Roll out the Red Carpet!
We’ve got our very first guest article today written by Corinne Edwards! I’ve been friends with Corinne online for about a year so so, and then had the privilege to meet her over dinner after SOBCon08. You can see the photo with Corinne and myself over at Stephen’s Adversity University Blog (scroll down under #10)
Corinne Edwards from her Personal Growth Blog wrote to me – she was compelled to write a guest post in response to my post yesterday about Divine Purpose being just Bull!
So, here’s the article from Corinne:
Michelle Vandepas wrote an interesting article about our divine purpose in life.
She started out with a startling statement
Yesterday I told my blog and teaching partner CK, that I thought everything we’ve been teaching is Bull.
What?
Then she goes on to add -
I mean, how can we know that we even have a Divine Purpose? And if we have one, is it just one purpose or many?
I was going to write a comment on her blog and decided I would take up too much space so I thought I would ask her if I could write a guest post instead.
Many people’s first reaction when anyone talks about a “Divine Purpose” is fear. I mean doesn’t “Divine” mean God? What does he want from us? How does He tell us?
Lots of people are afraid of God.
I remember walking down Michigan Avenue in Chicago when a man I did not know stopped me. I had a TV show at the time.
He said, “I like your show, but I would look at it more if nobody talked about God.”
I don’t believe that the Divine has anything to do with our purpose. OK, I said it.
I think we come into this world already decided on what we want to accomplish. I do believe in some kind of Infinite Intelligence who is available to help us. You can call this energy God if you like. But, it is our deal. Our choosing.
Unless we are Mother Theresa, I think we come in with something else than a specific purpose. That is why it drives us crazy trying to figure out what it is.
We come in with a talent. And that talent is constant. There may be more than one but there is a central one. A core talent.
Of course, the next question is how do we recognize it?
For some strange reason, most people think that if something is easy for them it cannot be their talent. They are likely to say, “Oh, that couldn’t be it. Everyone can do that!”
They can’t. Not as well as you can.
My sister is a prime example of this.
She got married at 18 and proceeded to have six children. She never completed college.
But if you present June with a problem, she can go immediately to the crux of it and tell you what is going on. She says everyone can do that.
She probably used this talent in raising six successful and healthy children. But recently, she was called to be a juror on a murder trial. The defendant was a woman who had been severely physically and emotionally abused by her husband for years.
She was the only holdout in the woman’s conviction. But, she saw into this person’s heart and could see why she did it. She convinced the other eleven jurors to acquit her.
June’s talent is to see beyond the obvious and there is a mother taking care of her children today who may have spent her life in prison. She does not take any credit for it. She thinks anyone could do this.
Michelle asks, “Does our purpose change over the years?”
Of course. Life changes. You talent does not. You use it as life comes at you.
Most people feel that your talent has to be something big. Something that changes the world. Something that we have passion about.
Something very small, like being a gardener, can set up what is referred to in science as the Chaos Theory, popularly known as the “butterfly effect“, so called because of the title of a paper given by Edward Lorenz in 1972 to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. entitled Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly’s Wings in Brazil set off a Tornado in Texas?
The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale phenomena. Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system might have been vastly different.
So, you can change the world by having a beautiful garden, or being a kind bus driver – or raising six children – or even one.
That is not to discourage you from mighty purposes. But as far as never giving up? Don’t fall into that trap. If something is not working out it does not mean you have failed. There is something else that will attract you right around the corner.
Your talent is powerful. It will insist on being heard.
In the meantime, all you have to do is concentrate on being a butterfly.
—————-
Thanks Corinne.
Come back anytime.
Corrine’s book on Amazon:
365 Reflections on Being Single: A Woman’s Guide to Living Alone and Loving It!
Written by Michelle Vandepas - Work with me to manifest your small business or large project! I specialize in working with writers, bloggers, creative independents, small business owners, practitioners and healers. Contact me using the tab above.
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Thanks, Michelle and Ck, for letting me hijack your site. Love your honest article and I really wanted to respond fully.
Hey! What an intro! If I had known that i would have given your an article sooner!
A red carpet, no less!
Much love and appreciation!
Corinne
Corinne:
What a beautifully written article! And contrariwise too! Very interesting way of putting things.
Okay, let me put in my two cents here:
1. I agree that our divine purpose does not necessarily have to be “earth-shaking” and can be as simple as tending to your garden or as complicated as raising 6 children (or one child).
2. I strongly believe in the butterfly effect even though we don’t see it from our actions.
3. I disagree that we don’t come in with a divine purpose – I believe we do and that we find out through our innermost passions. I counsel clients (I’m a life coach too) to think back to when they were kids – what playacting roles did they do all the time that made time fly? Whatever that was, there’s a divine purpose interwined in there somewhere. For instance, I used to play schoolteacher all the time. In fact I vividly remember talking to my imaginary audience with a blackboard, pretending to teach. While I didn’t grow up to be a schoolteacher, I did become a teacher on another level! So I believe I’m living my divine purpose as a motivational speaker. That sort of thing.
Thanks for letting me share – excellent article.
Stephen Hopsons last blog post..End of the Week Gratitude Theme #28
Corrine. Loved having your comment as a post. Thanks!
Stephen,
I to also believe in the butterfly effect. I know it works because of the effect people have had on me, and didn’t even know it.
Here’s a question though.. what if you don’t remember large chunks of childhood or have blocks around childhood as many of my workshop participants? Or what if your childhood wasn’t full of roses and you can’t tap into joy? Do you have other ideas for tapping into purpose?
p.s. I do agree that we come in with certain ‘energies’ that can manifest as passions and purpose, and if we stay within those energies we have choices that will make us joyfull.
Dear Stephen –
I was dying for you to reply because you are an outstanding example of my thesis.
Knowing you pretty well, I would say that the talent you brought in to this world was the ability to communicate.
Think about the odds on this one. A deaf little boy with this talent? Hardly possible to get anywhere much.
But as I said in my article, talent is powerful. It insists on being heard.
.
Hearing and brilliant people may get hired by Merrill Lynch but one out of a hundred are still there a year later. You were. Why? Communication.
Getting an instrument pilot’s license? Impossible for a deaf person. You got it. Why? Communication.
Writing a book – getting a scholarship in a contest. You did it. Why? Communication.
Motivational speaker? One of the hardest professions to crack. No way a deaf person can succeed. You have. Why? Communication.
That has been the constant. It is your talent.
I can’t wait to see where you go from now on. Ambassador to the UN? Governor of your state? Nothing would surprise me.
None of these things above were your “Life Purpose.” All of the above and your future are about your talent for communication.
Corinne Edwardss last blog post..GOOD NIGHT, ARLENE – We’ll see you in our dreams
Corinne:
Wow – what a powerful response. While it might not have been my divine purpose to intentionally live a life of communication, which by the way, is actually ironic considering the circumstances, I do believe I was born deaf for all of those reasons.
In other words, I think my disability was predestined. I’m thinking of the phrase where it says “the meek shall inherit the world.” Certainly, I don’t consider myself meek but I interpret this statement to mean that the “most unlikely people sometimes end up creating significant waves in a way that surprises, sometimes rankles people. They all end you saying “Who would have thought……” Like how I became a pilot and the first one to get an instrument rating – the kind that’s impossible to get without being able to hear on the radio. I was the most “unlikely” person to achieve that. Same thing with what I did on Wall Street – I had all those people who interviewed me tell me I wouldn’t make it. Again, the most unlikely candidate.
What about you? I’ll bet some people said you were the most unlikely candidate for something yet you did it? Perhaps someone said you were unlikely to be a TV show talk host yet you did and not only that but you met a lot of famous authors and speakers in those days. What else?
See where this is going? Love philosophical discussions like the one we’re having.
Very interesting discussion Corinne. Thanks. BTW, I’m impressed with your depth of knowledge about my life, my achievements. Wow. Amazing.
Now if I only knew how to communicate all of that stuff to the rest of the world to let them know I’m here to speak, inspire and coach them to their dreams.
Stephen Hopsons last blog post..End of the Week Gratitude Theme #28
Michelle:
What if you don’t remember chunks of your childhood or have experienced instances where you couldn’t feel joy?
These are very good questions. I don’t pretend to have all the answers but I’m willing to give it a shot, totally letting the words flow as my fingers fly across the keyboard.
Althought his did not happen to me, I’ve heard and read about instances where young kids or teens create a space within themselves where they can retreat into the safety of their santucary in their minds. This is the place where they go to block out whatever horrific events are happening. As they get older, those events are somehow blocked out but they grow older still feeling emotional turmoil but not know why they are feeling that way. The fact that they can’t remember what happened to them can block them from enjoying life until they get to the root of it.
Again, I have no answers but I do know that there are cases where repressed memories are somehow released and for the first time in their lives, they begin to experience what it’s like to live joyfully and spiritually.
How does that trigger point happen? That, I believe, is divinely orchestrated. They’ll meet someone who triggers a situation causing the repressed person to go on a spiritual journey or a spiritual search for the answers. Ro something seemingly tragic will happen, waking up the repressed individual.
Like I said, I’m no psychologist but this is what I’ve read over the years. Depression and repression are very real to a lot of people. It’s not something to be taken lightly.
Thanks for letting me share..
Stephen Hopsons last blog post..End of the Week Gratitude Theme #28
Stephen, You’ve added a lot to this conversation!… I think for some of us to tap into our joy we must do activities that take us totally out of our heads and into our intuitive/instinctive place. So dancing, walking, creativity might be some examples. When we can tap into the place our our Soul, it is easier to let go of depression and downward spiral thinking.
I do remember most of my childhood but I do have earlier memories that I have blocked out. What I choose to call my purpose in life is to take those childhood experiences and let others know that they can overcome whatever childhood or life throws at you. My incest issues and growing up with an alcoholic dad don’t keep me from living life to the fullest as they once did. Communication is one of my talents so I choose to use it to help others who come from abusive backgrounds. I help with my writing and talking to other survivors.
I do believe we each have a purpose in life. I also believe we should spend less time searching for that purpose and spend more time living it. Inside each of us does know what our purpose is. The searching is something we can get stuck in that can keep us from living our purpose if we become too obsessed with the search.
Patricia – Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworkers last blog post..Tag—You’re It—Another Meme
Michelle:
Glad I’ve added to the conversation. I just love stuff like this so I let my heart run with it. It was a fun discussion!
Stephen Hopsons last blog post..End of the Week Gratitude Theme #28
Corinne,
You say that the reaction for many people when they hear Divine Purpose is fear. Divine means G-d and more people would listen if we didn’t talk about G-d. I would like to hear more about what you think about that. I have come to a conclusion that I cannot please everybody and needed to decide what I want to talk about. No matter what I call it, there will be people who are offended, or afraid, or go away (abandonment issues here). The truth for me is that I need to follow my Divine Purpose and say the things that are true for me, without attachment to anyone’s acceptance or response. I believe that the meaning we attach to ..words.. can be very limiting, causing us to lose the essence of what is being communicated. Human! I would like to hear more about what you think about this… I think I will write a post also!
Hi CK -
What works for me is that I call God Infinite Intelligence or Universal Intelligence. or All That Is when I work with people or even write about spirituality..
Nobody takes offense or is afraid of those words and they mean the same thing.
When I was teaching A Course in Miracles in Cook County Jail – which of course is a channeling from Jesus – there were a lot of inmates who were afraid of the word Jesus too. Mainly, because they were sure that they were damned by him and God for their crimes..
One man told me that he prayed to the ceiling in his jail cell. And he said that the ceiling helped him.
So, what’s in a name? It is the consciouness that counts. I agree that you should use whatever word you are most comfortable with.
I’ll look forward to your article. They are always wonderfully sincere and also funny! I think one of your talents is that you could be a stand up comic!
Corrine – I think it’s so cool that Michelle’s post prompted a “guest author” like comment in you. I can see why you are so wise and why so many appreciate you.
I am not one to follow a god like, conversation either – similar to the man on the street – if it gets too god – dy, you lose me in the conversation. Yet I practice and even preach a universal someone – preferably a female, thank you very much that guides us all. I feel we have to trust that someone.
With that said, purpose for me has always been selfdirected or internally gauged, usually when I feel a little queezy inside about doing something risky or even something big and important – if I feel I could just hurl then know I am completely on track! Opportunity knocks at everyone’s door – the fact is some open the doors and others don’t. If I feel it in my gut, I’m going to open the door. Some say that’s courageuous, others say it’s naive. I say how the heck will I learn my purpose on this planet earth otherwise?
Michelle – your work here is just awesome, and I so enjoyed meeting you at SOBCON08
Corrine – someday you and I will figure out how it is we so know each other!!
Mother Earth, I loved meeting you as well… So much fun, so little time. I was hoping to spend more time talking at dinner but….. so much fun so little time!
I love that you say you know you are on track when you are ready to hurl….LOL
Back when I was first discovering my ‘artist within’, I was so scared to walk into a printmaking shop that I stood outside and shook. That’s how I knew it was important to my soul to go in.
Thanks for contributing to the conversation!
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