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mercuryrising · 11-26-2008, 08:46 PM

I think that we all have the same purpose that is just expressed in different ways, which are our passions and talents.

That purpose is:

1. To wake up to the present moment.
2. To help others wake up to the present moment.

Note that it is one purpose and not two. The act of waking up and waking up others is one activity.

What I mean be waking up to the moment is finding the flow-- the mind state where you are so into the now that you forget the past, future or 'you'. There is just this.

I think every moment and activity are an opportunity to wake up. If not, then we would have to denote the 'now' as somewhere in the future or past which doesn't make any sense.

Our passion is a particular activity that brings us into the flow without much resistance. And it's what we gravitate towards, especially when other areas of life make it difficult to find flow.

I have a crappy job too (in some ways). It's crappy because a lot of times I have difficulty getting into the state of mind I'm talking about. There are people at my job who don't have that difficulty. That's why I go home and write on this computer for the majority of my free time. Because writing puts me into the flow and it has done so for most of my life.

In terms of work and money. I think a person is more likely to enjoy their life and make more money if they are making it from their passion. Steve's podcast on making money without a job really brought me around on this subject. But let me say, it's not a prerequisite to happiness.

For myself, there are these limiting beliefs I have around making money from writing. I told my Dad when I was a kid that I wanted to be the next Shakespeare and he laughed. He said that I'm a good writer, but not that good. In another conversation, he said that artists don't make any money until they are dead. These are really my dad's limiting beliefs that I have inherited. The majority of people have them about passion. Probably why most people are doing work that is unsatisfying to them and why they only make a fraction of the money they could make.

Btw, these are the conclusions I've come to from talking to people like yourself ATC. I think it's weird in a way that I'm telling them back to you. Perhaps that is why we are here discussing this stuff in the first place. To remind ourselves what it is all about.

11-26-2008, 08:46 PM	#126 (permalink)
mercuryrising Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 932	I think that we all have the same purpose that is just expressed in different ways, which are our passions and talents. That purpose is: 1. To wake up to the present moment. 2. To help others wake up to the present moment. Note that it is one purpose and not two. The act of waking up and waking up others is one activity. What I mean be waking up to the moment is finding the flow-- the mind state where you are so into the now that you forget the past, future or 'you'. There is just this. I think every moment and activity are an opportunity to wake up. If not, then we would have to denote the 'now' as somewhere in the future or past which doesn't make any sense. Our passion is a particular activity that brings us into the flow without much resistance. And it's what we gravitate towards, especially when other areas of life make it difficult to find flow. I have a crappy job too (in some ways). It's crappy because a lot of times I have difficulty getting into the state of mind I'm talking about. There are people at my job who don't have that difficulty. That's why I go home and write on this computer for the majority of my free time. Because writing puts me into the flow and it has done so for most of my life. In terms of work and money. I think a person is more likely to enjoy their life and make more money if they are making it from their passion. Steve's podcast on making money without a job really brought me around on this subject. But let me say, it's not a prerequisite to happiness. For myself, there are these limiting beliefs I have around making money from writing. I told my Dad when I was a kid that I wanted to be the next Shakespeare and he laughed. He said that I'm a good writer, but not that good. In another conversation, he said that artists don't make any money until they are dead. These are really my dad's limiting beliefs that I have inherited. The majority of people have them about passion. Probably why most people are doing work that is unsatisfying to them and why they only make a fraction of the money they could make. Btw, these are the conclusions I've come to from talking to people like yourself ATC. I think it's weird in a way that I'm telling them back to you. Perhaps that is why we are here discussing this stuff in the first place. To remind ourselves what it is all about.