One of the greatest ways to help you on your journey to discovering your purpose is to follow The Rules of Purpose. These rules are founded on Galen Emanuel’s Rules of Improv. Each of the five rules are explained below.
Rule 1: Always Say Yes
The Rules of Purpose are based on a “yes and” mentality. What do I mean by “yes and?” Imagine you are moving forward on the path to your success and an opportunity or idea approaches. No matter how impossible that task may seem, when you approach that opportunity with a “yes and” mentality you will seek a way to make it possible, to say yes to that request.
It is so easy to say, “No I can’t do that because . . .” but where does that ever get you?
Let’s say you have a desire to climb Mount Everest. The old you would say, “No, I can’t climb Mount Everest because it costs too much, I’m not healthy enough, or I can’t get work off.” Sound familiar? Now think about what it would take to say yes. How much does it cost? If someone offered you the money right now to go, could you say yes? What else would it take to be able to say yes?
Think about every reason you keep saying no to something that you want and ask yourself, “What would it take for me to be able to say yes?” You may have to think BIG! You may even start by thinking impossible! Would a time machine make it possible? YES! There you go. You have a place to start. As you continue to think BIG, your brain will begin to help you think of ways that are possible. rePURPOSE your Mind to be open to all the possibilities in front of you.
Rule 2: Listen and Be Present
Have you ever been in a conversation and when the other person was done talking realized you have no idea what they said because you were focused on what you were going to say in reply?
That is a perfect example of what it means NOT to listen and be present.
When you choose to listen and be present, you make the other person your focus. You choose to listen to what they say and make the effort to understand WHY they feel that way, or WHY this story is important to them. You need to be present in the moment and the conversation. Instead of thinking about what you need to get done that day, where you are going this weekend with your friends, or what your next appointment is – Be Present.
Rule 3: Always Make Others Look Good
Have you ever spent time with someone who constantly speaks badly about other people? How does it make you feel? Most likely, you wonder what they say about you when you are not around. That’s because people who always speak badly about others, have trained themselves to only see the bad.
In everything you say and everything you do, you should always make every effort to make others look good.
Why?
Making others look good does two things. First of all, it makes you view others through the lens of what they did right. This improves cooperation and lifts both of you to a higher level of intent.
More importantly, it teaches you how to make others look good. It rePURPOSES your Mind to see the good that others do. This will turn back to you and help you see the good inside yourself.
Rule 4: Accept Change and Failure
For some, this can be one of the hardest things to do. Failure is a necessary part of success, so is changing. If you approach your journey being unwilling to bend when change occurs, or afraid of trying something because you just might fail, you will never succeed.
In the words of Robert F. Kennedy, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”
As you begin your path toward your vision, be willing to accept that things will happen that you can’t control. Be ready to readjust when things need to change, and never be afraid to try something out. Sure it could fail. Just remember what was discussed in the blog, “Everything’s a Success, Even Failure.” You can either win it or you can learn from it.
Rule 5: Be Positive and Have Fun
Following your purpose to success should be FUN! Having fun is not the same as taking the easy path. You may find hard things fun to do. That’s where “Be Positive” comes in. When you are on the path to your success, sometimes difficult things need to get done. Can you do difficult things and still have fun? Of course you can! When you choose to be positive, to focus your attention on positive things, you can find ways to have fun.
Imagine that you got a great deal on an office rental. When you go to move in, you discover that the previous owners left it a mess. You’ve signed the lease. There’s no way to escape cleaning up. You can choose to hang your head and dig in, accepting the terrible situation, or you can turn on some dance songs, invite a few friends, order some pizza and have a party. Both ways will get the job done, but the second option would be so much more FUN!
Use the Rules of Purpose to help you rePURPOSE your Mind. Once you have learned how to rePURPOSE your Mind toward your success following the Rules of Purpose, use The Five Pillars of Success to implement your purpose to success. You will learn how to take action on the purpose that you discovered.
