The Purpose of Your Life by Carol Adrienne

Here is some useful information to remember from The Purpose of Your Life by Carol Adrienne.
Excellent book!!!

Synchronicity

"When you take the perspective that everything that happens - or doesn't happen - in your life is necessary to the fulfillment of your life's purpose, you begin to become more alert and tuned in to what you may have been oblivious to before." (pg 34)

"Synchronicity...is the magic that moves you forward." (pg 35)

"I suggest that when you experience any kind of odd 'coincidence' try becoming still for a moment...Ask yourself any of the following questions: 1) What have I just been thinking about? 2) What is my connection to this person? 3) Does this person have anything to tell me about any of my current questions or interests? 4)What does this coincidence seem to suggest? Does it seem to be a yes or no answer to any question that I have even subtly been asking? 5) Do I feel energized? 6) Do I feel a draw to see this person again? 7) What seemed to be taking place as we met?" (pg 113)


Paradox

"Because we in a world where we divide things into hot or cold, good or bad, light or dark, right or wrong, our mind naturally seperates everything into either/or or black and white concepts. Interestingly, the reality of life and the underlying universal laws are usually formed from a paradox - which means both/and rather than either/or. To be on the path of your life purpose is to learn to be comfortable with paradox. The first paradox of our lives is that nothing is fixed; and yet nothing is random or accidental either. We cocreate with our spiritual source. We have free will, and yet we are not in control. The second paradox is that when we set our intention for what we desire, we acheive it only after we have released the need to have it. This is the paradox of intention (personal desire and will) and surrender (letting God or the universe provide what is best for our highest good). You are both a finite earthly being, and an infinite soul of great spiritual dimension. You are both/and. You are the drop of water and the wave. You direct yourself, and you are directed." (pg 39)


Decisions

"I have found that one of the best questions to ask myself when trying to make a decision is Does this decision make me feel more open and expanded, or does it make me feel shut down and slightly contracted?' " (pg 57)


Leaving The Known Path

Perhaps each of us must, at some point in our lives, reenact the archetypal hero's journey by setting out for faraway places. A big part of the process of discovering ourselves is our also seeing and touching the life experiences of other human beings around the world. That process is driven by the archetypal urge within us to see a fuller picture, to incorporate the knowledge of other societies and to experience 'tribal' realities. We must leave the known path, and strike out for the unknown. (pg 103)


The Void

"Each of us has had, at one time or another, an experience that strips away our normal feelings of knowing who we are, or our general at-one-ment with the world. Like any continuum of feelings, the void may enter our lives in different degrees....Paradoxically, the signature sign of the presence of the void is the feeling of the absence of something. We feel out of sorts, cut off, and alienated. We can find nothing to look forward to. We may feel that life is not worth living if it's going to look like this...Its message seems to have something to do with not feeling connected to life, not feeling recognized or useful, and not feeling that there is much purpose to anything." (pg 199-200)

"Rather than coming down hard on yourself as a failure, it might be more productive in the long run to think of the void as a rite of passage, an initiation to the next level of your life. It is a tome of germinating the seeds of your new self, and a time-out while your inner processes sort, clear, and present you with new insights. In indigenous cultures, this time of life is traditionally given over to working with one's inner spirit guides or going on a spiritual quest in order ot emerge transformed with a new and deeper perspective on one's life and purpose. The void gives us an opportunity to end some part of our development, and to prepare the ground for new growth.Whether or not we know it consciously, we are undergoing a psychic reorganization of our attracting field of purpose. We are integrating the lessons of the past, and pruning our old views of ourselves and the world." (pg 201)

"It's important to be comfortable when you are in a time of the void. If you are pursuing your life purpose, you have to be comfortable and admit the shadow - the part of yourself that you have buried away or refused to admit about yourself. There is alot of creativity there when you are struggling against something bigger than you are." (pg 203)


The Shadow

"The shadow is created because our ego, constantly trying to control our world, sorts out things that don't fit the picture we have constructed for how to survive and be accepted. The shadow begons to build in early childhood, when we hide away parts of ourselves that were criticized or ridiculed by our parents." (pg 217)

"The shadow may come through our life like a firestorm un incontrollable urges, breakdowns, and contradictory desires." (pg 218)


Making A Working Purpose Statement

1. Write down several activities that you LOVE to do.

I love to:

• read
• experience
• introspect
  
• teach
• talk
• think
• love
• help
• learn
  
• explore
• travel
• edit
• write
• create
• imagine

2.Write down a few top qualities that you love about yourself, or that others have seen in you.

I am:

• compassionate
• intelligent
• honest
• philosophical
• romantic
• spiritual
• insightful
• resourceful
• adventurous

3.Write down qualities you would like to possess.

I would like to have more:

• adventure
• opportunities to make a difference
• imagination and time to write
• knowledge on Buddhism
• ability to bring peace, both internally and externally
• awareness of self
• awareness of mind
• meditation
• ability to teach others

4. Put it together.

• I love to teach, learn new things and help people. I am compassionate, philosophical, adventurous and spiritual. I would like to learn about myself and other things and to teach others.

My Statement: My purpose is to teach AND learn in order to increase my opportunities to think and explore.

6 Principles For Aligning With Your Life Mission (pg 62-63)

1. Act on passion
2. Be discerning - stop doing things where you are just putting in time
   
3. Listen - follow through on persistent intuitive messages
   
4. Commit
   
5. Stay open - let synchronicities confirm you are on the right path, even if their meaning is not crystal clear
   
6. Learn trust