The One Secret To Know When Creating Your Purpose
- At August 01, 2017
- By Susan Burlingame
- In Book
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We all want to have purpose in our lives because it gives us meaning.
When you step into the purposeful role as the wife of a busy guy–who has his nose in his job–you aren’t handed a blueprint to follow with basic tools that will equip you for the job.
You rely on your own internal dialogue, with a conversation that starts with a bit of gung-ho:
[“Self? I can handle whatever life puts in front of me because I’m capable and confident!“]
Something inside of you knows you can successfully manage your new purpose of taking on the role as a supportive wife.
You also secretly hope that luck will intervene when necessary.
You start out in confidence, but as you delve deeper into the unknown, you discover numerous challenges along the way.
You get through every storm, your purpose becomes more familiar, and life gets easier.
Then over time, something shifts.
All of a sudden, it’s time for you to discover your greater purpose.
- At some point, you have to decide what to do because you realize you’re bored.
- At some point, you have to decide what to do because you’re alone while your husband travels more frequently for work.
- At some point, you have to decide what you’re going to do because your house is empty as your kid has gone off to college.
You have to decide if you’re ready for something more.
[“Self? What do I do now? What can I do now?”]
You know there is more.
You know you were created for more.
[“Self? What’s my greater purpose? What can I do, with what’s in my hands, and where’s the blue print and the tools to get me started?”]
Those internal dialogue questions are familiar to me and they became the reason why I wrote the book series, Kick-Ass Corporate Wife.
Now I’m sharing with you what I’ve learned about creating a greater purpose in my life so that you can have a blueprint and the proper tools to get you started on your greater purpose.
But there’s one very important secret you need to know before you get started.
It’s a secret that I discovered during a conversation with my mother, and I didn’t hear this from anybody else.
This secret made me stop and rewrite the whole book!
You see, my parents are well into their 66th year of marriage, and my mother shared something simple yet profound about their success as a counterbalanced team.
Here’s the secret. . .
“A successful marriage starts with the foundation of your relationship.” -Kathryn Srb
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Here’s how I applied this secret, and how you can too. . .
Before you go venturing ahead toward any “greater” purpose in your life, it’s essential to pause and consider your relationship.
[“Self? Is my marriage currently built on a strong foundation?”]
It may sound like an irrelevant question, but it’s not.
At some point, when you’re ready to create greater purpose in your life, you have to decide how the priority of your relationship will fit into this greater purpose you envision.
[“Self? What is your number one priority?”]
It’s easy to lose sight of your most important priorities when you have a goal or a dream that you want to pursue.
When you lose sight of your priorities, you can find yourself on the path to a miserable relationship, a broken relationship, or a divorce.
Don’t do this: Don’t lose sight of your priorities.
Time Magazine’s optimistic report on divorce statistics indicates that typical marriages have a 50% chance of lasting.
Do this: Keep yourself on the positive side of the 50% marital longevity statistic!
You can keep your priorities in place, and move forward with your greater purpose in mind, all within the context of a relationship that is a counterbalanced team.
And I believe you can create a solid foundation in your marriage and use it to your greatest advantage.
Kick-Ass Corporate Wife wasn’t written to convince you that you need a strong foundation in your marriage–you already believe that!
The book was written as an encouraging guidebook to help you pause and consider what’s involved when you allow your purpose-creation process to unfold.
Your marriage–and YOU–can both become more!
Creating your greater purpose can provide real meaning to your life.
I can’t guarantee that your outcome, when all is said and done, will bring significant financial contribution or marital longevity that lasts 66 years.
But I can promise you that if you follow the blueprint of Kick-Ass Corporate Wife, you will be empowered with even more confidence than you have now because you tried.
We all have a greater purpose that we are uniquely created to fulfill.
Today, no matter where you are in your process, you can start creating your vision for your greater purpose by assessing the strength of your marital foundation so that you can take what’s in your hands and allow it to bloom right where you and your husband are planted.
What’s something you’ve loved along the way that you would like to bring back and pursue with passion? Please share your vision for yourself in the comments section below.
There is more. Become more. You are more! Let’s learn how to show that to the world together!
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Missy Stein
Susie, this post really resonates with me…thank you! We’re always told in our culture to look out for ourselves, but that can be an empty existence without a true partner in life. Partners come with challenges, but like you say, if you truly look at the foundation of your relationship, and cultivate it to include both people, with all of your quirks, faults and strengths, life is much richer. And your greater purpose can be so much more meaningful when a loved one is taken into account along with your own dreams. XO
Susan Burlingame
I love how you said it, Missy, so I’m going to repeat it! “Your greater purpose can be so much more meaningful when a loved one is taken into account along with your own dreams!”
Kathryn Srb
I inherited determination from my Mother…a resolve to make “it” work! When she died, our Pastor asked me what word would describe my Mother, and without hesitation, I replied “determined”. She would accomplish anything she set her mind to do…no matter what! There is always more…even at age 86!!
Susan Burlingame
You are living proof to everyone, Kathryn, that it is never to late to have determination and resolve so that you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to do. What a blessing to have such a mother as you, and a beloved grandmother, who lead by positive example. We can all learn from both of you, and pass it on to others!