"I want everyone to write 'My Life Purpose is...' on the top of the page and take the next several minutes to put down your thoughts on the subject. At the end of the weekend we're going to look at what we wrote today. Just write out whatever comes to you."

Ten minutes later: "Okay, pens down. Let's see what we've got here. Mary, would you please read to the class what you've written about your Life Purpose."

"Ahem, My Life Purpose. My Life Purpose is to grow and serve and love and evolve and to teach and to be... to be a good mother, a good daughter, a good friend and steward to all the plants and animals on the planet."

Mary is smiling, proud of her work. The room is warm and fuzzy. Heads are bobbing up and down, nodding their approval and understanding. Mary takes a deep breath, taking it all in, and sits down.

"Mathilda."

"My Life Purpose. My Life Purpose is to love and grow, to be good to all the children, to love everyone, to shine my light."

The room is still warm and fuzzy; all is smiley and nice.

"Sally."

"My Life Purpose is to be a good mother and to care for those who need help... oh, and to visit all the continents before I die (except Antarctica)."

"Thank you, Sally."

Heads are still bobbing, albeit with a bit less verve. Smiles abound except for Fred.

"How about you Frieda."

"Yes, okay. I'm a little nervous, okay, ahem, uh... My Life Purpose is to love everyone, to learn something new every day and to always have good friends."

"Thank you. Fred?"

Heads have almost stopped bobbing, but smiles are still plentiful. The smiles have changed though. They look a bit like what happens when the photographer says 'cheeeeese" and then fiddles with the camera just a bit too long and everyone has to hold their smile two seconds longer than expected. Still, the room is pleased with itself as Fred walks curmudgeon style to the front of the room. Fred takes a Bill Murray stance, somewhat above it all. Everyone is curious to hear what he has to say.

"My Life Purpose is to just once beat my brother at chess."

Everyone laughs, a bit nervously, not knowing exactly what to do about Fred.

"Gina."

"My Life Purpose is to love and serve and grow and evolve."

"Beth-Ann."

"My Life Purpose is to be a good person: at home, at work, and in the world."

"Carol."

Carol is also loving, serving, growing and being a good person. Bob wants to go public by March of next year and canoe the entire Yukon River. Donna is growing and loving. Phil is being a righteous family member. Jean is just trying to be happy.

The room had stopped bobbing a long time ago and the warm fuzzies have been eclipsed by what the psychologists would call 'cognitive dissonance.' It is definitely a bit edgy. If everybody's list sounds pretty much the same, what can it all mean? Michael goes last. He is loving and growing and supporting his twin daughters throughout their life's journey. He reads his list quickly. No bobbing heads. He sits down. People are changing their sitting position, fussing with their hair, cleaning their eyeglasses.

The discomfort is expected since this is what happens whenever we do the Life Purpose Workshop. The list above is a composite of the responses from classes in California. New York classes tend to include more life and business goals; not so much being and evolving in the Big Apple. Texas classes focus more on family themes. I get a slightly different set of responses in Europe, but the overall effect remains the same.

By the end of the opening exercise it is clear that no one has really given his or her Life Purpose that much serious thought, not in any way particular, that is. If everyone is loving and growing and evolving what exactly are you going to do on Monday in that regard? Is there any specific reason that you are on this planet at all? I believe there is.

Hands have taught me that each of us has a specific reason for being and this specific Life Purpose can be seen by decoding the unique set of fingerprints that were printed on our body fives months before we were born. Before you read on, I want you to realize that learning your Life Purpose will change you life in ways you cannot possibly know in advance. Remember, I warned you.

A True Story

Last night I heard a story about a truly remarkable man, a well known healer and shaman from South America. At the age of sixteen, long before his special abilities had surfaced, he had a dream so vivid it woke him in the middle of the night. In this dream a guide came to him and showed him a photograph of an old man surrounded by smiling children. He was told to look carefully at the picture and remember it, because this was his Life Purpose: to assist children who have no one else to help them. Although deeply moved, the young man could make no sense of the dream and it soon receded into a corner of his mind.

Five years later, while walking down an alley, he heard an infant's cry from inside a garbage dump. There, wrapped in rags, was an abandoned baby boy. Shocked and confused, he picked up the child, and looking into its eyes, remembered the dream from years before. Not knowing what else to do, he took the baby home, and so began a journey that would change his life.

Months passed. Incredibly, he came across another infant in similar circumstances. What else could he do? He took this child home as well. Word of his caring and compassion spread, and within a few years his household of orphaned children had grown to five, eventually evolving into a Center with dozens of abandoned boys and girls. Now, over forty years later, that first child from the garbage dump has become the doctor of that Center. And the boy who dreamt his Life Purpose is the "old" man in the photograph surrounded by smiling children.

The shaman had been very fortunate; he had been given a clear map to his Life Purpose. But where did his dream come from? Was it a message from some deeper inner intelligence? If so, must we too have the special powers of a shaman to unlock our own Life Purpose dream?

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE PURPOSE AND WHY IT IT IMPORTANT?

Whether hidden or known, your Life Purpose is the guiding principle behind the events of your life, the voice of your destiny calling out to you from your soul. Your Life Purpose lies within you, always seeking expression, always seeking to awaken you to the power of its message. It is elusive, it is always there; it is oceanic, it is concrete; it is real, it is a dream.

By definition, Life Purpose is that which brings satisfaction at the deepest possible level. More than a goal or set of goals, your Life Purpose is your Right Life, your highest potential expressing itself naturally and powerfully in all that you do.

To know your Life Purpose is to be aware of your special place in the cosmic scheme of things; not philosophically, but in a deeply personal way. Knowing your Life Purpose means seeing the big picture, understanding the significance of past events and current circumstances, seeing your own role in the unfolding drama of your life story.

In short, your Life Purpose is your reason for being. Finding it is the single most important thing you can ever do in life.

So let me ask you this: if you knew a similar Life Purpose dream lay dormant in you, would you be willing to dream it? If there were a Life Purpose Map and it had your name on it, would you have the courage to follow it? Besides, where would you find a Life Purpose Map anyway?