Meaning of life

What Is the Meaning of Life?

October 9, 2018 By kwmccarthy

Did you make the choice today that your life is going to be meaningful? If so, please tell me about it in the comments area below. What do you anticipate the implications of your decision will be over the rest of your life?

“What is the meaning of life?”

Now there’s a tiny topic hardly worth pondering! The graphic and T-shirt design below by artist Aled Lewis (used with his permission) may provide as good a sense of “clarity” on the topic as one can find.

Kidding aside, the value of asking, “What is the meaning of life?” may be less in the answer to one of life’s big questions, but more in the very act of the inquiry.

Asking this question is a positive sign that changes in life, ideally growth and maturity, are budding.

There’s an awareness that can lead to a new life with the potential to lead to a life of purpose and meaning. Engagement in a greater reality has begun.

Change is a part of life, but a change for life needs to be self-initiated—owned if you will. Those around may demand or encourage us by saying “Change your life,” but at the end of the day, it is our responsibility and challenge.

How you go about embracing growth is up to you.

For me, my big shift change happened when I attended a Bible study of the book of Romans back in the spring of 1985. Like many, I had been searching for meaning in life. As a true student of self-help literature, I was well read in the classic and contemporary self-help writers. At some point, however, it all started to sound like the same stuff simply rehashed from a different point of view.

I was not a Christian, but I was curious and willing to give that “old and irrelevant book” and the institution of the Church a chance. The Bible, I discovered, had a ring of authenticity about it that none of my self-help books had. There were no lightning strikes or trumpets sounding.

It was mostly an intellectual pursuit to better understand

Who am I?
Why am I here?
What should I do with my life?
Is life meaningful?

The Bible was different because here was core wisdom instead of just knowledge.

What is the meaning of life?

It doesn’t matter what I say. You have to find your answer for yourself. What I will tell you, however, is this: life is meaningful!

Start with this basic assumption and go forward.

Are You In The Midst Of A Tough Shift?

April 10, 2018 By kwmccarthy

A Tough Shift™ occurs when we’re caught in the middle of change and struggling to make a smooth transition.

We each react differently. On pages 93–96 in The On-Purpose Person you may recall Bob Scott telling the man about “floaters, fighters, fleers, flitters, and navigators.”

A Tough Shift reveals your natural response to challenging situations.

As Dr. Phil would ask, “So how’s that working for you?” On-purpose persons strategically think through how to navigate the circumstances, people, and flow of a Tough Shift. In time and with training, you’ll learn to navigate your way more smoothly and rapidly through Tough Shifts.

Becoming the navigator of your life is a personal leadership learned skill and trait that anyone can master over time with experience and practice. If once a year, you’ll grab and work through The On-Purpose Person and On-Purpose Peace, you’ll be amazed at your improvement with navigating Tough Shifts.

You need not go it alone either. You can start or join a facilitated small group and begin mastering what it means to be On-Purpose^®.

Do you find yourself fretting, fearful, or discouraged? As you come to appreciate that Tough Shifts are inevitable, then you’re in a better position to productively and positively navigate the change upon you.

Tough shifts are events such as

changing careers
starting a business
having a baby
retiring
getting married or divorced
the dying of a loved one
moving
switching jobs

They’re all around us. Some are smoothly managed; others are not. That’s when we need help.

Tough shifts happen in business, too. They come in the form of

changing markets
competition
job changes
personnel transfers
mergers
acquisitions
new bosses and co-workers

In a global economy, changes in one part of the world can affect you in your part of the world.

What to do? Take heart!

Purpose is symbolized by the heart. Knowing your 2-word purpose statement provides a “north star” and a home base even in the midst of the swirl and turbulence about you. Once you have your north star, you’re in the best position ever to navigate the challenges you face with a healthier, less stressful response that is more likely to produce a better outcome.

As a kid, I remember learning to drive a stick shift in a grey-blue 1962 MG Midget that our family owned. This car made today’s Mini Cooper look big. It was basically a tin coffin with an engine and wheels and a removable lid. It had paper-thin doors, slide on windows, a pull starter, and it was absolutely the most fun car in the world to tool around town in. (I can’t believe I found a photo online of one that looks just like ours! Same color and style even to the dark blue convertible top.)

My digression into my ’62 MG Midget personal history is about learning to shift gears. I remember the first sounds and feel of that gearshift in my hand as I attempted to sync the clutch, the gearshift, and still steer the car. Today, I still find myself driving two-footed every now and then with one foot on the gas and the other on the brake. Growing up in the “South Hills” of Pittsburgh meant I needed to master it all fast, lest I drift into the car behind me at all stops! Today, driving a stick is still second nature thanks to what I mastered at age 16 to 18.

Tough shifts in life are similar to my experience of learning to drive a stick shift. They can be difficult, noisy, rough, clashing, and damaging with the threat of even worse things happening. On the other hand, once mastered, the ability to make what used to be a tough shift becomes an opportunity to efficiently go places. The skills are transferable to other “vehicles.” The lessons learned stay with us.

So when you’re in the middle of a tough shift, remember your purpose, press onward, and know that every shift can lead to the next gear.

Every tough shift gets you closer to your destination.

Discover your 2-word Personal Purpose Statement at ONPURPOSE.me. This online app will guide you through a process of selecting a purpose statement, plus you’ll receive a 10-email course that’s practical to being on-purpose. The limited-time reduced launch price is currently available.

Can You Put It Into Words?

May 17, 2016 By kwmccarthy

Is it time for your On-Purpose leadership experience?

Join Kevin W. McCarthy as he facilitates On-Purpose Peace, a 7-week live video conference small group using On-Purpose Peace. Learn more at the On-Purpose Peace website.

Meet Hamlet, our family’s standard poodle who died back in October of 2015. Hamlet was scary smart and we kept expecting him to talk. Looking at me with his big brownish/gold eyes it was as if he was asking for permission to speak. I’d say to him, “Hamlet, use your words!”—the same statement I would make to our kids in their terrible twos to thwart a temper tantrum.

Hamlet, of course, didn’t talk. Imagine what his and our lives would be like if he could have put it into words. Thank you very much, Dr. Dolittle.

Words are powerful. The most powerful are personal, intimate, informative, revealing, insightful, meaningful, and offer definition and clarity. God created the world by speaking it into being with words (see below). It doesn’t get much more powerful than that!

When reading the writings of others, I so appreciate a turn of phrase that captures exactly what I’m feeling but I couldn’t express in words as succinctly. There’s something refreshing to the soul when a song, poem, or book articulates our spirit and reveals a rare glimpse at ourselves, yet through the eyes and words of another.

Consider the cost of ill-suited words. Words are the sword of the tongue and spirit. This gives rise to wise counsel such as, “Think before you speak.” Words can be hurtful and mean.

Medically speaking, an undiagnosed illness is the absence of the right word. A disease can’t be treated properly or as effectively until it can be identified. Symptoms may be managed, but the cure remains a mystery. To put it into words makes a big difference.

Consider the gains to be had using the right words. The sense of understanding and completion is richly satisfying to the soul. Right words enable right action, productivity, and accomplishment.

The Meaning of Life and The Meaning of Words Are One

Of everything in the universe, the ultimate question of life can only be explained in words. The meaning of life is understood in words because God used words to create the world. The Gospel of John tells us that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

What Are The Words of Your Life?

Writing your personal purpose statement may seem like it is the act of putting your life into words. In fact, it isn’t that at all. Writing a purpose statement is the audacious attempt to articulate and then harness the supernatural mystery and link between the spiritual and physical realms.

Your purpose, like Jesus, is fully spiritual and fully physical. When the revelation of your purpose comes to light, your sense of your self, your life, your experiences, and more come into an extraordinary focus and context. It is the power of words made personal and authentic.

A true highlight of On-Purpose Peace is writing a 2-word personal purpose statement. This is the beginning of being on-purpose. Imagine what your life would be like if you, unlike Hamlet, could use your words that are written on your heart.

Are You Making Half-Hearted Attempts?

November 17, 2015 By kwmccarthy

What are the “benefits” of making a half-hearted attempt? There are none! It is merely an action of hedging one’s bets, a means for buying time, a time-filler, or an occupation until something better comes along.

Therein lies the problem! We’ll trade our precious lives hoping that luck will strike us with something better coming along or working out in our favor. This blind optimism is often professed as faith. In truth, it is sophomoric (wise fool) with roots in victimhood—a sure path to discouragement, disillusionment, and heartbreak. Why be half-hearted?

The alternative? Be strategic. Discern what matters and why. Trials and errors will still have their way with you; however, you’ll have a context of understanding whereby your lessons will be absorbed more readily and more fully learned. Be in growth mode. Resist the gravity of decay and lead your life from your heart—the strength of who you are. Exercise your purpose!

Yes, at first, it will probably be slow-going and awkward. But you can learn to live your life strategically, wisely, and in alignment with God’s design. Practice it and soon you’ll master the art of living by design instead of haphazardly.

If you find yourself living half-heartedly, then get a clue! Now is your time to become more strategic. Grab this free, wonderful, and simple-to-use tool called The Discovery Guide Preview that includes forms for “Want Lists and Tournaments” to help you become more clear about what matters most to you. Discover the margin and places in your life where focus and clarity will move you into a posture toward whole-heartedness. You’ll be far more prepared to commit fully into being you and to live by design—being on-purpose!

More resources:

The On-Purpose Person: Making Your Life Make Sense is a great starting point to begin the process of becoming who you are truly meant to be and become. (Kindle and Hardcover available.)

On a very limited basis, I am available for one-on-one coaching to walk with you through The On-Purpose Process. Contact me to learn more.

Is Your Life Getting Better?

September 8, 2015 By kwmccarthy

Note: The video mentions an upcoming On-Purpose Leader Teleseminar. For this updated On-Purpose Minute, I instead want to refer you to the Power of Your 2-Word Purpose Statement webcast, linked below.

Are you or is someone dear to you the proverbial “victim of circumstances”? Don’t Be! A victim of circumstances is a person in an unfortunate position, but those circumstances need not dictate your future.

You may not be able to control your circumstances, but you can manage your responses. Resigning to your current set of circumstances can be negatively habit-forming and send you in a downward spiral. This response means that you’re on the fast track to becoming a victim, no longer of circumstances, but of self-inflicted circumstances.

Choose a better option. In this On-Purpose Minute, we’ll be looking at how you can order your life around a different, healthier perspective of managing your life.

Are you ready to finally know your purpose in life — in two words! Yes, your life will get a whole lot better by being on-purpose.

The Power of Your 2-Word Purpose Statement may be just the introduction for you to order your life, define what’s most important, and begin living as an on-purpose person in creation.

What Are Your Answers To Life’s Great Questions?

September 3, 2013 By kwmccarthy

Dare You Risk Leading Your Life Better?

The On-Purpose Leader Experience Early Bird Savings End Sept. 4

Click the links at the bottom of this post and the discounts will already be applied.

Here they are: The 7 Great Questions about life that haunt us until we answer them, deny them, or simply overwhelm them in a soulless chase for gain and/or pleasure.

Who am I?
Why am I here?
Where am I going?
How will I get there?
What is important?
Is life meaningful?
Does God exist?

You may think, With all I have to get done, I realistically don't have time to mess with these questions. Here's a tip for life: until you begin answering these questions, they will mess with your life. The sooner you start, the better off you'll be.

Don't put your life on hold until you have definitive answers. Simply, explore your possibilities. Make it a joyous adventure of daily discovery as the layers of your life unfold before you with a sense of wonder and excitement.

Think it's impractical with all you've got going on? Hardly! There's a hard dollar cost to being off-purpose that is costing you in very real terms. Stop wasting your life in trivial pursuits.

Answers to these questions fill in the soul gaps—those places within us that we know are there, but aren't quite sure we want to or know how to get there. It can be a scary place to visit, like a closet of dashed hopes, painful memories, unrealized dreams, disappointments, and pain. On the other hand, it is also a journey of hope and healing to the heart of who you authentically are. Here's the only place on the planet where you can discover your true identity and begin the process of re-orienting your life on the strength, function, and contribution you have to give. Transformation begins in the spirit. Knowing and bringing expression to your purpose will raise the spiritual and practical trajectory of your life forever.

The On-Purpose Leader Experience starts with you. Come as you are. None of us have it together. We're all dysfunctional to some degree. Let the one who doesn't have a measure of chaos, confusion, hurt, distress, worry, or pain cast the first stone.

Join this six-week conversation (Sept. 24 – Oct. 29) that includes peer-to-peer interactions, phone and online on-purpose coaching from me, and more. Once a week we have a 30-40-minute live webcast that is recorded for replay later. You'll walk the steps of the man in The On-Purpose Person. You will:

Connect with on-purpose persons in creation in our private social network: The On-Purpose Planet
Write your two-word purpose statement
Clarify your core wants
Identify your TOP Want
Participate in live webcasts with me
Have access to webcast replays 24/7
Develop a meaningful time management approach
Get answers to the 7 Questions above

Here's a fun, easy-to-do, and efficient way to sound deeply into the spirit of who you are. What's more, you'll be creating systems and strategies that will save you time, help you to make better decisions, and eliminate costly detours. The upside is amazing. You'll discover:

Refreshing clarity and rare focus in your life
Authentic alignment from your heart outward
Clearer thinking to make wiser decisions
Renewed strength and energy
The abundance of being who you are and meant to be
An internal gyroscope to guide you
Improved confidence and growing personal leadership
The POWER of your Two-Word Purpose Statement

The On-Purpose Leader Experience Enrollment information:

Click here for: Single Enrollment: $197 — early bird: $147

Click here for: Dual (2 persons) Enrollment: $297 — early bird: $227

Guarantee: A 100% refund is available until the start of the third webcast.

On-Purpose Leaders Workshop

September 21, 2009 By kwmccarthy

The On-Purpose Leader program based on The On-Purpose Person was a meaningful event. Here are the attendees after the event. All were from the East Coast from South Florida to Baltimore, MD. We had a tax lawyer, several health coaches, a COO, entrepreneur, several people from financial services and insurance, two married couples, and an HR executive.

The joy of these programs for me is the chance to get to know new and existing people in a deep and profound manner beyond the typical chit-chat. There's an intimacy and closeness that happens in these events.

Cindy Hedgepeth (red blouse) did a fabulous job of co-facilitating the program with me. This globe trotting trainer is gracious enough to take a day and work with me on these programs.

I look forward to seeing each of these participants again. One of the things we do is offer a 50% discount to returning alumni and a guest on a space available basis. I have a feeling we will see some of them again as they go to the next level of being on-purpose. In the meantime, please keep them all in your prayers as they've taken some remarkable steps to examine their lives and invest in making their futures on-purpose. Special thanks also to Mary Richardson and John Smith who volunteered to pray for the group, Cindy, and me in preparation and during the program.

Welcome these new On-Purpose Leaders!

Be On-Purpose!

Kevin