The following is an excerpt from Larry DiAngi's book
"THE RESILIENT POWER OF PURPOSE".

Have you ever wondered why some people are able to make their dreams a reality, while others' hopes and dreams remain only a fantasy? What is it that propels some people to a higher level of fulfillment, lifestyle, or happiness, while others remain stuck on a lower level their entire lives?

Many books, tapes, and live seminars promise what seems to be a "quick fix" or a magic pill to make all your dreams a reality and solve all your problems. We all have experienced temporary motivation, which is present one moment and gone the next. We know there must be something more than what the latest self-help fad has to offer. All of our searching for a solution brings us back to the point where we are ready to go beyond short-lived and superficial attempts at staying motivated. What we begin to realize is that we need much more than a temporary solution to get motivated. We need to be inspired.

Motivation is simply the natural by-product of inspiration. When you are inspired, you are on a real quest and you are going somewhere wonderful. All of life changes with the knowledge that you are going somewhere. If you knew you were leaving tomorrow on an all-expense-paid, two-week vacation to Hawaii, you would probably be in a great mood. The challenges of the day would simply be steps taken in order to get closer to Hawaii. Staying up and packing until one or two o'clock in the morning may not even seem like an inconvenience. In fact, you might be so excited that you can't sleep anyway. You may not enjoy getting up at five a.m. usually, but on this morning, you wake up before your alarm. The difference on this day is that you know you are going somewhere wonderful. When the real you is inspired, motivation comes naturally. Life is not meant to be a boring treadmill on which you are stuck, awaking everyday to fulfill obligations, then falling wearily back into bed, only to get up the next day to go through the same hopeless routine again. When life seems to be lacking purpose, you can either fill your days with enough diversions to distract you from the gnawing ache of emptiness in your heart, or you can set out on a quest for a higher level.

Although your dreams for the higher level in life may include benefits such as more satisfying relationships, financial independence, or greater spiritual, mental, or physical strength, our dreams do not become a reality by merely aspiring for these benefits. Success comes from becoming truly inspired deep within. This vision and purpose become the driving force in life, enabling you to go beyond the point of no return. Every person who creates something wonderful starts with a dream. The diagrams at the beginning of this chapter show the difference between the real you and your outer self. A dream that only exists in the outer self simply remains a fantasy, but a dream that lives in the real you becomes your dream-purpose. When your dream becomes your purpose, it is no longer optional.


The Real You Versus Outer Self

Learning how to discover your purpose and make your dreams come true is a major premise of this book. But in order to make this happen, you must understand the difference between the real you and the outer self. (2 Corinthians 4:16). Looking at the diagram you can see the contrast. The real you is full of love, security, peace, generosity, inspiration, worthiness, and all the other positive qualities you possess. The outer self, however, includes qualities such as shame, feelings of unworthiness, frustration, insecurity and fear. The real you is supposed to be the driver who uses the outer self as the vehicle of expression. Your outer self becomes an imposter when you are not living from who you really are. The real you possesses everything you need to make your dreams come true, you just need to begin living life from the inside out. By doing so, you will move to higher and higher levels until you reach your dream. As a plane taxis down the runway, there is a point at which it has used up too much of the runway and built up too much thrust and too much lift to abort the mission; it must take-off and fly. There is something similar that happens in our lives when we step over that line. Going forward to the next level is no longer simply an option or something to do only if it's convenient. We know the next level has our name on it.

Many people spend their entire lives just taxiing around the runway. They never really take off and fly and they never really step over that line. Rather than moving beyond the point of no return, they always leave a way to escape. But when you finally step over that line, the magic begins. Charisma exudes from you. The right people come into your life and you always seem to be at the right place at the right time. We may not always understand how or why life works this way - it just does.


"There is no road to success but through a clear strong purpose - nothing can take its place - a purpose underlies character,
culture, position, attainment of every sort."
- T. T. Munger

"Have a purpose in life, and, having it, throw such strength of mind and muscle into your work as God has given you."
- Carlyle

"Ask, and you will receive, seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened unto you ."
- Matthew 7:7