{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Ep 126 Finding Your Purpose","description":" Welcome to the Mountain! Hey Friends, Brett Wilson here \u2013 your host and Trail Guide at Mountain Zen Den, encouraging you to connect with Nature for mindfulness and personal growth \u2013 naturally!  Come on in\u2026 How are you?  I am so excited to be back with you after an extended hiatus, where we have taken some time to get away, plan, and restructure things at the Den. There is so much to tell you, and I cannot wait to share with you all the incredible human beings and resources we have been meeting and curating just for your well-being and personal development. We are starting a new season here at Mountain Zen Den.  Can you believe it?  Season 6!  Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to face some personal challenges, (aka personal growth opportunities \u2014 as do we all), doing some deep thinking, strategizing, re-purposing, and making new friends with some truly wonderful and inspiring people.  We\u2019ll be introducing them to you in the next several episodes \u2014 musicians, writers, documentary wildlife filmmakers, deep thinkers and spiritual healers \u2014 all beautiful souls who are deeply in touch with the natural world.  Stay connected\u2026 you are in for a real treat! The challenges, struggles and processes over the past few months have helped me realize more than ever how very short life is, as Michael Singer, author of Living Untethered points out \u2013 and I quote, \u201cSitting on a planet through vast outer space for a handful of years \u2014 in the broadest sense, this is the human predicament.  Earth has been here for 4.5 billion years, yet each of us is limited to roughly an eighty-year ride on the planet, give or take a few years.\u201d Well, I have committed to using what\u2019s left of my eighty or so years to not only Grow to become to become the very BEST version of myself, my inner Daimon, to use the Greek word for it, but to take a whole bunch of like-minded folks along for the ride \u2014 in fact, on a Joy-ride, a Hero\u2019s Journey through Nature.  So if this sounds like you, and you haven\u2019t already, I invite you to join the Mountain Zen Den Community by subscribing at mountainzenden.com.  You\u2019ll get updates and information, and a whole mountainful of resources in our Blog Cabin newsletter. There is so much goodness and positive things happening out there that we\u2019d like to share with you to help you in your journey for Personal Growth and well-being.  I\u2019ll just mention a couple of them today, and you can learn more and find the links to them on our resources page at MountainZenDen.com\/Resources. Finally, I\u2019m excited to share some personal news.  Over the past couple of years I have been writing a book based on some of the nature-based life lessons learned, insights and personal observations I have made relating to Nature and Personal Growth.  The working title is, Grow You  \u2014 Cultivating Your Garden of Well-Being (Transform Your Inner World, Become Your Best Self and Enjoy Life to the Fullest).  It presents Practical nature-based guidance and meditations for becoming the best version of yourself through Personal Transformation \u2014 featuring stories, practical ideas taught by experts, and daily meditations you can use on your journey of well-being.  Super excited.  So stay tuned! Now, on to today\u2019s show.  In the past, I have often found myself feeling like I am just barely able to keep up with the seasons; always rushing from one holiday or event to another, never feeling prepared or truly able to live in the moment and enjoy it.  So today, I thought we could get a jump on New Year\u2019s goals by getting a running start in November \u2014 before the holiday season begins, before all of the running around, shopping, parties, and bad-for-you junk food binging, before setting traditional New Years\u2019 goals on New Years\u2019 Eve, or the beginning of the new year\u2026 Can you imagine what a huge advantage you will give yourself by getting a headstart on next year by starting several weeks earlier? So hopefully we can make some forward thinking plans and resolutions that will be well in place by the time New Year\u2019s rolls around, and avoid having to undo some of the damage that has been done over the holidays, making it harder to get a running start on the new year.  New Years\u2019 goals are great, but new days\u2019 goals, lived day by day, lead to a life of excellence.  And isn\u2019t that why we are here?  I hope so! Today, let\u2019s take some time to explore the concept of \u201cFinding your Purpose\u201d (with a capital \u201cP\u201d).  After all, if you don\u2019t know your purpose, how do you know how to make new years\u2019 goals and plans? So what do we mean when we say \u201cPurpose with a capital \u2018P\u2019? Your Purpose should be your highest goal in life.  Different from your Mission, which evolves and morphs at varying stages of life, your number one Purpose is to nourish your soul.  As Abraham Maslow points out in the hierarchy of needs, \u201cWhat one can be, one must be.\u201d Now if this sounds selfish, or narcissistic, we need to remember the oxygen mask on the airplane example.  If you don\u2019t first take care of yourself, and aren\u2019t healthy in every area of your life, how can you help or be of any service to those around you? We all have the same purpose, and as I mentioned, that is to nourish our soul; to discover our unique calling and gifts.  To grow to become the best version of ourselves, actualize our potential and then turn around and help others.  When we find our Purpose and discover our Mission, and are on the path to being all that we can be, (as Maslow reminds us), we naturally give of ourselves, our greatest gift, in service to the world.  So once we discover our Purpose, how do we continue giving our greatest gifts in greatest service to the world? I love the way Brian Johnson, creator of Optimize, and Founder and CEO of Heroic puts it:  He says, we do it by closing the \u201cGap\u201d between who we are and who we can potentially become by living with Arete.  That is A-R-E-T-E, Arete - the Latin word the ancient Stoics used that can best be described as \u201cVirtue\u201d or \u201cMoral Excellence\u201d.  When we live to our fullest potential from moment to moment to moment, we are living with Arete, thus fulfilling our Purpose in life.  I\u2019ve found that the most practical way of doing this and to stay on track is to, all throughout the day ask myself, \u201cWhat would the best version of myself be doing right now?\u201d  And then, most importantly, do it!  Easier said than done. So what is the difference between our Purpose and our Mission? Your Mission is your unique purpose.  What is it that you, and only you can do? It\u2019s important to understand that we have many missions in life, depending upon where you are and what stage of life you are in.  For example, if you have children, only you can be a Dad or Mom to your kids.  Your Mission, or \u201cCalling\u201d if you will is to be an extraordinary father and husband, or mother and wife, and a present member of your family.  Something I wish I understood better when my kids were younger\u2026 Nature in the wild, and on the farm gives lots of great illustrations of what this looks like \u2013 Cows give milk, chickens lay eggs, horses pull plows and give rides, and bees pollinate flowers.  Each of them offers a different product, or service to the planet that only they can fulfill.  And it\u2019s the same with people as well.  Only, even more individualized. So how do we find our unique purpose? Your unique purpose comes at the intersection of four areas or circles in your life. What is it you love to do? What is it that you are good at? What is it that you and only you can do best? What does the world need? At the point where these four circles converge is where your unique purpose shows up. Now for some people, it takes nearly a lifetime to discover their unique Purpose.  Sadly, for a great portion of the world.  They never discover their unique Purpose.  And for a very lucky few, they find it very early in life.  But no matter.  It\u2019s not a race.  It is a Journey.  A Hero\u2019s journey, if you will.  It is your unique Journey that you are called to, if you are still enough to hear, and wise enough to follow. We will talk about this a lot more in episodes to come, but for today, let\u2019s just take a little time in our meditation, to ruminate and chew on those four questions. What is it you love to do? What is it that you are good at? What is it that you and only you can do best? What does the world need? As we seek our Purpose and unique Mission in life, if we are on the path of True Love and service, every step we take will be a step in the right direction.  Trust the process.  Trust the calling\u2026   SHOW NOTES\/LINKS   Heroic + Optimize with Brian Johnson     Living Untethered by Michael ","author_name":"Mountain Zen Den Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/mountainzenden.libsyn.com\/website","html":"