Perhaps you’ve always intuitively known your life purpose, maybe you’ve invested time and energy in defining a career you love, the place you want to be and the people you want to be with. Hopefully you’ve dared to dream your ideal life and you’ve been taking steps to create this reality. Research shows we’re happier when we have a sense of purpose, our life has meaning beyond ourselves and we feel we’re making our unique contribution to the world. When we focus on our passions, talents and strengths, I believe we’re most likely to be successful and, in the long run, that will bring the highest rewards. As the challenging economy continues, here are my top ten suggestions:

There’s no going back.

It might seem like you’ve taken a step in the wrong direction, however once you’ve defined where you want to be, your subconscious (some would say the Universe or your Higher Self) is on the case. You might have taken the ‘scenic route’ though as long as you keep your dream in mind, you’re not lost.

Do whatever it takes.

Your dream might be to be a Celebrity Chef yet the only work available is in the local café. Ditch the ego and have patience! There are plenty of successful role models who’ve had mundane jobs. We never know how our different experiences have contributed to our success until we look back – perhaps this opportunity will teach you something essential for living your dream, maybe you’ll be introduced to your future business partner or this environment will allow you to shine in an unexpected way? At the very least you’ll have a story to tell!

Define yourself by your purpose.

Thinking about yourself in terms of the life you want to have e.g. as a ‘Celebrity Chef’, a) will help you keep focused on where you’re going and b) will influence your approach to your current reality. Trusting you won’t be in these circumstances for long, how can you make the best of this situation? How can you make a positive impact? Imagine your boss/colleagues/customers being interviewed by the press in the future when you’re living your dream, what would you like them to say about you?

Avoid the blame game.

Taking the lack of opportunity personally (I can’t be good enough) or blaming redundancy/the economy/that boss, will take you on a destructive path of negative thinking. Unfortunately this can often become a self-fulfilling prophecy – if you don’t think you deserve to live your dream, your dream will elude you. What’s more, you’ll need all your resourcefulness to handle the challenges ahead, and someone with a head full of negativity is unlikely to be at the peak of their effectiveness.

Be flexible and adapt.

Being made redundant has been the impetus many have needed to take the plunge and follow their hearts. There are opportunities in every economic situation. Perhaps your niche is in providing a service more cost effectively or in saving people money? Whilst keeping the key elements of your dream, acting with integrity and staying true to your values, can you tailor your offering to better meet people’s needs?

Don’t believe all you hear.

There are still wealthy people and there are still people spending money.  The recession may have no adverse impact on you or your purpose. It might even make it easier to achieve. Take care of your energy and don’t let it be contaminated by the negative thinking of others. This applies to well meaning friends and family as well as the media.

Take an international perspective.

Economies and markets vary. The skills you are unable to market in the UK may be highly sort after in Australia. Moving to somewhere with a lower cost of living might give you the impetus you need to get your business idea off the ground as well as providing you with some unique experiences and opportunities. Learning how people in different countries use limited resources to solve the problems you’re facing can help you move forward. And with technology you can always base yourself in one location whilst reaching people in another.

Follow your passions.

When we engage our passions, we have the most Soul Sanook (fun) we often lose track of time and we have a deep sense of fulfilment. Our dream lives will be full of passion but it’s also important for us to engage in our passions until then. This could be the way we approach our work, volunteering our time or finding lower cost versions of our hobbies.  For example a recent client who loves horses though isn’t in a position to afford her own horse or lessons is volunteering at a charity that provides horse riding for children with disabilities.

Invest in you.

This is a great time for learning and developing your skills. This could be reading to keep ahead in your field or offering your services free of charge to gain feedback that will help you hone your offering.  Build up your reserves in terms of your skills, energy, ideas and, if possible, savings. Prepare, research, plan and get organised. As well as being ready to launch when the time’s right, this will also help you spot opportunities and select the ones that best fit you.

Mind the gap.

There is probably quite a gap between your current reality and where you want to be and that gap may well be widening. As I suggested in 2 and 3 above, identifying too strongly with your current reality could feed your negative thinking and lead you believe your life has no purpose. On the other hand, living as if its only your dream that’s important can have you missing out on life now, avoiding necessary actions and running up debts. Your job is to find the balance where you can take care of what needs to be done in the real world and stay present in the here and now, whilst keeping your dream alive as your guidance and inspiration.

I’ve used the terms ‘purpose’ and ‘dream’ interchangeably here but they do have quite different flavours. Living your dream (also referred to as your vision) suggests you’ve created a life that fully nurtures you whilst your life purpose implies you are making a specific impact in the world. Both come from a deep sense of knowing yourself and making the most of your unique talents and passions. They may also have spiritual or religious meaning for you. 

Having defined your life purpose or your dream, a favourite coaching question is ‘And who do you need to be to live that life?’ The answer that returns usually has something to do with celebrating our uniqueness and having the courage to face our fears. The good news is you can get on with being that person any time, any place, anywhere! We can compromise in our activities, income and indulgences whilst keeping our purpose, relationships and integrity intact. Even though we might not be doing the things in our dream life, by engaging fully in our passions we can still be the person we dream of being, we can let our uniqueness shine. And maybe this is actually our true purpose, to be who we were meant to be!

Debbie Reeds www.soulsanook.com www.sea-sky.co.uk