Part 2 – Exercices to find your gift and live with purpose

I’m so excited to bring you the second part of this 2 part serie – Find your gift, Live with purpose.

This is about bringing to life what we talked about in the first post. This is about your gifts and what you are meant to share.

This is where the rubber meets the road. In this post, I will breakdown the two part exercise for you to implement in your daily routine, so you can gradually bring to consciousness your unique gift, your purpose, that is already in your life. And like all my spiritual and mindfulness practices, these exercices won’t take too much of your time. You can do them whenever your schedule allows it, as long as you keep the two exercices together, one after the other.

A word of caution before we begin.

You might be tempted to think that you’ll only need to do these exercices a few days in a row and you’ll have a revelation of your unique gift. That might be the case and if so, I’m immensely happy for you. That’s awesome! But it might also not be the case and you may need to stick to the exercices a little while longer. Don’t despair. You will find your purpose. Sometimes, we simply get so caught up in the mundane stuff, that the profound stuff we are looking for, is buried a little deeper so we need to dig a little further. That’s ok! Be patient with yourself. This is a journey, not a race.

Let’s recap…

Just a small recap before we continue on. As I explained in my previous post, finding your purpose means finding the unique gift God gave you. The reason you were created in the first place. The reason you are here, on earth, at this exact time in history. Your purpose is the gift only you have and can share with the world.

Therefore living a life of purpose means living a life that is aligned with your divine gift. A life where you get to share your unique gift with others on a regular basis.

I’ve often used these exercises myself, back when I worked as a lawyer in the financial sector. It wasn’t always an easy or fun job and it came with a boatload of stress. But practicing these exercises allowed me to find my purpose, my gift, within the confines of my work and made my life so much livelier and myself, so much happier.

On to the exercices

The first exercice I want you to implement is open eyes meditation.

That’s right, you read me correctly, I want you to meditate with your eyes open. The typical image we have of meditation is of someone sitting, cross legged, on a cushion or on the floor, eyes closed, palms facing upwards. And that’s an accurate image, but it’s not the only way to meditate. There are many ways to meditate and each have their own benefit.

When starting out in your spiritual and mindfulness journey, when your meditation practice isn’t producing the results you’re after or simply when you feel you need to change things up, meditating with your eyes open is a great variant.

It shifts the focus.

Meditating with your eyes closed allows you to bring in your focus, to enhance your inner awareness, to retract your senses inwards. But ironically, it can also bring you out of focus. Without exterior stimuli, your mind will wander. It will go over the ups and down of your day, your to-do list, the things you forgot to put on your to-do list… It will wander endlessly and you’ll need to bring it back into focus every time.

For some, meditating with their eyes closed instantly makes them feel tired and drowsy. The body is under so much pressure and gets so little sleep and recuperation time that the minute the eyes are shut, it’s a signal for the body to completely let go and rest.

Open eyes meditation

Meditating with your eyes open allows you to remain aware of your surroundings in the present moment and rest your eyes on a focus point. Your mind is less likely to wander because it is comfortable with the environment.

Think of it as focused daydreaming.

Here’s how to practice open eyes meditation:

Settle yourself in a comfortable spot with your back straight and your head looking forward. You can be sitting in a chair or cross legged on the floor. But don’t slouch. Remain upright.
Rest your eyes on a focus point at least a few feet in front of you. If you can take your meditation outdoors, that’s great. Natural focus points such as trees, flowers, even grass, are great. My favourite is tree leafs. If you need to remain indoors, find something that your eyes can easily rest on without being distracted, like a lit candle, clouds through the window, a painting (just stare at the painting, don’t try to “understand” the painting) or a plant.
Bring your awareness into your body with your breath. Breath in through your nose slowly (about 4 to 6 counts ) and breath out through your mouth slowly (about 6 to 8 counts). Once you are comfortable with the rythme of your breath, you no longer need to count, simply allow your breath to be and your eyes to peacefully rest on their focus point.
Remain in meditation for 8 minutes. (I set a gentle gong sound alarm on my phone that rings even though my phone is on airplane mode – in order to avoid all distraction.
After your meditation time has ended, close your eyes, bring your hands into prayer to your forehead, your third eye and your heart.
Open your eyes and smile.

Once your meditation is done, your emotions of the day will have settled, you will feel your mind is rested and you are ready for the next exercice.

Journaling

As you come out of meditation, hold onto that sense of overall peace and reach for your journal and pen. I suggest that you keep those close to you before you begin your meditation so you’re not looking for them afterwards which could cause you to loose a little bit of that sense of tranquility.

This is going to be a different type of journaling. It is not about free flowing writing where you let your mind wander on paper through your pen. This is in bullet form writing (I can hear a sigh of relief from some of you!)

I want you to start writing, in bullet form, every task you enjoy doing during your day at work and why you think it brings you joy.

Let me give you an example:

When I was working as a lawyer, I specialized in tax law. During tax season, I often worked over 80 hours a week and it was gruelling. But when I sat down to journal after my meditation, this is what I found myself writing:

I enjoy speaking to clients on the phone. Why: because I help them solve an issue they are struggling with.
I enjoy spending this additional time with my colleagues. Why: because I feel I get to know them better and create deeper connections.
I enjoy solving complicated tax problems. Why: because it makes me feel helpful to others.

And this can easily apply to everyone, whatever your job is. If you’re a stay-at-home parent, your journal could look like this:

I enjoy doing homework with my kids. Why: it makes me feel like I contribute to their learning skills and education.
I enjoy cooking for my family. Why: because I’m a good cook and it makes me feel accomplished.

The follow-up

After a week of meditation and journaling, I want you to go back to your journal and read everything you’ve written. You’ll notice a pattern come to light. And from that pattern, your unique gift will emerge.

Now I hear some of you saying: there is absolutely nothing I enjoy about my job. I do it for the pay check so I can take care of my family. The best part of my day are the breaks!

So I would ask you, what is it that you do during your breaks that brings you joy? Is it that you enjoy the free time to plan your child’s birthday party? Is it that you love reading a good book?

Whatever your answer is, look at what unique gift transpires from your activities during your break time. If you love to plan birthday parties, you’re maybe a gifted planner so look for opportunities to share more of that gift at work (plan office parties, plan team building activities and retreats…) or in your community (bloc parties, church fund raisers…). If you love reading books at lunchtime, maybe you’re gift is your ease of understanding literature, so look for opportunities to share that gift at work by starting a weekly lunchtime book club or a book club at your local library.

There are endless ways to share your gift with the world on a daily basis and make it an integral part of your current situation. The more you learn about your unique gift and the more you show a desire to share it, the more God will present you with opportunities to do so.

And like I said earlier, if it doesn’t come to you right away, don’t give up! Keep at it. Keep meditating and journaling.

And always remember: You have a gift that is unique to you and the Universe wants you to share it.

Ellie
xx

P.S. I know what it feels like to want so much out of life and to run a business that has a positive and powerful impact on the world. I know what it’s like to read endless self-help sand business mastery books, looking for that edge that is going to calm the overwhelm and give direction to your life and your business.

I know how all of it feels like because I was stuck there for years. And so have all my clients.

Now don’t get me wrong. I LOVE self-help and business mastery books and still read them to this day. But now I know what I was missing that none of these books could give me and that is A CLEAR MISSION OF WHAT I WANT IN MY LIFE AND FOR MY LIFE.

It took me years and thousands of dollars spent on coaches, mentors, workshops and online courses to get to this point. And let’s not forget the two decades I spent travelling the world and working as an international corporate lawyer alongside top business leaders.

All of that got me to here. And HERE is to help you. Because my own mission is:

To inspire and lead others to find clarity and affirm their purpose.

No matter what stage you are at in your life, finding your purpose and getting clear on your mission is the greatest gifts you can give yourself. It is what will bring you the greatest fulfilment. Not to mention, the greatest abundance.

Abundance, yes. When you are clear on what you want, you can focus all of your energy and your willpower on making it happen. Things start flowing, new opportunities are presented to you, ideal clients and partners and adventures are directed your way.

You may not understand how this is all happening and this is far from being “magic” or some woo woo concept. This is simply you getting clear on what you want and channeling your energy accordingly.

If you are looking for that transformation, if you have reached that point where you know there is more to get from your life and your business but you just don’t know how to get there, then I can help you.

I can guide you through the step by step process of getting clear on your mission and claiming your purpose.

This mentoring is tailored to you, your needs, your experiences and your desired outcomes. This is not some cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all kind of coaching. This is for those that are willing to put in the work to get more out life and their business: more money, more abundance, more joy, more freedom, more fulfilment.

If this sounds like you, if you are like all of my other succesful clients that came to me searching for something more and getting even more out of their life and business, then I urge you to CLICK HERE and get in touch with me directly. I will directly respond to your email. Not my assistant or another coach. I will personally assist you.

But let me make this clear for you, before you click that link. You are going to have to work for what you want. I am not the “cheerleader” type of coach. Yes I will support you 1000% but I will also call you out when you need it most.

Remember, this is about YOU. THIS IS ABOUT YOU GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR LIFE. In order to get you there, you will need to work through the process.

If you are ready then I can’t wait to work with you. CLICK HERE.

Photo credit: Cristina Marrone

I love strolling around bookstores, checking out new releases, picking up a few and nestling myself in a corner to read a few pages or the entire book. No matter what section I’m browsing through, my feet inevitably carry me to the self-help books. As I read the pages of some of these books, the theme of living a life of purpose is a recurring one.

Although I share the views, and admire, many of these authors, I am sometimes left wondering, if I was a beginner at all of this self-help stuff, how would I begin to know what living a life of purpose is? How would I go about finding my own purpose, without turning my life upside down?

I understand that feeling.

Finding your purpose may not be as complicated as you think and you may not have to look as far, as you think. Your purpose can actually be right under your nose. It seems that sometimes, metaphysical concepts get overcomplicated and thus become intimidating to the newly initiated.

So let’s bring it back to a plain explanation we can all understand.

What does it mean to find your purpose? What does it mean to live a life of purpose?

A little side note before we continue on. In speaking about metaphysics, I like to use the term God. If you feel more comfortable to use the term Spirit or Universe or Higher Power, I encourage you to do so. By no means am I trying to push a certain way of thinking on you. I actually want the opposite: for you to understand and develop your own views of these concepts. I also refer to God as “he”. Again, that’s just what feels right for me, but if you’re feeling the goddess power, please refer to it as “her”. This is all about your journey and what feels right for you.

Good. Now let’s go back to the concept of purpose.

In laymen terms, finding your purpose means finding the unique gift God gave you. The reason you were created in the first place. The reason you are here, on earth, at this exact time in history. Your purpose is the gift only you have and can share with the world.

Therefore living a life of purpose means living a life that is aligned with your divine gift. A life where you get to share your unique gift with others on a regular basis.

If you think you need to quit your current job or shift your entire life around to live a life of purpose, I’d encourage you to take a closer look at what is already in your life and how your unique gift can be expressed within your current setting. I’m not saying you shouldn’t quit your job or shift your entire life around if that’s what you feel you need to do. I’m just saying, take a moment to look at what’s in front of you before wishing for an overhaul.

Let me explain what I mean with these examples.

Meet my mother-in-law Mary.

Mary is the store manager of a beautiful furniture, décor and accessories store in the West Island of Montreal. The way she goes about her work, the care she has for her employees and the pride she takes in her store, you’d think she’s the owner. She’s also a heck of a saleswoman.

That’s Mary’s talent. She’s an amazing manager. Her meticulous ways and organizational skills enhance that talent.

But that’s not her gift.

Her gift is to be an good listener. That’s right. Her unique gift is to listen.

When a person walks into the store, Mary always asks how their day is going and then she will listen to the answer. She will listen to whatever that person has to say. Often times, that simple gesture of listening, will lead that person to openly confide in her.

You may be wondering why a perfect stranger would confide in the store manager. But that’s Mary’s gift. When she looks at her client and asks “how are you”, that person feels they are listened to. Intentionally listened to. And this is not a sales tactic. At that moment, Mary is only focused on that person.

I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve stopped by that store for a quick hello and someone was either hugging Mary or holding her hands.

Listening to others is Mary’s unique gift. And because she is utilizing her gift, she is living her purpose. By living out her purpose everyday, Mary is not only of service to others, but she is also of service to herself. She is of service to herself because practising her gift everyday allows her to feel alive, to feel meaningful, to feel helpful.

Living out her purpose allows her to root her life in profound joy.

See, her purpose is not fulfilled by her actual job as a store manager. Being a store manager is a demanding job and parts of it are not fun. But her true purpose is fulfilled by what her job gives her and allows her to do everyday: listen to others.

Let me give you another example.

Meet my dear friend Kamilla.

Kamilla is a phenomenal makeup artist. I’m not just saying that because she’s my friend. She truly is that good. With the stroke of her brushes and an orchestrated marriage of colours, she creates beauty. Stunning beauty. She is, a true artist. You can check out her work here and here.

That’s her talent. To create artistry through makeup. But that’s not her gift.

Kamilla is one of the most positive and optimistic person I know. She lives her life on a higher vibrational level.

And that’s her gift. Her positivity, her radiance, is her unique gift from God.

When Kamilla works with a client, it is no longer about the colours and the brushes. It’s about sharing her higher frequency. It’s about inviting that other person into her energetic field and communicating, transferring, that positive frequency to her client.

By doing so, Kamilla is able to bring the inner beauty out of her clients and give them an experience of wellbeing that goes beyond their makeup.

That is her gift. That is how she lives out her purpose everyday. Her purpose is not her job as a makeup artist. It is not the brushes, the bronzer or the blush. Those are the tools that allow her to share her gift. That allow her to live a life of purpose.

By connecting with another person on a positive and higher level, Kamilla not only brings out the inner beauty in others but she brings out her own inner beauty. It’s an exchange of energy. By sharing her gift with others, Kamilla gets to live a life of fulfillment, a life of inner bliss.

That bliss is what I want for you. That is what I want you to find for yourself.

In the second part of this series, I will breakdown the two part exercise I encourage you to practise for few minutes everyday, to find your own unique gift, your own unique purpose in life.

I wouldn’t want you to miss the next post so make sure you’ve signed up for the updates either at the bottom of this post or on the side bar, under my bio.

Elle