Which way should you go in the 21st Century, the purposeful way or the purposeless way? Best selling author Rick Warren asks in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, this question: What on earth am I here for? Do you ever wonder about that, too? Can you you answer Warrens question simply and directly? Over 20 million people wanted to know, since Warrens book topped all records for a non-fiction book published in the United States, selling 20 million copies. However, searching for our purpose or meaning in life is not new. It has been a characteristic of Western Civilization for thousands of years. Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher, 350 B.C, placed heavy emphasis on finding your lifes purpose in his Nichomachean Ethics. Aristotle believed that everything had a purposeand that values and life choices were very important. Domincan priest Thomas Aquinas (1225 to 1270 A.D.) wrote the Summa Theologica, a synthesis of Aristotelean ethics and philosophy blended with Christian doctrine. Aquinas focused on the nature of God, proofs of Gods existence, and the logically-derived natural law. Years after the Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church declared in 1879 that the Summa Theologica was official Catholic doctrine. The search for meaning and finding ones purpose continues to this day-and not only in Rick Warrens writings. Author James OToole takes a fresh look at Aristotles ideas in his book, Creating The Good Life: Applying Aristotle's Wisdom To Find Meaning and Happiness. OToole uses Rudi Guiliani, Bill Gates and Michael Jordan as great examples of those finding and maximizing their purposes. OToole asks five questions: 1. How do I find meaning and satisfaction? 2. How much money is needed to be happy? 3. What is the balance of work, family and leisure? 4. What are the responsibilities to my community? 5. How can I create a good society in my company? Clearly, there has been a strong desire for people to find meaning and purpose in their lives from 350 B.C. to the present. The abrupt, radical, often painful transition from the 20th Century and its Industrial Revolution to the 21st Century world with its globalism, Internet communications, icon toppling of companies with broken business models that cannot be fixed, and the huge global shift to self-employment-all these factors place new emphasis on Warren's what on earth am I here for? question. But even when you find out what youre here for, you also must learn how to accomplish it in the entirely new and totally different business environment--the 21st Century. What worked in the previous century is largely irrelevant now. Advice on how to succeed in the 21st Century is the responsibility of progressive thought leaders-business authors, academic visionaries, savvy self-help and personal development gurus, futurists, preachers and professional speakers. Unfortunately, many experts don't get it when it comes to letting go of the the 20th Century and its business realities. Their 20th Century "wisdom," now outdated, is an expensive exercise in nostalgia. If followed by you, it could take you nowhere fast. Don't be left behind by taking advice for your future from anyone living in the past. The 21st Century--and your future--include a world of widespread self-employment, rapidly increasing globalism, worldwide network marketing, China and India (along with the USA) as superpowers, and disappearing lifelong employment combined with increasing and intense employee dissension. The 21st Century isn't scary. It's thrilling. Incredible possibilities never before imaginable exist. You can operate a global business from your home using your computer and the Internet, earning money four times faster than in the last Century. What on earth are you here for? If you know your purpose, do you know how to achieve it in the 21st Century? Which way will you turn in the 21st Century--back to the deceptive "comfort zone" of the 20th Century or fast forward into the 21st Century? The choice is yours. Your choice is either to be puposeful or purposeless. Choose wisely. |
