The Meaning of Life with Dr. Bob

I learned early on in my Life Coaching career that I was responsible for the direction my career was taking. Indeed, when I intentionally or inadvertently left it in the hands of others, my path was not likeable.

I thought that the Divine Consciousness that powers the Universe would take care of everything. I just had to be faithful to that Consciousness. That’s what I was taught from an early age. That’s what I believed well into my twenties.  But beginning in my late twenties, I began to sense that this was not the case. Something was missing. My career path went in directions that were not to my liking. Later, much later in life, I would discover that this was NOT the fault of the Divine Consciousness. The Universe being essentially neutral in its response to me, lead me in paths that I gave off vibrations about. The blame was with me for sending the wrong signals.

But for so long, I just “kept the faith” and let things go where they would. Not a good idea. I needed to take responsibility. I came to believe that I am responsible for my own happiness, the meaning of life. Therefore, I was responsible for what my career was doing too. Let me help you from my experience. You need to say and this: I take responsibility for where my occupation is taking me.

Some will want to say to me,”"This is so simple, everyone knows it. Why even bother to make it an important life phrase?” I agree, it is simple. But I do not see many people taking it seriously. I’d guess that at least 2 out of every 3 people know this, but do not do this.

That’s why I want you, for your own sake, for your good, to take this life phrase to heart and beginning saying it and using it right today. When was the last time you made plans for where you want to be in your occupation next year? How about in 5 years? Have you made strategies to get you there? What education, for example, do you need to get where you want to be in 5 years?

I take responsibility.

Please do not put blind trust in your present education. Please do not place blind trust in the company that you work for now. Please do not put your entire trust in the market place if you are self-employed.

Take responsibility for yourself. Few if any will, in the end, take responsibility besides yourself.

When I put blind trust in the organization I was working for, those responsible within that organization, for a variety of reasons, some benign, some not so benign, did not really look out for me. I needed to do that. When I knew it was time, for example, to make a change from one location to some other, I let the “system work.” As I was told it would. It did not, because my superiors really did not understand the needs of their own organization at the time. Because they could not see the internal needs, they missed matching me into a new location. It felt like benign neglect. Don’t let this happen to you.

Just as the meaning of life to be happy, and you need to take responsibility for your own happiness, so you need to take responsibility for your own occupation. For you are supposed to project your own happiness into what you do. You can’t do that unless you take responsibility there too. Take your responsibility by keeping this life phrase in mind: I Take Responsibility for Where My Occupation Is Taking Me.

And I invite you pick up more info about taking responsibility. I ask to you sign up for Free Instant Access to some of my Force-Source-Resources. One of which is titled, “How to Use the Spiritual Circuit to Be a Good Person.” Remember, one bit of information can give you a superior point of activation. These resources will change your life. Please sign up now in the upper right hand corner.

“She doesn’t seem to have her own personality.” So remarked my wife about the person one of our relations was dating. “Nice person, sweet, but no life of her own.” My wife then went on to say that it seems more women than men have this problem.

She said they go from their parents’ home, to college, to marriage, never having experience being “on their own.” I said it probably happens to men as well. She said she thought it did too, but much more so to women.

That’s the point of this post. Too many folks listen to the dreams and goals other people have for them. Some folks are so used to hearing about what others want of them, they have never had an original thought about themselves.

There’s the classic case of the father trying to live out the missed opportunities in his youth through his now teen-aged son. The father wants him to be a great football player. But they kid has true interests elsewhere, though he doesn’t know it because he had never had a chance to develop his own way of thinking. Maybe the kid really excels in drawing but never gets the chance to follow that dream because the father wants him practicing with the football every spare minute.

You cannot be authentically who you really are until you claim for yourself your own dreams and goals. Heed them. When you make yourself follow someone’s else ideas for you, you have given away your spiritual freedom, at least, and maybe all the rest of your freedoms.

What does that mean? What does it mean to heed your own dreams and goals? First you must discover what they might be. Has some life-path been poking at you? Have you felt rebellion against what others wanted (want) you to do? Because of that rebellion have you found yourself contemplating a different goal or dream? Wanting to test your wings in that direction?

Heed those inklings. Explore the possibilities. See if what you are thinking will fit you very well. You may not hit-the-nail-on-the-head the very first try. But it will not be long before you will find your true path. Warning: Your true path may be very distasteful to those who formerly tried to run your life. You have to be ready to deal with that.

Once you are discovered your new path, walk down it boldly. In other words, take the risks you need to take to find out if this is for you. Check with your spiritual side as well. See if this is a spiritual fit for you as well.

You see, heeding your own dreams and goals has to do, ultimately, with the meaning of life. The meaning of life is to be happy. You cannot be happy even superficially if you are following what someone else wants for you. There, beginning in this minute, heed your own dreams and goals.

And I invite you pick up more info about heeding your own dreams. I ask to you sign up for Free Instant Access to some of my Force-Source-Resources. One of which is titled, “How to Use the Spiritual Circuit to Be a Good Person.” Remember, one bit of information can give you a superior point of activation.  These resources will change your life. Please sign up now in the upper right hand corner.

“What’s meaning of life?” Steve asked. “I just feel so useless.”

“How are things going on the job?” I asked. Steve was a successful contractor and had a great home, nice car, lovely family with wife and three children, two grandchildren, with another grandchild on the way. He said they were all fine. Even in a poor economy his reputation as contractor had kept him going with just a bare minimum of lay-offs.

I paused for just a moment to give us both time to think. Usually men don’t ask such questions, even of a Life Coach, as I was. So he was serious and needed a substantial answer. Not a pat on the head and send-him-home with an at-a-boy canned speech.

I said, “I see you are dressed very well today, as always. Where do you buy your clothes?”

“I spend a lot of time at the haberdashery downtown. They are expensive but most people notice the quality of my clothes.”

“How much time a week do you spend in that store?” I asked.

“Now, that’s a silly question, doc. What’s that got to do with anything?” Steve riposted.

“Bear with me here, Steve. Please answer the question.”

He screwed up his face and thought for a full 30 seconds, thereabouts.

“I guess I spend ½ hour to an hour each week there.”

“I bet they appreciate your business,” I said.

Steve chuckled, and said, “With what I spend there, they ought to appreciate me.”

I went in for the kill, “How much time do you spend inside, with yourself?” Now, I’ve actually had men get up and leave without a word when such a question is asked. Not Steve. He hung in there.

Thinking some more, he finally said, “Certainly not even a ½ hour a week.”

“There’s your problem and your solution, Steve,” I said. He gave a quizzical look but made no move for the door. I proceed to help him see for himself that he spent more time at the clothiers than he did communing with the Divine Consciousness. He actually listened. (He was serious.) I suggested to him that through daily meditation of ½ hour he could connect with the Meaning of Life and never again feel useless.

“I need to concentrate more on my inner life,” Steve said, as we shook hands on his way out the door.

Boy Concentrating by John-Morgan http://www.flickr.com/photos/aidanmorgan/ / CC BY 2.0

“Yes,” I said. “The meaning of life, your life, is found in centering  on one little life phrase: Concentrate on your inner life.”

And I invite you pick up more info about inner concentration. I ask to you sign up for Free Instant Access to some of my Force-Source-Resources. One of which is titled, “How to Use the Spiritual Circuit to Be a Good Person.” Remember, one bit of information can give you a superior point of activation. These resources will change your life. Please sign up now in the upper right hand corner.