Life on Purpose author Dr. Brad Swift on why people avoid the self reflection to discover life purpose.
I caught up (electronically) with Dr. Brad Swift, author of Life on Purpose, Six Passages to an Inspired Life. Supplementing my recent review of Life on Purpose, I offered personal observations from my coaching practice and sought Dr. Swifts viewpoint. Following is our interchange:
Jerry: In my work coaching people toward clarifying life purpose, I've come to believe that many people avoid the topic because of fear that they'll find out their lives are wrong--wrong job, wrong spouse, wrong beliefs, etc.
Dr. Swift: Great questions, Jerry. I believe that what you are describing — the fear that their lives may be wrong — is one of the ‘moves’ of what we describe in the Life On Purpose Process as the Inherited Purpose, which is formed during a person’s childhood years during times when they felt threatened or unsafe and the meaning they ascribed to this occurrences. Once the Inherited Purpose is formed, usually by mid teenage years, it then becomes a primary shaping force in the person’s life especially during time when they feel threatened or unsafe. And you’re right, one of the ways this fear can play out is avoiding the whole question of what’s my purpose in life. So, many people stay frenetically bus as a way to avoide the question. After all, the Inherited Purpose has no interest us becoming clear what our true purpose it.
Jerry: How would you advise someone who has an interest in clarifying life purpose but the conflicting fear that purpose understanding will create terrible upheaval in their life?
Dr. Swift: So, I would start with the person by making this distinction with them. That what is keeping them from clarifying and living on purpose is simply a lie that is based in fear that they’ve been telling themselves so long that they’ve come to believe it to be true. And in the process, it sabotages their every effort to live on purpose starting with preventing them from doing the inner work to clarify their true purpose.
In addition to Dr. Swift's response, I encourage those serious about personal development to spend some time reflecting on life purpose. If you find yourself "too busy," consider that maybe your ego, or subconscious, is using that to divert your attention from the important life task of facing life purpose.
Related Articles:
Life Purpose Begins With a Eulogy
More Related Articles Under Self Awareness in the Index.
