FIVE (5) Key Principles To Knowing Your Purpose.

In a commencement address at Princeton, future American President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed,

“We live in an age disturbed, confused, bewildered, afraid of its own forces, in search not merely of its road but even of its direction. There are many voices of counsel, but few voices of vision; there are much excitement and feverish activity, but a little concert of thoughtful PURPOSE. We are distressed by our ungoverned, undirected energies and do many things, but nothing long. It is our duty to FIND OURSELVES.”

If this generation and in fact in this dispensation, many people are struggling to live the kind of purpose, then the most important question still remains, how do we find or discover this original purpose?

Finding purpose is finding your strength and living it is a whole new level that will cause success in your life. Many people make the mistake of making money as their primary means of success. To make a difference in this life, it is paramount to rediscover that true success is knowing your primary purpose, growing to your maximum potential in life and sowing seeds that will benefit others.

Therefore, if you are prepared to know your purpose in life, then read carefully this chapter. This short article will guide you through five key principles you can begin to practice in your life to realise your purpose. Let’s run through these quickly,

  1. Get back to the source (Creator):

It is not a mistake that everything that works in life is connected, so if your life is not working then you need to first connect to the source (God). No matter how difficult life may be, God still has a plan, peace and an expected end for you. He is the first you need in your life.

  1. The Power of Discovery: This is the power of purpose. Your ability to uncover what is covered. Just as everything valuable in life is hidden, (Gold, oil, chair), so is your purpose in life.

Your primary calling in life is usually connected to your Creativity, Talents, Solitude and Listening.

You will find detailed knowledge about these principles from the what, why and how to make these work in your life today.

  1. Listening to your Heart: Here, the emphasis is not on your organ but inner man. The place that can be desperately wicked but on the other hand can be very rewarding. For you to find your purpose in life, there should be an alignment with your heart, so as God speaks to your inner man, you will never go wrong by following its direction.
  2. Becoming a Contrarian: Beloved, a person who views life backwards is a contrarian and God is one. If you to find your purpose in life, you must start to think and act like your maker. Your difficulties, pain and failures all shape your tomorrow before God but until you begin to partake in His Divine nature, you will keep on blaming issues and this will not get you anywhere.
  3. Finally, you will know how maximising time in life is necessary for discovering and fulfilling your purpose in life. We must invest time to get the most success and significance.

Everyone has been created for a purpose. I especially share in my book Alive For A Purpose, how I discovered my purpose and today fulfilling it to my generation. By following these principles and even more, I am positive that you too will make a great impact on your generation.

Be Passionate

To excel at something, you must be passionate about it. If you do not wake up every day with a great passion for your work, you will be miserable.

Though this words may be strong, permit me to use them for the purpose of influencing you into something greater. Besides, if we do not share the truth to ourselves, we will only be at disadvantage.

Today, many of us will do anything just for the sake of money only to find out that money is not everything. How many people really wake up to fulfil their passion? Why not do something that you naturally love doing and earn the money anyway. This is my candid advice to you.

David Filo, co-Founder of Yahoo Inc., said this, “We started Yahoo in about April 1994. It started out as a way for us to keep track of the things that we were interested in.”

“The world will belong to passionate, driven leaders, people who do not only have enormous amounts of energy but who can energise those whom they lead.Jack Welch

Permit me to use this medium to define to you what passion is. If passion is vital to your success and yet many people do not know it, then I believe, you will agree with me for us to delve into its meaning and significance.

  1. It is what makes things happen in life.                                                                                                    A commitment to passion guarantees success in everything you do in life. Even the impossible things suddenly or over time become possible when you passionately commit to something that you love to do and do because you love.

      2. It is what sustains your gifts and talent and your dreams:                                                              Gifts and talents are mostly not enough without passion. Always remember that a passionate person with little talent will succeed beyond a very talented person with no or little passion. It is not the gift that sustains you rather your passion.

      3. It is what makes the difference among many people.                                                                       This is very true. What usually differentiate people whether in the workplace or life, in general, is the passion that drives them. This is why employers today seek candidates with skills beyond certificates. If you are to land that dream job, check your passion level. Do not do something just because of the financial reward you may get. Rather, be involved in something you are passionate about and be a difference maker.

  1. It is the fuel that fires and energises you to have the will to win against all odds.                            It keeps you going while others quit. It pushes you through tough seasons. This is why it is fondly said when the going gets tough, and the tough gets going. You are tough because of the level of passion you carry. The passionate man does not stop until he has succeeded. Passion is like fire in the bones of its carrier and it is what drives you on until you win.
  2. It is what makes you love what you do and do what you love.                                                             I love what John Maxwell says,                                                                                                          

    “Find something you like to do so much that you would gladly do it for nothing and if you learn to do it well, someday people will be happy to pay you for it.”

This is one of the powerful quotes that has changed my life and continue to shape me for greater things. If you are doing something you are not passionate about, I can only encourage you to stop before it stops you. When you are doing something that you love and are passionate about, it is not work. It is fun and pleasure.

  1. It is what drives you to achieve excellence.                                                                                      Only passion drives excellence. Why? Because it brings out the very best in you. I promise you, you will stop at nothing until you strike excellence.

Jon Krakauer, mountaineer and writer said something you should not forget from today. He said, “Hours slide by like minutes. The accumulated clutter of day to day existence, the lapses of conscience, the unpaid bills, the bungled opportunities, the dust under the couch, the inescapable prison of your genes all of it is temporarily forgotten, crowded from your thoughts by an overpowering clarity of purpose by the seriousness of the task at hand.”

Passion, therefore, is the key to excellence.

True passion is almost like a spiritual experience.

Finally, as I end, remember that money is not everything. Do not let it be your primary pursuit. Be passionate about something worthwhile and pursue it with all your might and the results of success shall be yours.

 

WINNING

Everyone has high expectations and responsibilities for life and family. We all believe for the best in our lives, careers, families, organisations. What I have discovered is, many people know what they want but usually not why or how to achieve that aim. Examine yourself for a minute with these questions today,

  1. What do I have to do to win in a time of recession, and crisis?
  2. How do I make a difference in our generation today?
  3. What can I do to fulfil the call of God for my life?
  4. How do I provide, protect, and fulfil all the expectations deemed me?
  5. Is it enough to have big goals, ambitions and resolutions as usual?

Have you got all figured out yet? If you have not, do not be worried, because this is the ethos of this piece of article. The truth is just having a plan is no assurance that you will win or succeed. Before you make a plan for your life, family and beyond, you must know and understand Gods purpose for creating you.  

Proverbs 19:21 says “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”

This verse teaches us that the first thing every man likes to do is to make many plans. How true this is but God, on the other hand, thinks according to purpose first before plans. This means that if we are to win, we must know Gods original intention for our lives first, and then we can plan.

Let me remind you how in Luke Chapter 5, the man Peter had a plan that only enabled him to toil all night but caught nothing. His plan was failing until Jesus showed up with a better plan (purpose). In verse 4, as Peter gave the purpose of God a chance and place in his life, I believe every fish in the lake tried to get into that net and he won. In the same way, to follow Gods original purpose is to see a new thing, new life, and a new plan and gain access to His eternal resources.

We ought to understand that it is our choices that will determine our destiny and our destiny will always be shaped by our purpose.

This is why we must align our choices towards our primary purpose and assignment in life. Please consider these second set of questions at this point;

  • Where do I want to go?
  • What do I want to achieve?
  • Am I walking in Gods purpose for my life?
  • Is what I am doing leading me to my dreams?
  • Have I been distracted from my original purpose in life?
  • Have I got God at the centre of my choices or is it just me?
  • Am I satisfied with what I am doing and choices I am making?

These questions are key weapons to think and effect change where necessary if you want to win.  Author Richard Foster said this and I quote,

“ in our day, heaven and earth are on tiptoe waiting for the emergence of a SPIRIT LED, SPIRIT INTOXICATED, SPIRIT EMPOWERED people, who know in this life the life and power of the Kingdom of God.

It is a time to review your life, redefine your vision, and re-establish worthwhile goals.

 

LEADING ON PURPOSE

Nothing defines a man or woman/leader than the word challenge, as a matter of fact; every leader who desires to fulfil an assignment in life loves the word challenge. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going because the difference between those who get going as against those who do not is in one’s ability to challenge or overcome challenges.

Every day we are challenged because we try to help people other than ourselves. The ability to not only challenge but allow people to see that challenges are considerable and solvable are key ingredients in the life of a man or leader on purpose.

Nothing is more fulfilling in a leader’s life than fulfilling and overcoming a challenge where others refuse to solve or overcome. If you desire to fulfil your purpose to the world, you do not give up or give in to the problems or challenges life brings. This is why I often say and believe that your assignment in life does not lie in your appointments but disappointments.

Challenges may come in every form just to disappoint you as a leader, but behind it is the opportunity to become what you are meant to be and make a difference in other peoples lives, work or organisation. B Reagan was right when he said,

life challenges are not supposed to paralyse you; they are supposed to help you discover who you are.

Do you know that challenges only become problems when we see them as barriers instead of opportunities? It all starts with the way you think. How you think matters even more than you act; because it is by your thoughts you act and we are all a product of our thoughts.

All challenges or temptations are not meant to overtake us; even the Bible makes it clear that they are common to all men that even God will not allow you to be challenged beyond what you could bear. 2 Corinthians 10:13 (emphasis added).

As I speak of the mind, it is a very important determining factor because most people going through one crisis or the other right now tend to think that they are the only people experiencing that right now. You need to stop thinking like this from today because everybody under the surface of this world has challenges.

See it this way, life is a problem-solving machine. The more you live, the more problems you will have and the more you solve, the more successful you will become, and the more successful you become, the more challenges that will come for you to solve. This is the cycle of life. Life is not a straight path. It is rough and full of ups and downs.

A life without challenges only means that you are dead. A wise man in the field of medicine once said,

If you are not without a symptom at any given time in your life, you are dead. Good health is the ability to adjust, fight, and defend continues the flow of challenges the body faces continuously; temperature, stress, deterioration, reproduction and more.

This, therefore, means that a life with challenges, crisis, and problems only signifies that you are alive and it, therefore, possesses the opportunity to do something with it.

Please feel free to register and enrol for our EMPOWER To Lead Training Program today. We can help you lead on purpose.

EMPOWER To Lead

Moving Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams

All men have dreams but I have observed that, while some achieve their dreams, others just talk about theirs and never achieve them.

Why is this so?
Is God unfair or did He create some just to be stars and others not?

To be able to answer this question, it is imperative to study the lives of those who are living their dreams and begin today to activate your primary assignment. Permit me to illustrate to you with the true story of Itzhak Perlman.

Itzhak Perlman is one of the greatest violinists of our time. Some years ago, Perlman agreed to attend a charity reception after one of his concert in Vienna. Tickets for the reception were sold out within few days of its availability to the public.

After a great night at the reception, Itzhak Perlman flanked by security guards, guests were allowed one after the other in a roped-off area and introduced to Perlman. In the process of this, one man entered, stretched out his hand, shook Perlman and said, “Sir, you were phenomenal tonight. Absolutely amazing.” Perlman smiled and thanked the man for his compliment.

The man continued, “All my life, I have had a great love of the violin, and I have heard every great living violinist, but I have never heard anyone play the violin as beautifully as you did tonight.” Perlman smiled again but said nothing and the man continued, “You know, Mr Perlman, I would give my whole life to be able to play the violin like you did tonight.”
Perlman smiled once more but this time said these words, “I have.”

Here in lies the truth. The difference between those who achieve their dreams and those who do not lie in the last statement Perlman said. Successful people dedicate their whole life to achieve their dreams and ideas they conceive. Let me ask you;

Is your life currently moving towards or opposite the dreams, goals and purpose you envisage? Be realistic with yourself.

Another key word is commitment. Until you stay totally committed to your dreams, it will never come to fruition. The commitment to dreams is the manifestation of results. This is what it means to move confidently to the direction of your dreams.

Finally, life is too short to live life below your primary assignment. Live every day with a passion towards your God-given dreams. Dedicate yourself and time to the things that deserve your commitment and above all, always seek the Grace of God.

THE SECRETS TO GREATNESS

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Many people wonder how I consistently do what I do such as writing books, holding seminars, impacting lives and more. Am I doing what I’m doing just because I am gifted and you are not?

The answer is a big no. In fact, let me tell you the truth, when I was in school, I wasn’t even one of the best in my class. I was considered average and even beyond average. I remember doing the lunching of my first book ‘Alive for A Purpose’, I had the privilege of inviting my primary school teacher whom I have kept in touch throughout the years.

 After the launching, he walked to me and said something that I will never forget. He said of the many students he had thought, I was the last person he thought I will be doing the great things that I’m currently doing. A very good friend at one point also called me to say the same thing that my teacher said.

Now what is making the difference between the Old me and today? Somewhere in my life I discovered this secret; there are seeds of greatness in each and every one of us only that it remains our responsibility to find and grow them.

Now this is one of the greatest secrets revealed. The problem with many of us is that we do not find or pay attention to these seeds within by allowing external factors to determine and control our lives.

Recently I had the opportunity of meeting Dr Mike Murdock, one of the most sought-after speakers in the world, a man who has written over 200 books and considered by many. I observed that the majority of us were taking pictures with him, something I also did. However, unlike many I went beyond just taking pictures to buying many of his books to read and study.

Here in lies another secret to greatness; the seed of greatness within us is worth growing. Find people who have excelled in the field of your gift and talent and invest in their books, tapes, wisdom and more and like someone said, it is only a matter of time you will increase their number.

There are no magic or gimmicks, it is simply what I am saying with you. Learn to go an extra than the ordinary person would normally do because the difference between ordinary people and extraordinary people are that tiny extra. Be willing to go an extra mile with what you carry.

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FOLLOW YOUR STAR

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We are all born stars. We may all not be in the limelight; however, we can all shine. The challenge however is, it remains your responsibility to follow your star or act. I love the word responsibility because I think it is a great word.

In my book, The Four Quadrants to Greatness, I explain that the word responsibility can be broken into two words, response and ability. This simply means we all possess the ability to shine, we must just respond to it.

With this in mind, the responsibility you have is to believe that you are born to shine and that you are unique with special qualities. There is a primary purpose for your existence and that you are not a mistake.  I do not slightly find it a coincident that all great men and women always believed that they were born to be great.

The second responsibility you have is to discover your star. Uncover what is covered in your life; uncover your uniqueness, gifts and passions. Why should I uncover my star if I am to be great anyway? The answer is simply because, discovering your star is the most important thing in your life and God hides it for you to find. Go d does not hide from you but for you to discover.

The third responsibility after finding your star is to be patient and wait. Many people loose their chance to greatness because they chase the first star that arises. No, this is wrong. When you find your star, wait patiently, prepare yourself, dedicate to service and seek to educate yourself in the area of your star.

Education is only effective after discovering your star. Like someone said, wait patiently, it will not rise early. It will not rise late. It will rise at the right time.

Finally, after careful preparation coupled with the right maturity, follow your star. When the right time has come to follow your star, you will be filled with a burning passion and a conviction in your heart and spirit that tells you it is the right time. Once you begin to follow and fulfil it, keep focus, connect with the right people and keep moving.

I wish you all the best.

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DREAMS DO COME THROUGH

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Over 15 years ago, I recall when my late father would purposely visit me in my room every Sunday between 6pm-7pm to watch a particular TV program with me while he ate his dinner. Those from Ghana will remember ‘Living Word’ by Dr. Mensa Otabil.

Unknowing to me, my late father was setting me up for destiny. On one of such occasions, I simply looked into his eyes after the program and told him this specific words “Dad, one day, I too will write books and sell at bookstores.”

Unfortunately, my dad is not alive but the DREAM has come to pass right before my very eyes. Today not only are my books selling in bookstores, they are all over the world; Kindle Nook and Audio Formats.

I share this with you who is dreaming of GREATNESS and ACHIEVING significance. One simple word to such person(s); it is possible. You can make a living out of it

In my books are all the lessons, values and principles that have personally helped me so far and even for the future ahead. I personally recommend these resources to your personal, corporate and professional dreams especially this SEASON. Don’t hesitate to get your copies.

My name is Owusu Kofi Amoateng. My purpose is to use what God has given me to Impact, Influence and Inspire my generation and the next.

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