Every so often, I am awed by the utter courage of one my clients. Remember, courage is feeling the fear and still taking right action. This type of courage requires profound clarity and oodles of support (queue Jane Sibery singing “Calling All Angels”).

One such inspiring client made a courageous leap in her life this week and wrote a manifesto to declare her intentions. She has given me permission to share it! Click on the image to see a larger version.

His foundation, The Archimedes Alliance, is named after the Greek mathematician who said, “give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I can move the earth.”

By NASA Goddard Photo and Video, shared via Flickr

“I knew there were people who wanted to make a difference but didn’t have enough money to do it on their own,” he says in his on-line video. “Now, they don’t have to. I launched the Archimedes Alliance to leverage the power of the Internet and to bring together people of good intentions and limited resources and give them a voice and a means to create the change they envision.”

I just donated from my Nurture Life Coaching business account, please take a minute to send your own donation right now!

In other words: “When you are most yourself, who are you being and what are you doing?” In an ideal world, each of us would be doing meaningful work that is sparked from the essence of who we are. Work that we would do naturally, even if no one paid us for it. Work that we can’t help but do because it is the expression of our own form of genius. And I promise, we all have it.

Photo by em-si, shared via flickr

The process of uncovering your genius is not always easy. It is often buried beneath layers of enculturation, limiting beliefs and painful life experiences. I believe we were each born expecting to be supported in the unfolding of our own brilliance. But we live in an imperfect world and often our self-expression is thwarted.

I trust implicitly that each person who walks in my office for life coaching has that seed of genius inside. I am dedicated to shining the sunlight of clarity and the nourishment of support so that it can grow and grow and grow!

Photo by Extra Medium via Flickr

One of my coaching buddies sent me a link to a meaningful blog post about how we commonly  answer the question, “What do you do?” The most common response is to answer in terms of our work/career or for parents staying home with children, our family status.

But you are so much more than just the job you do (even if you love it) and only defining yourself by your relationships isn’t enough either.

In my Living On Purpose group for women, we explore life purpose as who you are rather than what you do. Your beingness is expressed through the activities and roles you play in your life, but it is not hostage to them. Take a moment to read this inspiring blog by Melani Marx as she answers the “What do you do?” question in a unique and authentic way.

Feel free to leave some thoughts in the comments about how you would like to respond to “What do you do?” a new way!

While this has brought us incredible innovation and knowledge, we  have also created a society of people who are disconnected from nature, from their own bodies and from each other. We are busy and we are stressed.

As a Personal Coach, I often see clients who are excited about discovering their life purpose. One of the most inspiring aspects of my job is supporting women as they get crystal clear about what they are commited to in their lives!

Unfortunately, we have learned that our purpose is all about what we are doing.

Because of this misconception, we believe that our purpose is our job (teacher, doctor, designer), or the roles we play (mother, daughter, friend) or the actions that we take (feed the homeless, care for sick people, save the world).

But what happens when you can’t get the job that you dream is your ultimate purpose? What happens when your kids leave home? What happens if you can’t save the world?

I truly believe that your purpose is not what you do but who you be. You see, everything that you do is informed by who you are being. When you are clear about your motivations, your values and your gifts and strengths, you can infuse your life with a purposeful being-ness.

And you might notice that you slow down a little, shift your perspective from getting things done to making meaningful connections, and find more fulfillment in your life!

If you want to discover more about your life purpose, join me for the Living On Purpose Coaching Group. The next one starts at the end of April!