Optimize Purpose

Abraham Maslow tells us that what one can be, one must be. Actualizing our potential is like oxygen for the soul. Helping you discover your purpose and fulfill your destiny is what this class is all about.

25 journaling questions on how to discover your purpose and fulfill your destiny.

Joseph Campbell was an American author and teacher best known for his work in the field of comparative mythology. If you’ve ever heard of the “Hero’s Journey,” you have him and his lifelong commitment to studying mythology to thank. This book (written in 1949) is the one that captures the essence of his thoughts on the “monomyth” that shows up across all cultures. One universal hero. A thousand faces. Big Ideas we explore include: a quick look at the hero’s journey, moving past the veil of the unknown (aka romancing your discomfort zone) while creating micro hero journeys (all day every day), your ultimate boon (don’t make King Midas’s mistake), the mistake that the makers of legend made (growth mindset, guys!!), and a portrait of the modern hero (look in the mirror!).

Ah, The Power of Myth. This book is based on the amazing PBS interview series Bill Moyers did with Campbell shortly before he passed away and captures some of the 24 hours of filmed wisdom that hit the cutting floor. We'll learn how Campbell came up with the admonition to "follow your bliss!" (hint: it's from the Upanishads), the importance of loving our fate, how we're helped by hidden hands when we really commit to our paths and so much more.

This is one of the three books by Campbell we cover and in this Note, we'll learn why following our bliss is so important (hint: our bliss is the transcendent wisdom within us bubbling up!) and how we can more courageously follow it in our lives (hint: say "Yes!" to life more often!). We'll also look at how we can make the simple things in our life part of our heroic journey and how going for it isn't an ego trip.

Joseph Campbell occupies the Grandfather slot in my spiritual family tree and this book is an incredible collection of some of his most inspiring wisdom. In the Note, we'll explore a range of Big Ideas from what it means to (and how to!) follow our bliss as we rock our hero's journey to learning that we've gotta be willing to break some eggs if we want to make omelets (aka, we've gotta be willing to make mistakes as we grow!).

William Damon is one of the world’s leading scientists studying human development and the psychology of morality. In this book, he gives us a guide to discovering and creating our noble purpose. Big Ideas we explore include making a distinction between noble and heroic, the ultimate purpose formula, 9 tips on how to cultivate your noble purpose, the one phrase your advisor should whisper in your ears when you’ve achieved ultimate success, and how to create true, sustainable happiness.

This book is a scientific look at Purpose by one of the world’s leading developmental psychologists—a powerful look at how to cultivate purpose in our children (and, for that matter, ourselves) and why it’s so important. Big Ideas we explore include a definition of what it means to be purposeful (and a look at the alternatives), the #1 thing that gets in the way of discovering and creating purpose, 9 key things parents can do to help their kids with purpose, why entrepreneurial spirit is so important and a four-word mantra to reduce timidity and build courage and confidence.

William Damon and Anne Colby are two of the world’s leading researchers in the field of moral psychology. They’re both Professors at Stanford and have been married for 30+ years. This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book that challenges the “new science of morality”’s view that morality is essentially biologically and socially determined. Damon and Colby argue that we all have the power to cultivate our more noble, moral possibilities. Big Ideas we explore include a quick look at our moral exemplars, moral agency, and the three virtues we want to cultivate: Truth + Humility + Faith.

In today’s world, the road to character has a much less defined map than the road to external success. In this thoughtful, penetrating book, New York Times op-ed columnist and author David Brooks walks us through the evolution of our culture away from a character ethic toward a society all about what he calls the “Big Me.” And, of course, he shows us the way back to character. Big Ideas we explore include résumé virtues vs. eulogy virtues, answering the summons, conquering yourself, living for holiness and becoming strongest at your weakest point.

David Brooks is one of the nations’ leading writers and commentators. He is an op-ed columnist for the New York Times and appears regularly on PBS NewsHour and Meet the Press. I loved his book The Road to Character. I loved this one even more. David tells us there are two mountains: The first mountain? That’s what society tells us we should pursue: all the normal trappings of success. The second mountain? That’s where the magic (and joy!) exists: where we move beyond ourselves and COMMIT (important word for this book!) to giving ourselves most fully to something bigger than ourselves. David identifies four potential commitments: to our families, to our vocations, to our faith/philosophy of life and to our communities. Ultimately, the book is intended to be a guide to the ULTIMATE quest in life: “The Quest for a Moral Life.”

Stephen Cope is the director of the Kripalu Institute for Extraordinary Living—the largest yoga research institute in the Western world. In this great book, Stephen brings the Bhagavad Gita to life and helps us apply this ancient wisdom to our modern lives. Big Ideas include the four keys to living your dharma, creating the right conditions, dealing with difficulties, training elephants, and reducing yourself to zero!

Leonardo da Vinci. Charles Darwin. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Martha Graham. The Wright Brothers. Jane Goodall. Benjamin Franklin. Thomas Edison. Zora Neale Hurston. What do they all have in common? Mastery. In this great book Robert Greene shows us the key components of their mastery and, most importantly, how WE can each attain our mastery in our own lives.

Alexandra got this book for me after I told her how much I loved David Brooks’ The Second Mountain. Apparently it is recommended alongside that book on Amazon. With 1,400+ reviews, Alexandra thought I might like it. Not only did I like the book, I loved it. And, I fell in love with Richard Rohr. Father Rohr is a Franciscan priest who beautifully integrates his faith with wisdom from various perspectives. Big Ideas we explore include our main Job in life (remembering that we're light bulbs and staying screwed in!), life's two major tasks, the fact that the way UP is DOWN (hence, the title of the book: Falling Upward), the hero and the heroine and their journeys, the paradox of the ego ("You ironically need a very strong ego structure to let go of your ego"), and how to become a Serene Disciple (let God drive).

Ralph Waldo Emerson. He’s the great-great-grandfather in my spiritual family tree. We named our son Emerson after this great 19th century philosopher and when I imagine the heroes whose qualities I want to emulate, he’s on the top of the list. Big Ideas we explore include: Trust thyself (every heart vibrates to that iron string!), nonconformity (and the integrity of your own mind), what must you do? (vs. what will they think?), Hobgoblins (begone), your voyage (of a thousand zigs and zags), and the Royal You (act like that now!).

As you know if you’ve been following along, I love Abraham Maslow and feel a deep kinship to him and his work. We have featured two of the books he published during his lifetime: Toward a Psychology of Being and Motivation and Personality. Although this book has only ONE review on Amazon and I could only buy a used copy of it, I knew I’d love it. And, although I had already been deeply influenced by Maslow and his thinking, there was something about reading his unpublished essays and journal thoughts that made me feel that much more connected to this great man. Big Ideas we explore include Maslow’s thoughts on the “eupsychian ideal” (aka: the “eudaemonic ideal”!), the psychology of happiness (eudaimonology!!), Stoic philosophy (Maslow was a fan), vicious cultural influences (Maslow was NOT a fan!), and the Jonah Complex (ANSWER YOUR HEROIC CALL, already!!).

I’m a big fan of Tom Rath and his work. And... I’m not alone. His 10 books have sold over 10 million copies. Dan Pink (author of Drive and When) calls him “One of the most successful nonfiction writers of his generation.” We featured two of his earlier books: Eat Move Sleep and Are You Fully Charged? Plus: His children’s book called The Rechargeables remains one of my all-time favorites. “Life’s Great Question” that beckons all of us (“What can I contribute?”) is beautifully framed by the Martin Luther King, Jr. quote that kicks off the book: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” This book is a field manual to help us go about answering that question so we can, as per the subtitle of the book: “Discover How You Contribute to the World.” Big Ideas we explore include creating a sense of urgency in life, Purpose 2.0, connecting what we do to those we serve, undivided attention (our new secret weapon), and creating the energy to be our best.

How do you want to die? With a calm serenity knowing you gave your best or with deep regret that you never took the risks and cultivated the discipline to show up with urgency and diligence each day to create a life of deep meaning? The answer is obvious. Big Ideas we explore on how to die empty include optimism vs. wishing, the root of mediocrity, the 3 S’s of goal setting and dealing with The Lag.

Dan Millman is one of my favorite teachers and deepest inspirations. This is a super concise, quick-reading book (150 pages) in which Dan synthesizes wisdom from many of his other books—shining light on how we can engage in the four purposes of life to create meaning in an ever-changing world. Big Ideas we explore include a quick look at the 4 purposes of life, the fact that daily life is your master teacher, the required classes in the school of life (and how you’re graded), the importance of deciding to decide (then going all in), how to live happily ever after, and making every moment extraordinary.

Jim Rohn influenced a generation of self-help gurus and this book lays out his "five major keys for the life puzzle." We'll take a quick look at your life philosophy, what you're doing with the 86,400 ticks each day, how to finish before you start as you design your ideal life and other such goodness.

I’m not sure how I found this book but I’m glad I did! Steve Chandler’s awesome and this book kinda reminds me of my book: One quick, inspiring, Big Idea after another that helps us get our practical wisdom on and go out and rock it. Some of my favorites include the cure for “Intention Deficit Disorder,” Creating vs. Reacting, and the importance of replacing worry with action.

Black holes. Just contemplating the sheer, fierce power of them is awe-inspiring, eh? Isaiah Hankel tells us that although physicists used to think that everything got destroyed in a black hole, now they believe that it’s less about destruction and more about *transformation.* And shines some light on the power of focusing on our purpose with black hole intensity. Big Ideas we explore include sheep vs. strategists, figuring out your ikigai (= why you get up in the morning), the fascinating endurance of rats with hope, the first two steps in greatness and moving from vision to decision.

Alberto Villoldo is a shaman and medical anthropologist who has studied the spiritual practices of the Amazon and the Andes for over 25 years. In this book, we tap into their wisdom on how shamans dream the world into being. Big Ideas include choosing between casting yourself as a victim or a hero, letting go of perfection, cultivating mindfulness and being ready to die at any moment.

Dan Pink is an incredibly engaging writer and this book is fantastic. In this book, he tackles human motivation and, as the sub-title suggests, tells us “The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.” Here’s his Twitter summary: “Carrots & sticks are so last century. Drive says for 21st century work, we need to upgrade to autonomy, mastery & purpose.” Big Ideas we explore include understanding Motivation 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 along w/ how to upgrade our operating system, why Autonomy is so important, The Three Laws of Mastery and discovering our Purpose via a big question and a small one.

Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher, novelist, playwright, and critic. He was a leading intellectual of the 20th century and the leading proponent of existentialism. This short book is a transcript of a speech Sartre gave in 1945 to address many of the critics of existentialism. It’s a *remarkably* lucid, concise exposition on the primary tenets of existentialism—even more remarkable given the fact that Sartre gave this lecture without notes. Big Ideas we explore: Anguish + its antidote, passion vs. choice, quietism vs. commitment, the stern optimism of existentialism and moral choices as a work of art.

Welcome to the final installment of the magical Harry Potter series. I can’t believe how quickly Emerson and I tore through all of them—particularly this one. We begin with the seven Potters escaping the Dursley’s home, immediately getting ambushed by awaiting Death Eaters. And the thrills never cease. We lose our heroes Mad Eye Moody and Dobby. Celebrate Lupin and Tonks’ wedding and baby boy, meet the mysterious silver doe Patronus, break into Gringotts and track down the secrets of the Peverall brothers and their Deathly Hallows. Big Ideas we explore include the hero’s gift, follow your instincts, the bodhisattvic hero’s boon, and dedicating our lives to the greater good.

Do you want to lead the field? Earl Nightingale is our guide in this old-school guide to rockin' it. Big Ideas include seeing the acres of diamonds in our own backyards, being able to immediately articulate our goal in a single sentence, seeing that if we want more we need to serve more and knowing that TODAY is the day to show up and shine!

Mastery. Are you a dabbler or a hacker or an obsessive or a master? We all have elements of each and we tend to fall into particular patterns in our lives. In this Note, we'll explore George Leonard’s brilliant ideas on how to live a life of mastery, in which every moment becomes an opportunity for growth and self-expression as we embrace the practice of living masterfully.

As with all of Brian Tracy’s books, this one is ridiculously packed with wisdom. He wrote it 25 years ago (25 years into his journey as a teacher). It’s based on a training program he created called The Psychology of Achievement that he taught to 1 million+ people. It’s a dense, 350-page encyclopedia of Big Ideas to help us jumbo crush it. Big Ideas we explore: the 7 ingredients of success, the Law of Substitution, mining your acres of diamonds, 7 questions that can change your life, moving from positive thinking to positive knowing, treating excusitis, and the secret sauce of achievement (hint: it’s love).

Matthew Kelly asks: If you had to choose between balance and satisfaction, which would you choose? Satisfaction, right? 10,000 out of 10,000 people agree. Who wants “balance” anyway? And who came up with the idea of “work-life” balance? Big Ideas we explore include figuring out what you *really* want in life, becoming the best-version-of-yourself, answering the ultimate question, mastering energy management and learning to take the decade view of your life.

Written in 1859, this is one of the classics of self-development. Smiles focuses on character development, hard work and perseverance rather than the get-it-quick-fluff found in so much of modern self-dev. In the Note, we’ll explore a bunch of Big Ideas including the power of diligence and how to make happiness a habit!

The Art of Possibility. This is a great book written by the dynamic duo Rosamund Stone Zander (family therapist and landscape painter) and her husband Benjamin Zander (conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and professor at the New England Conservatory of Music). Big Ideas include the fact that it’s all invented (so we might as well create an empowering story!), having grace as we own the risks we take, and giving yourself an A!

As the sub-title suggests, this book is all about “A proven path to discovering what you were meant to do.” If you’re looking for an inspiring introduction to clarifying and living your purpose, I think you’ll enjoy this book. Big Ideas we explore include a quick peek at the 7 characteristics of a Calling, why Awareness is so important, why Painful Practice is also super important, why we should be thinking “bridges” not “leaps” as we pursue our calling ad other goodness.

Ah, The Fountainhead. It's always fun to distill a 752-page magnum opus into a 6-page PDF and 20-minute MP3. Ayn Rand is intense and this book is packed with Big Ideas. We'll explore a few of my favorites, including our responsibility to own our greatness, not live as a second-hander (someone who is over-concerned about other people’s opinion of them), love what we do and know what we want.

Sri Swami Satchidananda was one of the world’s greatest yoga masters and teachers. This book is organized as a daily inspirational guidebook and it’s packed with 365 wisdom gems. In the Note, we explore Big Ideas ranging from the importance of being bold and strong to the power of making a lot mistakes.

Chris Guillebeau is a brilliant guy and brilliant writer. He's also traveled to every.single.country in the world. (That's 193 for those counting.) In this great book we take a look at what it means to create an awesome Quest. The why's and how's and all that. What's your Quest? Ready to rock it?

Robin Sharma is one of the top leadership coaches in the world and an all-around awesome guy. This book is a fable about a hard-charging attorney who becomes a yogi and shares his wisdom with his former protégé. It's packed with goodness. In the Note, we'll look at the "7 Timeless Virtues of Enlightened Living," the importance of blue printing our ideal lives and expressing the greatness that is all of our birthrights.

Do you know why we call our modern marathon a marathon? You may think you know the real story behind the very first marathon, but in this captivating, inspiring tale, Dean Karnazes (named by Men’s Health as one of the 100 Fittest Men of All Time) gives us a deeper look at the man who, 2,500 years ago, ran the first ULTRAmarathon and, in doing so, effectively saved Western civilization. :) Big Ideas we explore: a history lesson The Battle of Marathon, why balance doesn’t lead to happiness (and what does), a 24 Hour Fitness with Harvard profs, heroes are ready and how to play the pain game.

Jack Canfield, the creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul, gives us a book packed with Big Ideas on the fundamentals of success. In the Note, we explore some of my favorites—including an awesome exercise on how to discover our purpose, the importance of taking responsibility in our lives (that's Principle #1!!!), becoming an inverse paranoid (think: “OMG the universe is out to help me!!”), and recognizing that 99% commitment to something is a bitch and 100% is a breeze.

This book is like a greatest hits collection of Castaneda's best passages. In the Note we'll look at the need to transcend our conditioning as we develop our personal power, the importance of choosing a path with heart (aka following your bliss), using death as an advisor and living with impeccability as we achieve no stress success.