Happy Birthday Life On Purpose Institute
This month (August 2005) we're celebrating the 9th anniversary
or birthday (take your pick) of Life On Purpose Institute, so I
felt some of you would like to know how this spiritually based,
web-supported enterprise began. Here's the story - an example of
the 'throw your hat over the wall so you have to follow it'
approach to building a business.
The Birth of Life On Purpose Institute W. Bradford Swift
At Life On Purpose Institute we believe everyone should follow
their purpose and passion in life and that doing so will never
lead you astray even when you aren't completely clear where it
will lead you. I call it "following the breadcrumbs of your
passion" and it's actually how Life On Purpose Institute began.
I first got the idea of starting an organization that was a
reflection of my own purpose of living a life of service,
simplicity and spiritual serenity from a pet writing project:
Project Purpose: To write and publish articles about people and
institutions whose lives and missions are dedicated to a bold
and inspired purpose or vision.
After interviewing and spending time with dozens of these
purposeful people, I began to recognize certain common elements
they shared; one of which was that almost all of them were
expressing their own life purpose through some organized
structure -- a for profit business, a non-profit, etc. I was in
the midst of pondering what such an organization would look like
for me when I received an assignment from Yoga Journal to write
a feature article on simple living in a complex world. They
wanted, as part of the article, a sidebar listing resources
about living simply.
Well, I thought, Life On Purpose Institute could be in that
sidebar, except there wasn't a Life On Purpose Institute yet. At
first I dismissed the idea as being premature, but as I
continued writing the article I couldn't get the idea out of my
mind. Finally, I ran it by my coach who replied, "Why not
include it and see what happens?" So, I did.
I didn't think much more about it until 2 to 3 months later when
the article appeared as the cover story for the August, 1996
issue of Yoga Journal with a cartoon illustration by Gahan
Wilson. A few days after the magazine hit the newsstands, my
phone rang. "Hello, Brad Swift," I answered in my customary
fashion.
"Is this Life On Purpose?" An excited voice on the other end of
the line asked.
I paused, momentarily dazed and looked around my office. I had
forgotten about listing my dream in the sidebar. Gathering my
wits about me, I replied, "Yes, how may I serve you?"
That was 9 years ago this month. Today Life On Purpose Institute
is a flourishing, spiritually based enterprise. Hundreds of
people have clarified their life purpose by working individually
with our Life On Purpose Certified Coaches, and thousands of
others have done the same through our group programs. We have
had close to a hundred purposeful and passionate people who have
gone through our Coach Development Programs as far away as
Germany and Australia. While our mission to deeply and
profoundly touch and contribute to at least 1% of the world's
population (around 60-70 million people), is far from complete,
we're building momentum to have it accomplished during my life
time. (I turned 56 a couple of months ago and intend to live to
at least 104, so we have some time to make this Impossible
Mission possible).
This "meta purpose project" continues to transform my life and
that of my wife, Ann, who is also Life On Purpose's CFO and
program registrar. Only in my wildest dreams did I ever think I
could live such a satisfying and fulfilling life as I'm living
now, but then again, isn't that where such realities begin - in
our dreams. Perhaps Goethe said it best:
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it: boldness has
genius, power and magic in it."
For all of you reading this who are a part of our
cyber-adventure, thank you for all that you have contributed and
continue to contribute to my life and to the realization of the
LOPI vision. Please celebrate with the 9-year-old birthday of
Life On Purpose Institute. Can any of us imagine what LOPI will
be like when its 50!
You can count on that at Life On Purpose Institute, we will
continue to follow our purposeful path of passionate breadcrumbs.
(To read the landmark article, Simple Living in a Complex World
that launched LOPI into the world, go to:
http://lifeonpurpose.com/index.php?task=more-info&page=42&websect
ionid=86