Conscious

CHAPTER 21Live Your Higher Purpose

In the TV show Blue Bloods, an Irish-American family in New York City sits down to a ritual dinner every Sunday night. The weekly dinner symbolizes how the family, one side cops, the other side prosecutors, is dedicated to a higher purpose, no matter how much they clash or argue. They represent the American version of noblesse oblige. Here's an old French tradition whereby people with more power and influence are obliged to act in healthy and responsible ways with others as they pursue their goals for success.

Conscious people bring their best selves to the table, and have the courage to challenge others to be good human beings – with their families, work teams, and communities. Like the characters in Blue Bloods, living your purpose allows you to merge doing good with achieving your goals whether you are a teacher, a parent, a politician, or a business leader.

An irony of human life is that we all possess a higher purpose, yet many of us have no idea what it is. Our minds and bodies are intended for more than merely survival – they are vessels for deep social and emotional drives that give us meaning. For whatever reason, many people have never asked themselves, “What is my purpose here? Am I meant to do more with my life than take care of myself?”

So how do you discover your higher purpose? By looking at yourself in the mirror and tapping into your innate wisdom and humanity. Your accelerators, like hope, faith, confidence, and optimism, ...