Last night I finished the book You Can Have It All. No wonder Jack Canfield recommends it. In 204 easy-to-read pages, Arnold M. Patent, former attorney, captures the essence of life. This morning while my family is still sleeping, I am thumbing through the book, re-reading the parts I have underlined. What comes up for me is that a key core principle is the unmistakable significance of self-love.
I starred the section in the book “Becoming Aware of Your Purpose” so I could come back to it and complete the suggested exercise. However, I first flipped back to the previous chapter, “Expressing Who We Are.” Patent says, “Knowing where our talents lie and being willing to express them is key to releasing our inner joyfulness.” I am eager to release my inner joyfulness. How about you?
The interesting concept he teaches is, “We do not learn a talent; it is inherent within us. What determines how successful a person will be at expressing her unique talent or talents is how much love she feels for herself. Self-love is always the starting point. When you love yourself, you not only acknowledge your talent, you delight in practicing and expressing it.” How beautiful that each one of us came to this earth with a talent already inside of us. It is simply a matter of loving ourselves and allowing it to flow out of us.
I had a lot of time to reflect on that principle yesterday as I spent hours at the water park with my granddaughter. I noted all the people…all different ages, shapes, sizes, personalities…and wondered if they each have yet discovered their unique talent? Who was it that said “Don’t die with your music still in you”? How about we peel down to the music?
Patent suggests we make a list of those activities we most enjoy, “the ones that inspire you at the mere thought of them,” and select the one activity on the list that most inspires you. “Now make a list – this time as long as you want it to be – of all the ways you might express the talent you selected on the previous step.” He suggests we write the ideas in a separate notebook and add to the list every day. What a great suggestion to allow our creativity to flow. The most challenging part of the entire exercise is to simply get started.
Back to the self-love, Talent explains, “We can develop our feelings of self love so that we allow ourselves to express our talents, or we can express our talents as a means of expanding our self-love.” Talent has a way of making us clearly understand how deeply important it is that we love ourselves.
Flipping forward to the section on life purpose, Patent provides the following exercise: “In a state of deep self-love and peacefulness, ask yourself, ‘What is my purpose for living?’ or ‘What is my unique role in the Universe?’ Allow the answer to come to you. Let it be as expansive as you can imagine.”
The examples he provides show us that our statement of purpose does not have to be complex:
“My purpose is demonstrating the joy and power of an open heart.”
“In a spirit of fun, I inspire wisdom and creative expression.”
“My purpose is choosing love, joy, freedom and abundance.”
After reading the book and soaking up the insights that fill the pages, my life purpose statement is, “To love myself and inspire others to love themselves.”
Why not let today be the first day of your awakening to self-love? Why not give yourself a gift? Treat yourself to Patent’s life-changing book and exercises.
Thank you, Jack Canfield, for recommending the book to help us all to find our path.
