CARPE DIEM:

How to Squeeze the Life out of Life! (Part 1 of 5)                             by Dr. Bill Nieporte
 
Several years ago the movie "Dead Poets Society"  resurrected an obscure Latin phrase that most of us had forgotten:  Carpe Diem. It means Seize the Day. It's an exhortation to
 live life to the fullest, getting the most out of  each day.

  Despite our desire for a full and meaningful life, however, most of us find ourselves so caught up in what  appear  to be the daily drudgeries of life that we simply don't have the
 time to CARPE DIEM. We've got place to go, people to see, things to do, and bills to pay. We all want more for our lives but it just doesn't seem to be within our grasp.

 Carpe Deim-a nice thought, eh? But how? How do we "Seize the Day?" How do we "Go for the Gusto?" How do we squeeze every ounce of life's joy out of each  moment of                                        our lives? These are the questions I will be exploring over the next several weeks in a serieof articles I   am calling: "Carpe Diem: How to Squeeze the Life out of Life!"
 

Discovering Your Purpose for Living! (Part 2 of 5)                             by Bill Nieporte

1) WHAT GIVE YOU PASSION?
 Napoleon Hill has said: "Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements."

Take some time to examine your hopes, dreams, and aspirations. What are those things in life that when accomplished give you greater strength instead of shear exhaustion? What things renew you rather than drain you? What are you involved with that gives you the felling that you are contributing something of value to the world? By  exploring your PASSIONS you will begin to uncover your PURPOSE.
 

Orison Swett Marden said "There's no grander sight in the world than that of a person fired with a great purpose, dominated by one unwavering aim." If this statement could describe any of us, then we would certainly be learning to "seize the day."

2) WHAT ARE MY RESOURCES-MY POTENTIAL?
Motivational experts are found of saying that our potential is unlimited. I disagree! At this point in my life their are certain things that are beyond my reach. For example, no matter how hard I work or how much I train, I don't have the potential to play basketball in the NBA. It's simply beyond my potential.
 
 

I do believe that I've got some potential to do some pretty amazing things. You've got similar potential. The trick is in it discovery. To discern our life's purpose we must uncover our  potential. To begin identifying your potential start by asking yourselves these questions. Record your answers in writing. If you do it right you'll  probably need several pages. I suggest that you list your responses in your journal. (You are keeping a journal, aren't you?)

 What unique God-given abilities do you possession?
 What experiences have provided you with  wisdom?
  What skills have you developed in you business or  profession?
  What knowledge have gained while earning your education?
 What are your personal strengths of character?

 3) WHAT ARE THE NEEDS AROUND ME?

 The most successful person of recent decade has been a Catholic Nun named Mother Theresa. That sounds strange when you consider her lifestyle. She was a rather plain looking individual of small stature-not some leggy super-model. She was a poor                                   in a world that values wealth-living in a one-room apartment with only a few pieces of furniture. Though she didn't fit any of our "success" stereotypes, I doubt that few would deny the achievements and value of her life. that she was  one of the most successful people to every live.
Leadership expert John Maxwell has written:
"God's gift to me is my potential. My gift to God is what I do with that potential. I believe great leaders sense a "higher calling"-one that lifts them above themselves. What a terrible waste of life to be climbing the ladder of success only to find when you read the top that you were leaning against the wrong building."

 Mother Theresa's ladder was leaning against the right building, wasn't it? That's what made her successful. She looked around. She saw the tremendous need that existed in Calcutta. She knew that she had the potential to make a  difference-one life at a time. Her heart was
stirred. Her passions were energized. In response she devoted her life to make a difference.

 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
What gives you passion? What are your resources-your potential? What are the needs of
the people around you? Answer these questions.
Find out how each response intersect. When you do you will be on your way to discovering a worthwhile purpose for your life.

                                      --------------------------------------------------

Developing an Exceptional Attitude! (Part 3 of 5)                             by Bill Nieporte
 

WHAT DETERMINES OUR ATTITUDE

Numerous factors play a part in determining our attitude. In this article I will deal with one:
how we think. William James said, "That which holds our attention determines our action." My experience dealing with people indicates that he is correct. The foundation for any attitude is the thought processes of the individual. All other factors (feeling, behaviours, circumstances, environment) are ultimately under the dominion of our thoughts.

This truth is illustrated a story told by Dr. Victor Frankel, one of the few survivors of
 Auschwitz. When asked how he survived in a place where tens of thousands had died, he said, "I always knew that my attitude was my choice. I  could choose to despair or to be hopeful. But to be hopeful I needed to focus on something I wanted.                                     "I focused on my wife’s hands. I wanted to hold them one more time. I wanted to look into her eyes one more time. I wanted to think that we could embrace again and be heart to heart one more time. That kept me alive second by second by second."

Frankel did not have more resource then the prisoners around him, nor were his circumstances less severe than others. The difference was where he focused his thoughts. His entire mental processes were centered on one single goal. That goal gave his a reason to survive and helped him develop an exceptional attitude.

HOW TO CONTROL OUR THOUGHTS

One of the most important things we need to understand as we strive to develop an exceptional  attitude is that we are engaging in a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. The unhealthy tattoos we attach to our mind are not easily removed. It take  time and a healthy does of discipline. A fellow  pastor and mentor suggested for me the following                                   course of action.

EXPRESS FAITH

I was reminded of a powerful conviction I believe but, unfortunately, had seldom focused much attention on. I was reminded that God loved me—no strings attached. My mentor reminded me that I was created in God’s image and redeemed from my faults  by God’s loving grace. My intentional and daily remembrances of this simple conviction have aided me tremendously in developing a positive attitude.
 
IDENTIFY GOALS

The second bit of aadvice shared by my mentor   that I begin a daily discipline of keeping a
 journal. It would be what Mark Victor Hansen has called a "Future Diary." In this journal I was  instructed to record what I wanted out of live: desires, dreams, hopes, ambitions, and goals. By maintaining this daily journal (a Future Diary) you can become more disciplined at thinking more positive, life-enhancing thoughts.

  ASSOCIATE WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE

 My mentor next shared one of his favourite quotations. "You can’t fly with the eagles if your too busy associating with the turkeys." In other words, I needed to surround myself daily with some positive thinking people. These people could come to me in the form of their books, personal development tapes, or by their actual presence. In any case, I needed to find and fly with the eagles--and spend less time with turkeys.

MAKE A PUBLIC DECLARATION

Finally I was challenges to make a commitment to certain trusted friends of my intention to develop an exceptional attitude. My mentor said that in so doing I would be requesting their support, submitting to their accountability, and encouraging them to join me on the journey. This has been the most rewarding aspect of this  discipline.

CONCLUSION

The development of an exceptional attitude is an  ongoing process in which I am still involved. I invite you to join me in this process so that together we can "Carpe Diem; Seize the Day."

In our first segment we explored what it meant to discern a PURPOSE for our lives. The
next segment dealt with developing a positive ATTITUDE. In this article we will move to
the next step--GOAL SETTING.
 
In some circles the concept of GOAL SETTING has received a bad rap. This is
understandable--especially when you consider how so many have approached this discipline.
 
When I began university studies nearly twenty years ago, I attended a orientation class in
which a college administrator taught us about GOAL SETTING. When the class was finished I knew all about what I wanted--but nothing about how to get what I wanted. Isn't that the  main objective of GOAL SETTING? Isn't the purpose of having goals to motivate us to do  something?
 

 
The objective of this article is simple. I want to describe the anatomy of a GOAL in such
a way that your GOAL SETTING activities will actually motivate you to do something.

DREAMS
The first step in developing workable GOALS is to take the time to dream big dreams. This
is the time to explore what we WANT out of life. We do it all the time, don't we? We dream about the new job, the new car, the new house, the happy home, the healthy relationship with our spouse, etc.
 
The difference between these typical day-dreams and what I writing about is simple. I am
suggesting that the dreams that matter are the dreams your record. You will be engaging in
 a process called Blue Sky Thinking. Get out your journal. Start recording your  dreams. The sky's the limit! Challenge yourselves with the following statements/questions each day for the next several days. Record your responses--it may take several sheet each day. Dream big dreams.
 
1) If you were given $1,000,000.00 dollars today, what would you do with your life?
 
2) Write down everything you would like to do in your life.
 
3) Use your imagination to look down the road 5, 10, 15, and 20 years. Imagine the best case scenario. What do you see? Where do you live? Where do you work? How do you look?
      Describe yourself in detail
 
      This exercise in Blue Sky Thinking will help you begin to bring clarity to your dreams. This exercise can help you paint a powerful mental picture of what your life  can look like. But this is only step one in the GOAL SETTING process.
 
A VISION/MISSION
 
The next step requires a convergence between your life's purpose and your dreams.
Your life's purpose should serve as master over your dreams. For example, Mother Teresa may have dreamed to be a wealthy business executive--but that would have been a denial of her life's purpose. Take the time to evaluate your dream in light of your purpose. As you do you will begin to develop a clear VISION or MISSION for your life. Record that MISSION!
 
The MISSION of my life is to learn, model, and teach the secrets of successful living.
 
      GOALS
 
When you have your MISSION established (in writing) you are ready to start recording your GOALS. The objective of your GOALS, you must remember, is to help you do
something--fulfill your lives PURPOSE and MISSION.
 
Goals are the thing I want and need that will help me fulfill my MISSION. To learn...the secrets of successful living I need to set a goal that will guide me to fulfill this objective. For example, one of my goals is as follows:
 
I will listen to six self-development audio programs during the next twelve months.
 
The same principle should guide all of your GOAL SETTING actions. Make sure you record your GOAL in writing. They need to be clear and specific. When record, review them regularly. In fact, use them to plan each year, month, week, and day.
 
      CONCLUSION
 
We don't serve out GOALS! Our GOALS serve us. They guide us toward fulfilling our life's  MISSION and PURPOSE. True Success-In-Life comes when we fulfill our PURPOSE--when we live our VISION. And that's what it means to Carpe Diem.

Developing Your Personal Code (part 5 of 5)               by Bill Nieporte

1) DISCERNING YOUR CURRENT VALUES

You'll need to set a significant portion of time aside to explore your values (at least a few
hours). Better yet, I suggest you take a personal  retreat--perhaps a day--away from the
"distractions" of life. Dedicate this time to the  personal exploration of your life.

A. On a sheet of paper write at the top the statement: "I value..."
Then, in a freestyle fashion, begin listing everything you consider important, valuable, and worthwhile in your life.

My list looks like this:

                                 I VALUE...
God, family, church, community, courage, generosity, honesty, excellence, faith,                                 compassion, collaboration, success, etc.

 B. My "Values List" has nearly 100 different items.

When your list begins to reach this level   of volume, I suggest that it time for a second step. Begin to review your list. Whittle it down to around 20-25 items. Condense items on the list that seem repetitive. Delete those for which you are unable to develop a clear image in your mind.
Remove those which really (upon reflection) don't seem to be a primary value statement for the way you live your life.
C.  When your list has been condense to 20-25 items
Choose 3-5 which seem central to you life. How? Ask yourself these questions:
Which of these values are the MOST IMPORTANT things I look for in others and/or expect from myself?

Which of these values reflect well upon my purpose and vision statements?

If I had to sacrifice all the other value items, keeping just one, which one would I keep?

After you have selected your first (central, primary, over-arching value) conduct this process again to select a third or fourth!

 2. JUDGING YOUR VALUES

In contemporary culture it has become common to suggest that all values are equal--that one persons personal code or value statements are no better or worse than others. Not so! For a value to produce virtue, leading to goodness, and ultimately to happiness, it must be a healthy, life-enhancing value. As such, their must be some serious soul-searching evaluations and judgments over our value statements to see if they meet this criteria.
In addition to judging the health of a value statement, it will also be necessary to evaluate
the worth we place on each value. Is it more healthy, for example, to value one's job above      one's family, or one's family above one's job? Which should come first in a healthy values code, honesty or career advancement? Who would you rather call "friend," somebody with a high degree of integrity or the desire to obtain lots of money? You understand my point. All values are not equal! Some values are life-enhancing--others are life-limiting.

On what basis do you judge the worth and order of your value statements? I suggest that you discuss you value statements with somebody your trust and respect--perhaps a mentor, self-development coach, pastor, or trusted friend. They may be able to  provide you some necessary and thoughtful feedback. I also suggest that this might be a time to begin to explore spiritual health and vitality. Your religious heritage might provide you some                   useful insight that will help you discern the  relative health of your personal code of conduct.

3. VALUES ALIGNMENT

  The next step is to examine your life in reference to you personal code of conduct. Is your life a  reflection of the values to which you claim to adhere? If so, then your values might be said to be "perspirational." If not, then your values are said to be "aspirational."
 

If all your values are healthy and "perspirational," congratulations. You could no                            doubt testify to the truth that goodness and virtue lead to happiness and self-fulfillment. If
 you values are "aspirational," (not yet realized in our lives) then happiness will come in the  process of bringing our lives into alignment with our values. No doubt this is the place here most of us find ourselves today.

At this point I suggest that you might want to return to the goals-setting exercise noted in an earlier article. Establish goals that are aimed at bringing your life into alignment with your values. For example, if you value good health but find yourself to be overweight, lethargic, and generally out of shape, then you might want to set goals and establish a agenda for better health.
Exercise! Take nutritional supplements. Eat a healthier diet. As your practices begin to fall
into alignment with your values, you will find your life to be more enjoyable and fulfilling.

3 THE ROLE OF GRACE

Theologian Thomas Oden has written:

"There is a hole in the standard shelf of books on self-help. This hole is waiting to be
filled by the classical Christian teaching on grace."

What is the classical Christian teaching on grace?
 It begins with some rather disturbing news--but news which we can all testify as being truthful.
 The news is simply this: "No matter how hard I try, I cannot live up to my own code of
 values--much less those established by an  all-powerful and righteous God." What follows,
 however, is the blessing of grace. No matter how often or badly I fail, God still loves and accepts  me--and gives me the strength to forgive myself and keep going.

I am proud to say that I have experienced that grace. I fail often. I made mistake daily. I can't live up to my own high standards. Nevertheless, I experience a great deal of satisfaction and joy in my life on a daily and growing basis. Why? Because  I realize that God loves and forgives me.

God loves and is willing to forgive you too.
Experiencing that grace is the first and greatest step toward CARPE DIEM--Squeezing the Life Out of Life.

CONCLUSION

Aristotle was right! The highest ambition in all our life's is to experience fulfillment. We all
strive to be happy. We all want to CARPE DIEM.
These five articles were written to help you find that fulfillment. Discern you PURPOSE for living.
Develop an ATTITUDE that makes you worth living with. Dream DREAMS and establish GOALS that make your dreams a reality. Develop a code of personal code of VALUES that will make you a better person.
Experience the GRACE in life that comes from knowing God. This is a path toward CARPE DIEM.
 

(Permission is granted to reprint this article in any format provide the following note remains  intact and attached).

                                 --------------------------------------------------
                                        Dr. Bill Nieporte is editor of "The
                                    Success-in-Life Newsletter," a weekly Ezine
                                  dedicated to revealing the secrets of successful
                                   living. Request a FREE subscription by email.
                                 Mailto:[email protected] with the word
                                            SUBSCRIBE in the email BODY.