The Professor of On-Purpose
Frank Attwood is an On-Purpose Person in creation. It hasn’t always been easy for Frank, but he’s in his element professionally and personally. He performs a variety of amazing one man shows based on the remarkable life of Thomas Edison, my boyhood hero.
I remember the day Frank called me to brainstorm some life and business
decisions he was facing.
Photo: Here is Frank Attwood in his portrayal of Thomas Edison. You just have to catch his show sometime.
Like many of my fellow US Citizens, I am very frustrated with the state of our "union." Never before can I remember a President and a Congress having (and deserving) such low confidence ratings.
Allow me to dip into the political realm for a moment not as a pundit, but as a strategist with an eye for personal and organizational development.
The US is unraveling from within. Political party polarization has made sport of our government. Red and Blue are more like team colors with fan bases than a thoughtful citizenry with a sacred duty and honor to vigorously debate the issues and cast our votes. The shrillness and empty talk on both sides have taken on an ugliness and unintelligible tone catering more to cheering crowds instead of elevating the electorate to be engaged in making a difference for the cause of freedom with responsibility. We've entered a season of win-lose politics where power takes precedence over purpose.
We're off-purpose. Let me tell you why.
I did it! This morning I weighed 189 pounds! That means I've lost weight to the tune of 51 pounds since January 1! My goal was to get under 200 pounds; however, my coach, Lori Andersen, encouraged me to go the extra 10 pounds. Honestly, as positive and goal oriented as I am, I just couldn't believe that I would ever be under 190 pounds again without the "help" of an illness.
The journey has actually been a lot easier than I imagined thanks to the combination Medifast meal replacements and the personal involvement of having a coach from Medifast's coaching division: Take Shape For Life. Co-founder, Dr. Wayne Andersen, is an amazing source of inspiration, education, and vision. His vision for the Health Coaches to get America healthy is one thing. How that vision translates to each client is another. I'm living proof and a huge fan!
[please note, the photo on my blog will be updated with a new one soon. This shot is me at 240 pounds. You'll see the new me soon. Yesterday we had a photo shoot so a new Kevin will be appearing soon.]
[Read more…] about 189 Pounds – Thanks Dr. Andersen & Take Shape For Life
Thelma was working with a woman named Shirley about a purpose and plan for her life using On-Purpose® tools and methods. In the course of the coaching, Thelma asked her client to write down her career aspirations. Shirley refused to allow herself that luxury because her dreams were gone based on some choices she had made in years passed. This inner city single mom of two children under ten years of age worked two jobs to just barely make ends meet. She worked a clerical job during the day, went home to fix dinner for her kids in the evening, and then went to work as an orderly at a mental hospital at night. This exhausting routine was her life. There was no emotional margin for dreaming.
Thelma is a strong woman who as a single mom herself raised a son and a daughter. She refused to take no for an answer from Shirley. Finally Shirley relented under Thelma’s unwavering insistence. Turns out that this woman was musically gifted. She could read music, play any instrument, and dreamed of creating an inner city symphony orchestra for at-risk kids. She would teach them to play instruments and what it meant to be a part of a musical ensemble. This would be a way to a better life for those kids.
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862)
Do you feel like you’ve wasted away so much of your life that you’re now living with regrets? Where have the days gone? When did I detour from the dreams and designs of my life and get in a rut? Have I become a person as Thoreau described – one who is living a life of “quiet desperation”? Fear and doubt cloud judgment, belief, and confidence.
Take heart! Your purpose is an antidote that redeems the past, inspires the present, and directs your future. What once appeared as a waste of days transforms into a season of preparation. There’s a full harvest of past life and work lessons that are now readied for gathering. In due season you plant seeds that bear fruit in the future born from the lessons of the past.
Purpose provides boldness and clarity. Deliverance from past transgressions may be too hard for you to imagine. Yet, time and again, miraculous turnarounds begin when the simple act of articulating your purpose takes place.
Gordie Allen, CEO of Leads Plus, Inc., of Killarney, Florida had three brothers scattered across the US. Since their parents had died the sons drifted apart and seldom spoke to each other. Gordie attended an On-Purpose® Person workshop in 1994. There he clarified his purpose and felt compelled to reconnect with his brothers. He devised a simple strategy. Each Tuesday he would contact one of his brothers in order of birth. So the first Tuesday he would contact his oldest brother, the second Tuesday his second oldest and so on. Years would pass. When Winston, his second oldest brother, died suddenly of a heart attack, Gordie was the only family member who could give a meaningful eulogy because through those years he had followed the routine. Since the funeral the three remaining brothers have grown closer.
There are a variety of opinions about life and purpose. Let me assure
you: You have a purpose! You were born with it. It is your undeniable
spiritual DNA. Even if you don’t think you have a purpose – you do.
Designed into your life is your purpose. Life is meaningful… your life
is meaningful and is making a difference.
You have a reason for being here. Your unique contribution is needed
every day and in every way. You may never know the difference you
make. You fit into the Grand Design. Purpose is indifferent to
circumstances because in any situation your Purpose is at play and is
needed. That means that you are important in a significant way and you
belong on this Planet. You are making a difference with your life.
Our culture is one of immediate gratification; but that’s not the way
real life typically works. Not necessarily knowing the difference we
make is a bit of a raw deal, isn’t it? Here we are doing these good
deeds on the job and in life, and we don’t get noticed and recognized.
But as mothers have reminded us for centuries, “A job well done is its
own reward.”
[Read more…] about Purpose Causes You to Want to Make a Difference
Can a church be on-purpose?
The Very Reverend Anthony P. Clark and I worked together to articulate the Purpose, Vision, Missions, and Values for this Downtown Orlando church.
Purpose: Revealing Majesty
Vision: Shaping Living Stones
Missions: Gather, Heal, Send, Renew
Attached is Pier Review, a publication by St. Luke’s Cathedral Church (pictured to the left). Beginning on page 2 is a more in-depth article by Dean Clark about being an on-purpose church. You’ll also see that the cover article is about being on-purpose as well.
Yes, a church can be on-purpose. The purpose statement for St. Luke’s requires a bit of historic perspective. During the Dark Ages when many of the world’s great cathedrals will built the goal was for the common person to draw inspiration from the majesty of Christ. These buildings were to be modest reflections of God’s glory despite their scale and beauty. Here the average person could begin to get a sense of who God is. While the physical presence provided a visual message and statement, it was truly the intent of the designers to stir the hearts of worshipers as to the overwhelming greatness of God and his love for them. It seemed only natural then that Dean Clark seized upon such a powerful and meaningful articulation of a purpose statement like: Revealing Majesty.
Please download and read the articles to learn more.
Asheville, NC – May 16, 2008
One of the great joys of being a best selling author and professional speaker is the other best selling authors and speakers one gets to meet. Friday, I once again had this joy with a man who all about having a Joyful Spirit – the title of one of his books.
Brian Biro is America’s Breakthrough Coach – a true On-Purpose Person. A guy with a joyful heart and a sharing spirit. Allow me to put a blatant plug in for Brian to any readers looking for a speaker. Brian truly is a coach, motivational speaker, and, most importantly, the genuine article. Here’s a guy who gets people on their feet in a greater belief in their true selves and possibilities.
Brian Biro’s first book, Beyond Success, provides an in depth look and understanding into "The 15 Secrets of Effective Leadership and Life" through the eyes of former UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden. Coach Wooden is unarguably the greatest college basketball coach of all time, yet the titles were incidental to his goal of developing boys into men. While coaching swimming at UCLA, Brian and Coach Wooden formed a friendship so this book is truly a personal account rather than the distance of a journalist. Read it and learn.
[Read more…] about Meeting Brian Biro – America’s Breakthrough Coach