Guest Blog Post: Define Your Life Purpose by Artie McFerrin, author, The Executioner
As parents, our overarching goals for our children are to have them grow up to be happy, successful, productive members of society. We provide the building blocks they will need, such as positive thinking and self-confidence. But do you practice what you preach? Do your children see your positive mental attitude and self-confidence?
The following is a book excerpt from THE EXECUTIONER, printed with permission from Archway Publishing…..
I’ve also realized that it’s not easy to define a major purpose of excellence in our lives, and it is even more difficult to believe with all our hearts that we will achieve our goals in a matter of time. There are millions of options, good diversions, enslavements, distractions, and examples from which we can choose. In many ways, it was probably much simpler in the 1920s, ’30s, ’40s, and earlier, when achieving your life’s ambitions was often defined by owning your home and land, running your own business, or exceeding the lifestyle of your parents. Life was much tougher then, and there were few nice distractions. Today, most of us tend to think that we want a lot of things—vehicles, vacation homes, job titles, and “toys”—that aren’t really of significant importance in the grand scheme of things. Growing up in a prosperous society with lots of fun diversions, most people aren’t even looking to develop their goals. They are too comfortable with the nice, short-term diversions. In reality, though, the unimportant items on our typical wish list clutter our minds unnecessarily. There are a lot of people who can have very nice lives without having meaningful goals or without living purposeful lives with great goals. But not me. And maybe not you. How many people want to live a great, purposeful life?
The human brain possesses amazing powers if it is supplied with the right information. However, the human mind will not be triggered or thrust into a higher, goal-accomplishing gear without the right positive thinking and true, emotionally meaningful goals burned deep into the brain. It won’t truly accept unrealistic goals, halfhearted dreams, wishy-washy visions, vague concepts, false wishes, and unimportant values. The mind will also not begin processing those goals on the highest levels if there is considerable self-doubt. This is crucial! Self-doubt and fear of failure kill more dreams and rob more people of success than anything else. Your brain will be unwilling to accept a goal if it doesn’t think you can achieve it. You can overcome self-doubt by acquiring a positive mental attitude and the knowledge you need to accomplish your goal, working steadily to achieve the goal, and realizing that failure along the way won’t mean you have actually failed forever. Failure is often an opportunity to learn more about how to achieve success!
As Dr. Norman Vincent Peale once wrote, “Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear.” Fear of failure is your best guarantee against realizing your full potential. You’ll drive yourself right into a quagmire, and you’ll sink in your own quicksand if you fear risk, challenges, and the adversity that will surely come when you put yourself on the fi ring line for something you believe in. Fear not! Take that first step to solid ground on your own unique path to success for you and your career or business. The next step will be easier! And the ones that follow will be easier still because of the momentum and zest you’ll feel in your heart!
Arthur R. (Artie) McFerrin is an entrepreneur who has owned and operated several specialty chemical-manufacturing businesses serving global automotive, petroleum and industrial enterprises for over forty years. He founded KMCO, a chemical processing and manufacturing company, which was named by INC. Magazine as one of America’s Fastest Growing Privately Owned Business. McFerrin also owns South Coast Terminals, which was named an Aggie 100 Business presented by the Mays School of Business. McFerrin has served Texas A&M as Chairman of the Chemical Engineering Advisory Council, Dwight Look School of Engineering Advisory Council, President’s Corps of Cadets Board of Visitors and as a Chairman of the 12th Man Foundation. McFerrin has two children and four grandchildren.
Tags: entrepreneurs, finding your life purpose as parents, small business
