I often ask people who have attended the Creating Happiness Intentionally (CHI) Seminar for updates on how they are going. Recently I spoke to Barry Daniels who offered to put in writing where he’s up to with his Life’s Journey. I thought that what Barry wrote was really special to share with you, so I am devoting this entire Mind Matters News, with his permission, to his personal journey.

Barry writes...

Like many others I have had quite a journey through life, which has included loss of all physical assets, loss of career, loss of trusted relationships, loss of loved ones, loss of status. All within a 3 year period.

I am an avowed student and admirer of the easy to learn techniques developed by Sandy and it was what I learned through doing Sandy’s Seminars, and in particular his live-in 4-Day Life’s Purpose Seminar – CHI, that has helped me turn my life around and focus on my own Life’s Purpose. Progress and change for me, in the major part, has been due to attending Sandy’s CHI seminar in March 2006, a 4 day event that opened a whole new perspective on the world.

Sandy is a living example of a man who has heeded the call of his own Life’s Purpose.

But more than this, Sandy imparted a new kit-bag of easy to understand and apply life skills, from which I can draw upon, and build as my knowledge and confidence grows.

Very practical, down-to-earth and easily applied techniques which I could apply immediately. A workshop for change that is real, and with disciplined effort on my part, LASTING!

A Work in Progress

I think of my Life’s Purpose as a Work-In-Progress, not a revolution, rather an evolution.

What a wonderful gift. I am reminded of the story we have all heard, “How do you feed a hungry man? Don’t give him fish but rather teach him to fish! “

So how did I get to this point in my life, what happened for me with my journey to my Life’s Purpose?

I am just a typical Aussie guy, just turned 50. To give you an insight into my personal story, I have been married for 27 years, and we have teenage children, in fact, we are nearly empty nesters, but not quite. We have 19 year old triplets … 2 girls and a boy and a 21 year old girl. And 2 dogs who are of course both very special members of our family.

In a nutshell, my childhood was one which had no discipline or boundaries. I was left to my own devices and raised in a dysfunctional family. Both my parents suffered to varying degrees from Bi Polar, with regular bouts in and out of psychiatric institutions and they separated weeks after my birth. I went from one foster home to another and finally became a Ward of the State from age 11 to 18 during which time I lived with foster parents who were from a Plymouth Brethren Christian background and lived in the middle class suburbs of Melbourne. At the end of those 7 years I was unceremoniously kicked out, admittedly after some not so wise behaviour on my part.

My departure occurred weeks before commencing my study for an engineering degree, and without accommodation, resulting in me living in, and carrying all my worldly goods in, my car for a few weeks before finding accommodation in a 3 berth Caravan under a car port. This was to be my home for the next 5 years, whilst I studied for my engineering degree, which I completed by age 22 before marrying at age 23.

Success Before the Fall

Fortunately my oldest brother being a successful property developer, was able to provide me with much needed work, and moreover property investment skills for which I have always been grateful. I worked for him on weekends, and any public holidays I could, along with the obligatory weekend Friday & Saturday evening stints at the Golden Arches, all whist still living in the caravan.

The next 20 years saw the creation of 4 companies, 400 staff and an eventual failed public listing in the middle of the dot com malaise. Everything then evaporated within 2 years with a $40M collapse of my group in 2001. We sold off all our family’s physical assets to pay creditors, and I then had to manage my brother’s affairs and become his carer after he suffered a massive stroke, all whilst assisting my sister over a 12 month battle with cancer in 2004, which saw her leave this earth to freedom in 2005.

Two Quick Stories

Here’s a story of a friend whom I see each day at the same café. He’s 59 and retired 9 years ago due to stress and diabetes, yet he looks like a marathon runner! How can this be, as he also has other health issues?

He believes his health issues are all due to stress. Stress of speed at work, urgent demands, lack of meaning in his job, no leadership, and false signals of urgency every day. Everything was said to be Important and Urgent, but what he found was that although tasks may have been important … none were really urgent. Yet his management treated all his delegated tasks and projects as urgent.

One example he quotes, being just before he had his first heart attack, was when he had been handed a project on his desk to attend to, which his manager stated was urgent. Well 6 weeks later when he returned to his desk, guess, what? He found the same file sitting on his desk, the same folder that he was told, was very urgent, 6 weeks earlier, before being rushed off to hospital after the heart attack.

I am also reminded of another dear friend of mine, Greg aged 54 who was diagnosed with 4 cancerous tumours in his liver in August 2008. Greg and I lunch every 4 - 6 weeks, and during one of our lunches, not long after Greg had been diagnosed, he made a remarkable comment on his life, and career. He stated that he felt he had been living two lives – one that everybody knew, as a Real Estate Agent, and another, where he felt he should have followed another career in philosophy or related field.

The Importance of Life's Purpose and Knowing You're on Track

Greg’s comment was like one of those light bulb moments. I had always felt in the 15 years I had known him, he should never have been a Real Estate Agent. It just was not him.

And, maybe we all need to learn the long lost skills of slowing down and assessing what is important, and what is urgent, and what is both.

Knowing our life’s purpose can prevent us spending valuable moments forever reacting to others views of what is urgent, what is important, all the while being so busy that we are too rushed to hear the messages or notice the signs, the co-incidences, where life is trying to show us our Life Purpose and journey.

How many of us are living lives which we wonder deep down, are not really where we should be?

If we are heading along the journey of uncovering our Life’s Purpose we start to create a framework as to how what we do each day measures against our Life’s Purpose.

Time and space do not allow me to elaborate on all the tools I have learned through attending Sandy’s CHI Seminar which led me to the realisation of my Life’s Purpose. And of course I wouldn’t want to spoil the wonderful processes that unfold during the four days. Treat yourself to this wonderful retreat and the unfolding of your own personal Life’s Purpose Now! There is no greater gift you could give yourself.

Happy Travelling, enjoy the journey of discovery, just make the decision to start NOW.

Sometimes it takes courage to step out and claim your life. Take up Sandy’s challenge of stepping through the “Black Door” … you never know what’s on the other side.

So, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Barry’s story. I do encourage you to explore more about Life’s Purpose – what I do is here www.lifepurpose.com.au and ....... information about a great two day stepping stone (including peoples stories of success) which is to be held on 27/28 March is here.

 

Sandy MacGregor

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