WorldSave

I recently had a discussion with someone about them finding out what they want out of life.  They simply had no idea.  I then asked a question that I thought would be quite telling for what a person wants.

So, ask yourself:  What opportunity do you want to arise?

Notice that its not asking:  What do you want?  Asking what opportunity you want is very different, because it implies that you still must work for what you want — yet you know that the opportunity is there for you to take it.  If you can name something that you want and are willing to work for, then you’ve probably found at least one of many things that you want to do with your life.

Of course, there will be those of you who say:  Win the lottery.  Well, technically the opportunity for this is already there.  Just play the lottery.  Either way, the person I was speaking with had that smart remark, and this is my response to it:

What would you do with it?

He didn’t have a serious answer for me, but think about it.  If you won the lottery what would you do with your money?  Honestly?  What would make you feel satisfied, complete, happy?  Would you just save it and do whatever you want?  Would you still work?  Would you travel?  Donate it?  Answer seriously.  This is also probably another good idea about what you want to do.  Often the thought of money hinders us from being honest about what we want out of life.  However, money is just a means to an end, not an end in itself.  The end that money seeks to fulfill is happiness.  If you are happy with your job already, then clearly you don’t need quite as much money to fulfill that need — just enough to exist comfortably.  You don’t need to buy expensive toys if you are satisfied with your family and your career.

So ask yourself:  What opportunities do you want to arise?  And, what would you do if you won the lottery?  If you would travel with your lottery winnings, then perhaps the opportunity you want to arise is one that would allow you to travel.  What opportunities are there like that?  What’s keeping you from finding those opportunities or fulfilling this dream?  If the answer is “not enough money”, then you probably aren’t being resourceful enough.  There are ways to get around, to do things, that don’t require massive amounts of money.  It may not be as easy without the cash but its still possible.  Do some research into what it is you want out of life and how you can do it now, or soon.

For instance, if you want to travel, there are always things like WWOOF (www.wwoof.org).  For anything else, consider how you are valuable to others.  Become valuable to others.  When you are, they will want to repay you somehow for that value, either monetarily or through action.  In other words, make friends.  Essentially, if you are valuable friend yourself they will want to help you out.  You’ll make more friends, more opportunities, etc.  Mind you, don’t stretch yourself too thin.  You must always care for yourself.  However, with more close ties and with caring for others, you will find that they will care for you back as well.

So be nice to others.  Give a little bit of yourself.  Treat people how you want to be treated.  Remember the golden rule?  Be valuable so that you may receive value and opportunities, as well as good friends.

Lia Cross

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I would like to direct your attention to a recent blog made by Steve Pavlina at www.stevepavlina.com. It essentially embodies what I find to be the source of change, and what I also find to be the goal — how a society without bars actually runs. I believe that all of us at WorldSave agree with me.

You can find the blog here: http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2008/03/the-war-on-ego/.

I encourage you to read it and not simply pass this notice by. It is really eye-opening if you have never entertained this way of thinking, and if you have it is an impressive reminder.

Lia Cross

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Recently, a friend of mine is having trouble deciding what to do with his life. We’ve all been there. We have a lifetime in front of us and no clue what to spend it on. We may have passions, but we’re not certain we can make a living with those passions. Or we’re just totally at a loss for everything. No clue.

Not only this, but many of us are stuck in jobs that we do not love. We still don’t know what we want out of life, but we do know that this job just isn’t it. I know I’ve been there, and I know a ton of other people who know that experience all too well.

So what does one do when stuck like that? They find out what their true purpose is.

I have a few resources I would like to share with you. I hope these two sites don’t mind me sending you their way because I have found them both extraordinarily helpful in both my life and in getting WorldSave up and running.

The first is about how to know what your true purpose is: http://www.relfe.com/life_purpose.html

The second tells you how you can find that purpose out in a relatively easy manner: http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/01/how-to-discover-your-life-purpose-in-about-20-minutes/

Granted, I haven’t tried the second one yet. We got WorldSave running before then and I feel like this is my purpose in life. Still, I may yet give it a go to fine-tune my purpose and to really get an understanding for it.

I would like to add my two cents now about being unhappy about your job, wanting to do something but either not knowing what it is or how to do it, and finding true purpose in life so you can be satisfied as well as productive to the rest of the world.

First, about being unhappy in your job. What are you doing? Really? Why are you wasting your time? Your energy can always be better spent doing something you enjoy. Even if you need the money, you can always make it work to get a better job. Always. You, as an individual, are a unique being with your own lessons, your own wisdom, and you can find a way to share that with others and make money. So, if you are unhappy in your job, follow some of the steps above and find out what your true purpose is. Then seek it. Don’t quit your job, not yet anyway. Make sure you are secure in your new way of life. Make sure your new source of income is flowing and you will be supported in a switch. You may want to leave your old job as soon as possible, but you can’t do anything if you’re not supported. Rule number one is to take care of you. You can’t usually take care of you without some cash.

If you don’t know what it is you want to do, as I said, try those steps above. If that doesn’t work, write a list of all the things that make you happy. Things you enjoy. Go crazy, make a HUGE list. It can be ANYTHING. Take your sweet time with it. It can take days if you want. Search every nook and cranny of your soul until you feel satisfied that this is a complete list. After you’re done, circle the things that are also valuable to someone else. The things that can make someone else’s life richer if you did it. Then re-write your list with those circled things. If you couldn’t find anything on your list that you think would be valuable to someone else, you’re probably not approaching it in the right way. I’m not talking about valuable as in “I can type, so I’d be a good secretary” or “I can drive, maybe I’ll be a delivery person.” Not at all. I mean something like “I know about health, and I can make people healthy” or “I know how to grow things, I can teach people how to grow their own food.” Things like that, things that are truly valuable–not just in a monetary way but also (and more importantly) in way that adds lasting value to their life. Think of: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.

Moving on… Pick the things on the new list that you truly feel you would enjoy most. Or, if you’ve done the “true purpose” exercise, pick things that match that purpose (things you feel strongly about). Now you have a list of things you can pursue and would 1) make you satisfied and 2) be of value to the rest of the world. Congratulations. Now, about getting started…

Find a way to express this new idea. You want to teach people about time management? How about start a blog to make money from it? That’s a simple way to get started in your free time. Want to teach people about health? Start holding lectures at some local places for a small fee, or no fee at all if you want to get some clients. Write a book. Write essays for a paper. Teach people how to care for their pets properly, including nutrition. It can be anything, really. Use your ingenuity. When whatever you choose takes off the ground, then you can spend less and less hours at your other job and eventually just leave it entirely.

Finding a purpose in life is very important. You don’t need one to survive — of course not. So many people survive without knowing theirs every day. But in order to survive happily — to thrive — then you may be interested in figuring it out and actually pursuing it. All I know is that I was sick and tired of grocery store jobs, of retail and nasty customers, of bosses treating me like less than a person. If you can relate, then do it your way. Become your own boss. Do whatever it is that makes your life satisfying to you and worthwhile to others. Add value to the world, don’t take it away like so many other people do.

Lia Cross

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