Living With Purpose: How to Unlock the Power of Purpose in Your Life by Stephanie Cannoe

Richard Leider is the author of 10 books, including three best sellers, and as a motivational speaker his calling is to help unlock the power of purpose in our lives. According to Leider, every person must be able to answer these three key questions:

• What do you stand for? 
• What won’t you stand for?
• Who do you stand with? 

To answer these questions, he says that you must be self-aware and know how to "hold your center." To hold your center is defined as self-mastery and it is a road paved in personal growth and maturity. Ultimately, we all face crucibles, which are those defining moments when our choices begin to shape our character. To define who you are even your mistakes are pivotal, if you chose to grow from the experience. 

Leider’s understanding of mastery was illustrated by this story: A student asked his teacher how she is able to embody a focused presence all the time, never seemingly shaken or reactive to any challenging or new situation and her response was always centered, appropriate and clear. The teacher responded, like everyone else she is pulled off center, but the only difference is that she is able to find her center so quickly that no one notices.

Leider shared this story to help bring home his point, that self-resiliency is the foundation to self-mastery and leadership. He says to be resilient, we need the support of the right people. The art of listening is attentive, active listening with a compassionate purpose. We need advisers that embody self-mastery, an individual with the ability to ask you the right questions and to hold you accountable to your truth and goals.

He goes on to say that your unique purpose is your natural gifts, not as an end in itself, but when you share your gifts with others this is the fulfillment of your highest calling. What is most meaningful is your contribution.

Leider describes three main limiting assumptions that stop people from living a life with purpose: 

• You must serve a cause.
• You must wait for a revelation.
• Talking about purpose is a luxury and not practical or realistic to do. 

However, these limiting beliefs only serve to hold you back. According to Leider, people with purpose simply set an intention and practice this mindset on a daily basis. Your purpose is what motivates you to get up in the morning. 

To learn more about your purpose, Leider proposes a daily "mirror test." He says to stick a post-it note on your mirror that reads, "Grow and Give," and ask yourself each morning, “How am I going to grow and give today?” And at the end of each day do a self-inventory: “How did I do?” 

This simple practice has life-changing potential. What is life asking of you today?

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