purpose

8 Signs You Are Meant To Be An Entrepreneur

2014-11-14 By Monica 6 Comments

If you’re anything like me, being an entrepreneur isn’t really optional. It’s in our DNA. It’s how we think and feel about the world around us. I started my first business at age 12, mowing lawns. Since then I’ve gone on to create and co-create several other successful businesses, including working with CEO’s and other entrepreneurs in the healthcare industry.

We entrepreneurs certainly vary in our styles and in the processes we use for creating businesses. However, some traits seem to be universal. If these signs resonate with you, even if you don’t have a history of starting a company, you just might be an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurs are: [Read more…] about 8 Signs You Are Meant To Be An Entrepreneur

5 Steps to Changing the World Doing What You Love

2014-10-20 By Monica 11 Comments

Sometimes people make light of the idea that each of us is a “special snowflake,” but guess what? It’s true. There is no one else exactly like you in the universe, and there’s no one else exactly like me either. We each have a unique way of doing things and a form of expression that no one else has.

This uniqueness provides each of us with a rare and priceless opportunity to provide a unique gift to the world. Even when we do work that is similar to others’, our presentation and expression is guaranteed to be different.

The Dagara tribe in Africa understands this concept well. The Dagara know that each person brings an irreplaceable contribution to the world, not just to their family and community. When a tribal elder dies, it’s seen as the equivalent of a massive library burning to the ground. In death, the elder’s knowledge and gifts are lost to the world. [Read more…] about 5 Steps to Changing the World Doing What You Love

Find Purpose & Happiness Through a Pursuit

2014-09-21 By Monica 27 Comments

Pursue your passion. That’s the traditional wisdom, right? But there’s more to it than just that. In his new book, The Happiness of Pursuit, Chris Guillebeau explains how you can also find a purpose in the pursuit of a quest. The book is based on his experience visiting 193 countries, and how the pursuit of that quest also gave him great purpose in life.

Since I received two copies of the book from the publisher (thanks, Chris!), I’m giving away a hardback version of Chris’s book to one lucky reader! The contest details are at the end of this post.

So what is a “quest” exactly? According to Guillebeau, a quest “is a journey toward something specific with a number of challenges throughout. Most quests also require a series of logistical steps and some kind of personal growth.”

Some quests that were completed by people interviewed for the book include:

Traveling across the country in an RV and documenting the trip in photos
Cycling across the world
Practicing Tai Chi and writing down food eaten for one thousand days
Creating a charity that provides clean drinking water (Charity: Water)
Write 365 thank you cards in one year

Why Quest? [Read more…] about Find Purpose & Happiness Through a Pursuit

5 Things You Should Know About Finding Your Purpose

2014-09-17 By Monica 12 Comments

I’ve been spending less time on my blog this summer. I guess you could say that I’ve been away on a long journey. Not the kind that requires a passport, but a long journey just the same.

Most of the journey was spent finishing my master’s degree, researching and writing the massive paper required for my final thesis. I knew it would be a big, time-consuming project as I mentioned in this article about Climbing Your Own Mount Everest. What I didn’t realize was how much of my focus and energy it would take. As a result, I took a little break from blogging and other social activities. You could say, I was a bit of a hermit.

After successfully completing my thesis and graduating, I felt an overwhelming sense of, “Now what?” Maybe you’ve experienced the same feeling in your own life – after completing a large project, when your child started or finished school, when you left a job, or some other major transition.

I had thought once I completed my master’s degree and thesis, that my journey would be complete and I’d jump back into my “regular routines.” What I failed to consider was that completing that goal would begin yet another journey. I began to question whether I wanted to continue this blog, continue my healthcare consulting work and taking coaching clients, or perhaps, take a new direction instead. I spent a lot of time re-evaluating my own purpose in life, and even reevaluating what “purpose” means in the first place. It was a great period of self reflection as I enjoyed what was left of summer, and visited with friends and family at our home.

I realized some really great lessons about purpose that want to share with you. Here they are, in no particular order:

1.) Know Your Why

Your “why” is the reason you do the things you do. Simon Sinek summarizes this concept brilliantly in his book, Start With Why, as well as in his TedTalk.

The only consistent thing in life is change. There are endings, new beginnings, and all kinds of things in between. Your why isn’t tied to any one job or role that you play. Your why remains relatively consistent throughout your life, even though your role or the expression of your why may change. [Read more…] about 5 Things You Should Know About Finding Your Purpose

Gain Clarity and Discover Your Life Purpose with Self Assessments

2014-05-15 By Monica Leave a Comment

There’s an old saying from Shakespeare, “To Thine Own Self Be True.” But what if you’re not clear about who you really are or what you want to do with your life? How do you really get to know yourself? This series of posts will teach you about some great tools for discovering more about who you are.

When you lack clarity about your true self and your purpose, life can take you in all kinds of crazy directions. It’s like racing down a mighty river in a little black inner tube, hoping you don’t crash into the giant rocks. Sure, sometimes it’s a great adventure, but you may also feel helpless and out of control.

Without a Purpose, It’s Easy to Get Lost

Without a purpose, it’s easy to pursue things that you “think you should be doing” or doing the things that other people say you should do. You might still be “successful” or earn a good income, but inside you know there’s something missing. You yearn for more. [Read more…] about Gain Clarity and Discover Your Life Purpose with Self Assessments

Following Your Passion – The Story of One Wildlife Photographer Who Does Just That

2013-10-30 By Monica Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of seeing Suzi Eszterhas speak at a Science Pub event in Portland, Oregon. Suzi is able to live a life that many of us dream about: traveling to exotic locations to photograph rare and endangered animals in their natural habitats. Suzi is one of the only women in her competitive, adventure-filled industry, and is well known for her unprecedented work with newborns, including lions, cheetahs, tigers, gorillas, orangutans, penguins, bears, and sea otters. Her work is helping bring attention to the plight many of these animals face every day as they live on the verge of extinction.

In addition to being inspired by Suzi’s amazing photos, I was struck by how passionate she is about her work and how she’s been able to do things that most of us would be too afraid to do. Suzi has traveled to some of the most remote and potentially dangerous locations on her own to pursue her passion. She lived on location in Africa for several years, spent five and a half months living at a jackal den, and spends a significant amount of time living and working in extreme conditions in the desert, arctic, jungle, and natural elements.

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