live on purpose – Page 8 – Dr. Paul Jenkins

Jul 12

Living On Purpose with Problems

By DrPaul M-Power

I talk a lot about our purpose but, hey, did you see the logo? Live On Purpose. It seems some people think their purpose is to be free of all problems. They are going to be happy, they are going to be successful, they are going to be content when they don’t have problems. Do you know anyone who has never had any problems, challenges or obstacles in life? I don’t. Even babies have problems. They cry because they can’t take care of the problem themselves. Perhaps our purpose in life is not to be free of any problems, challenges, or adversities. Perhaps our purpose is to rise to the challenges we are given. We Live On Purpose when we accept the challenges and use our skills or acquire new ones to deal with the obstacles. Think about it, if the purpose of life was to not have any problems at…

Jul 07

REVERSE GOSSIP

By DrPaul M-Power

Everyone knows how damaging gossip can be, to the gossiper and those being gossiped about. My friend, Bob Burg had a great idea that I just have to pass along. It is an idea that if utilized could reduce negativity and increase positivity. The Reverse Gossip Game The rules are easy: "...say something kind, encouraging, edifying, and complimentary...behind someone's back." "We could never have pulled this project off without Mike's great work." "Did you see how hard Zara worked on her art project? It turned out fabulous." "I love how Colby knows just the right people to task for projects and helps people to stay focused." This is a WIN/WIN game. The person you are talking to knows that you speak positively about other people and is more likely to make a connection with you. Your stock will rise in the person you were talking about when he or she hears…

Jul 01

Give It a Try

By DrPaul M-Power

Accept the Challenge In going through YouTube comments recently, there were several that caught my eye. These were the ones that said they were going to give what I was discussing in the videos a try. These comments make me smile. They light me up. They fill me with hope. When we open ourselves up to "try" something, we are opening up hope and a belief in our capacity to do things differently. The things they were trying were varied. Some were to stop yelling at their kids, some were to practice gratitude, some were to get motivated to take care of things they have been letting go. What we need to "try" is individual and unique to each of us. Let's just be open enough to let in the idea of trying take root. After that, we can move to doing. What are you needing to try? Check out…

Jun 22

You Can Make Your Life Less Frustrating with This One Tip

By DrPaul M-Power

When I learned this one tip, life got easier. Detach from the outcomes. This makes sense because can we really control the outcome? Probably not. Have you ever been absolutely sure of what should happen? Not kind of hoped for, but you absolutely KNEW what the outcome needed to be to ensure your future happiness and success. And probably that of your spouse and children, (eye roll). And then something other than what you were sure was the best option was chosen. Now what do you do? Consider challenging your perception of the outcome. Is the world going to come to an end? Are you never going to be happy? Is your life over? NO! When you are feeling tipped over or upset about something, stand back. There is almost always more than one solution to a problem. More than one path to a goal. Allow yourself to become more…

Jun 06

Write Your New Ending

By DrPaul M-Power

Have you ever read a book or seen a movie and were disappointed with how it ended? Clients sometimes tell me they don’t like how their life has ended up. They feel down and dejected. I feel pumped up and excited. Because it isn’t the end of the story. The last page hasn’t been turned. The credits aren’t rolling. They are still breathing. They can create an ending to their story different than what they see in front of them. When I tell some people this they aren’t pumped up because they start talking about all the things that have happened in their life that they never planned on. For the record, I don’t know of anyone who planned out their life and everything went according to that plan. It just doesn’t happen. When we write a better ending for a movie or a book, we don’t throw out everything…

May 27

Do This Before Your Relationships Suffer

By DrPaul M-Power

Too often people come to me when things are broken. Saddest of all is when relationships are broken, or hanging on by a thread, And then we get into what is wrong. In most cases they don’t need to tell me what happened. The results are predictable. They stopped spending time together. They stopped thinking about the other person and doing something nice for them. They began to let small differences become large by not addressing them. They allowed unkind words and jabs to be volleyed at each other. They started putting other people before the relationship. They began to see the other person as not someone to be trusted and loved, but as a bear, someone to avoid. The things that brought them together were pushed aside, no longer nurtured, they were left to rot. And so the relationship began to decay. It usually isn’t intentional. And it doesn’t…

May 26

Choose Love and Kindness Amid Tragedy

By DrPaul M-Power

I had something else on my mind for this week and then another senseless school shooting happened. Someone decided to walk into a place that was safe and loving and killed 21 people, leaving countless others shattered in the aftermath. It makes my heart heavy. There just aren't words. A family member knew someone whose daughter was killed in a school shooting and one thing we learned is when there are no words to convey our sadness, our compassion, or our love, we can do something. It could be sitting with them, holding their hand, giving a hug, taking in a meal, mowing a lawn, walking a dog, or taking another care off their minds until they are able to heal a bit. For those of us who do not live close and do not personally know those affected by the tragedy, we can choose today to be kind and…

May 13

To-Do or Not To-Do Lists, Try Maybe

By DrPaul M-Power

To-Do lists. You know how they work. By writing everything down you have a better chance of getting tasks done because you are more likely to remember them and there is a physical reminder staring at you from your desk. I have even been known to add an item to the list just so I could cross it off. How crazy is that? It doesn’t even serve as a reminder at that point, the task is already done! I want the feeling of accomplishment, so I write it down and immediately cross it off with a flourish of my wrist. Have you ever made a to-do list and were not able to cross anything off? The helpful list turns out to be worse than a nagging boss as the items scream at you from the paper. Every uncrossed word signals to you that you are an utter failure. You aren’t,…

May 04

Uncomfortable Should be Routine

By DrPaul M-Power

Do you remember how it felt when you sat behind the wheel of a car the first time? The direction of the car was up to you. YOU had complete control. And, you felt like you had no idea what you were doing. You had some notion of how the car worked, but how to merge your movements to get the car to do what you wanted felt awkward. (Like dancing with your sister.) You very consciously turned the key, thinking about how long you needed to turn it before the engine caught, not wanting to stop turning too soon and not holding it too long. Your brain went to the next step, remove the parking brake, check for other cars or people, put the car in gear and slowly lift your foot off the brake, then carefully, slowly, press down the gas pedal. Every step was a conscious thought. Now you…

Apr 18

Happiness is a Choice

By DrPaul M-Power

It really is. Happiness is not a future event. It is now. But, my kids are not listening to me. I hate my job and my boss. I can't seem to get everything done that I need to. You can choose to be happy, even if your life is not where you want it yet. I know because I have done it. Problems are always going to surface. There will always be challenges. Things will break and we will have to fix them. Some will be big and some will be minor, but we can be happy through all of them. It starts with our thoughts and learning how to control them. I tell my clients all the time, "Either you run your thoughts or your thoughts run you." Are you going to choose to focus on the boss you dislike or on getting the skills you need to qualify…