Building Your Own Purpose Pod Of Powerful People
One of the most common complaints or issues I hear from my
coaching clients is that they do not have like-minded people
around them who they can use for support in living on purpose.
It can be quite a challenge to try to live a life that appears
to run crosscurrents with the flow of our culture. However, a
growing number of people are awakening to the realization that
our Great American Dream of doing more and more to acquire more
stuff is really a nightmare.
Perhaps, the most clearly identified groups of people interested
in living more meaningful and fulfilling lives have been
identified by Paul H. Ray, Ph.D., executive vice president of
American LIVES, Inc., a market research and opinion polling firm
specializing in surveys based on Lifestyles, Interests, Values,
Expectations, and Symbols of Americans. Ray has identified a
group, Cultural Creatives, as a subculture of shared values that
makes up a quarter of the American population. Cultural
Creatives' most important values are: altruism (being of
service), voluntary simplicity, idealism, spiritual development,
ecological sustainability, concern for mutuality in
relationships, and the importance of cultural creativity and
activism for a better world. This group is estimated to be over
50 million Americans who share these values, and further studies
suggest that at least this many Cultural Creatives live outside
the United States.
So, if one out of every four Americans shares these common
values, why can't we find them in our neighborhood? Perhaps it
is because we do not have a structure or way to alert each other
that we exist. Or, at least we have not until the Internet. In
the years of operating Life on Purpose Institute as an online
enterprise and community, I have seen that it is possible to
attract a sizable 'Purpose Pod' of people who share many of my
core values, my vision for what is possible, and who desire to
be purposefully of service, to live an abundant and simple live,
and to connect with God.
While it may take a bit of effort and some purposeful patience
to attract a Purpose Pod of people around you, it is worth it.
Why? Because the more you surround yourself with people of like
minds and spirits, the easier it becomes for everyone to live
true to their Life Purpose. While it is great to have people in
your immediate geographical area to share your life with, you
are no longer restricted to geography.
A good starting point is the Life on Purpose Institute web site
at www.lifeonpurpose.com, where we are growing a global
cyber-community of purposeful, passionate and playful people.
Here is a simple yet effective process for creating a Purpose
Pod in your area. Create it as a Purpose Project, using the
Purpose Project Page. Here are some additional suggestions.
1. Set a date 4-6 weeks into the future when you intend to have
your first Purpose Pod gathering. Determine the day, time and
frequency that will work best for your schedule. This is simply
a target date, which can be adjusted as needed.
2. Determine what the intention and focus of the gathering will
be in your own words. Then, create the visionary reality of what
it will look and feel like once it is formed. Allow yourself to
dream about it, and really sense what the experience of having
such a group will feel like.
3. How many people do you ideally want to start the group and to
what size would you like to see it grow? Do not worry if most of
the people you know do not know their Life Purpose. That is a
great place to start, by bringing together a group of people who
would be interested in going through the first stage of the Life
on Purpose Process. You can use Traveling the Purposeful Path as
the workbook. (Available at www.lifeonpurpose.com)
4. How will you spread the word about the group? Make a list of
possible ways. One of the simplest ways to start spreading the
word is to make a list of people you know who would be open to
hearing about it. Do not worry whether they would want to be a
part of the group or not. Just share it with them and ask them
if they know of anyone they think would like to participate.
5. Remember to keep in Purposeful Play by not getting attached
to the results. Instead, stay focused that through this Purpose
Project you are being, expressing, and becoming known as your
Created Life Purpose.
6. On the date and time you targeted to have your first meeting,
hold it. Do not worry if you are the only person attending. It
is a start. Have the meeting with whoever shows up, then
schedule the next one. Encourage people to bring at least one
friend to the next meeting. Continue to practice purposeful
persistence and patience.