things I want to be remembered for are…., I’m proud of myself when I ….. because…., things I am good at are…., I feel best when I……
5. HELPFULNESS
   I help …..with…. because….., I gladly give advice to…., people I’d love to help most are …., When I help I feel…., helping others makes me….., I want to be helped with….because….
6. FAITH
   I believe in…., the best society or system is….because…., when I die …., I have to…because…., I know my belief is valid because…., I trust….because… ,Things that are most important to me are…
7. MATERIALISM
   I want to have….because…., if I won the jackpot of the lottery I would…., My most valuable possession is…., My life becomes better if I have ….., the first next big thing to buy is…., If I lost everything I would…. The possession which represents me most is….
8. FUTURE / HOPE
   Someday I hope to…., At the end of my life (when I look back) I …., The future holds…., I wish…., I dream about…, My vision is…., In time I will….., If I could change the future I would….because…., If I could change the past…..

Life’s Morality….

In ethics there a three kinds of moral:

1. Intention of doing (what is the purpose or goal / why?)
2. Procedure of doing (how or what is the best way of doing it?)
3. Effect (what are the results of an action?)

Giving meaning to one’s life and reflect upon existence on earth means this individual has awareness of the ability to change perspective.

This Meta-awareness with the necessity to constantly classify and put things in new perspective is essential for learning and growth. This thought-process was initiated by use of the senses. This primary philosophy also creates borders between self, matter, others and world. Being in it’s most enlightened state all this may be experienced as being one.