Aloha Lovies~
Have you ever wondered what you life purpose is? This is a question that I first began to ask myself when I was approaching my 30th birthday. There is something that happens at the end of your 20's that has many people start to ponder the reason for their birth and what's important in their life.
There is a recent movie about the journey in discovering what two women's life work or purpose would be. I just finished watching Julie and Julia for the 2nd time, and this time I really got the message at the end which I didn't quite capture the first time I saw it. I think I was so engrossed with how brilliant Meryl Streep is at portraying Julia Childs, that I missed some important parts.
Like the fact that these french dishes were introduced to America by Julia Childs cook books. I am not familiar with the recipes, but I would bet I'd tasting them since I love to eat good food. Especially the ones made with butter. It sure didn't seem to stunt Julia's life as she lived to be in her 90's. Perhaps it was all the love and hot sex she and her husband Paul shared together. Note to self, have more afternoon quickies when I am back home.
It appeared in the movie that Julia Childs actually couldn't have children and it created a void in her life. She didn't appear to dwell upon it in the movie, although she did look at what she would do with her time and energy. She loved her husband with all of her heart, and she also loved food. She combined the two of her favorite loves and ended up going to a French Cooking School because her husband worked in France for the U.S. government. She made her art a labor of loving perfection through being the best at whatever she did. Her destiny appeared to be guided by the synchronicity of timing and by asking the question; "What shall I do with myself and my life?"
As a viewer of the movie we know this because the writer of the book which became a movie is a 30 year old woman named, Julie. She fondly remembered her own mother making one of Julia's dishes which seemed to make everything in life feel good again. At a turning point in her writing career after the tragedy of 9/11, Julie was feeling stuck in a rut with her writing and work career. So she too turned to the question, "What can I do with my natural gifts of being a writer, and focus on something that brings me joy?" The answer came in the form of cooking good food for her husband and her to eat while writing a blog about it. She created a deadline of one year and to go through the entire book that Julia Childs wrote.
There are several steps involved with each one of these women's search for purpose and finding it to be something that brought them great pleasure, and pain, but mostly the joy of discovering that they had accomplished something for themselves and that their accomplishments inspired millions of people around the world to create something for themselves.
I'm setting this up as a Natural Sequence of Events that occurred from Julie and Julia.
1) They asked the question at a defining moment in time, "What am I to do with my life?"
The first step is the awareness that you need some guidance in finding out what you are meant to do. Then ask for help and assistance.
2) What is it that I love and enjoy spending my time doing?
Really get in touch with the experiences that bring you the most joy and pleasure in life.
3) What if I could share that gift with other people?
If you are willing to give your gifts to others while you are learning the art of your craft, then they will be able to offer feedback on where are in alignment with your purpose and when you need to correct and to continue. We call it volunteering or apprenticeship.
4) Made a decision to get educated and paid for the experience of that education.
Julie bought food and spent her evenings working in the kitchen. She gave up time with her husband. Julia went to an expensive cooking school.
5) Committed to the project, vision, dream or task that was in front of them without knowing how it would look.
They just knew that they would do it. Neither one of these women quit on her higher purpose project.
6) They found a way to get the money through creative ways.
Julie set up a pay pal account and accepted donations and or gifts from the people who read her blog that wanted her to complete the task of cooking hundreds of recipes in one year. Julia actually taught cooking classes and allowed her husband to take care of her while she went to school.
7) They didn't quite before the miracle happened.
Julia Childs spent about 8 years honing her craft while writing a cook book. She was rejected, but never quit. Her husband was always her greatest cheerleader and fan. It was his idea to put her in front of the camera so that she could teach American women how to create these gourmet French dishes while watching her from the comfort of their homes. Where would Rachel Ray be if it weren't for Julia Childs?
Julie appears to have had it a bit easier in that she needed the commitment of a whole year, a bunch of extra stress, and had a tiny cramped kitchen to work in. She was able to hold onto the shirt tails of Julia Childs for this project.
8) Find a good mentor.
Each of these women found someone who had gone through the trenches while learning the hard way. It took Julia Childs 45 minutes to bone her first duck because she allowed fear to stop her. When Julie watched Julia bone a duck on television, she was able to do it in just a few minutes.
Having a good mentor speeds up the process.
9) When you make a mistake, Correct and Continue.
When doing something for the first time chances are you'll make some mistakes. Let go of the mistake as quickly as you can and adopt the phrase, I screwed up and it's OK to make mistakes. I'll try it again until I learn how to do it better. Correct and Continue.
10) Celebrate Your Accomplishments Along the Way!
All work and no play is not much fun. Share your gifts and celebrate in the rewards the moment they happen and don't put off dancing the jig. When you're body feels the vibration of joy, pleasure and success, it will release nitric oxide into your bloodstream with makes you feel good. The better you feel, the better you'll feel.
11) Create another purpose!
Having a purpose keeps us from getting bored in life. When we are bored we create habits and addictions that stunt our personal growth and development. After celebrating, resting or taking a vacation, look for your next passionate purpose to be a part of. Create your own or assist someone else in theirs.
12) Give thanks to the Creator, or the Woo Woo for co-creating the experiences of more joy, bliss and pleasure while living in your higher purpose.
In passion, pleasure, and purpose!
Nancy
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