100 Reasons

Recently I've gained a new mentor (well, actually a couple mentors), Saskia, and one of the "exercises" or assignments she gave me was to make a list of 100 reasons why I am on Earth. I was incredibly excited (who, me? Bet you didn't see that coming) about everything we talked about, all the tools and tips she gave me, etc and so I went right to work. This one seemed pretty straightforward, plus I felt like I pretty much already know why I'm here on Earth (you know- it's part of the master plan). I went in with the intention to be clear and honest, a.k.a no fluff or sugar-coating. Mentally I decided that I would kind of break it up by category (spiritual, relationships, finances, health, etc) to make it a little easier to focus and identify my purposes within each area. I'm sure other subdivisions would be good, but that's what I went with.

I was blown away. Completely. A very simple exercise turned quickly into a deeply powerful one. Whereas 100 reasons seemed like a lot at first, they just started coming to me. Some examples:

• To fill the measure of my creation
• To develop charity
• To love, support, learn from, cheer on my mother
• Help others connect to the Spirit of Elijah
• Learn to appreciate, use, and learn from my physical body
• Learn about varied cultures
• To create joy through words
• To radiate love
• To forgive freely

I started to see patterns. Some key words for me are Love, Learn, Create, Develop/Cultivate, and Become. Those six words distill who I am quite accurately. Also significant was what wasn't there- no specific job or position, no weight goal, deadlines of when I needed to do xyz, etc. Don't misunderstand- I believe in the power of setting goals and making plans to achieve them. But they aren't the "why" of the matter and until we resonate with the "why" behind a goal, the "what" and the "how" seem just out of reach. For example, with weight/fitness goals. Why? Because we want to be skinny, look good, be healthy, feel strong? None of those are in and of themselves wrong, but they aren't the why. When I identify that my purpose behind it is really a combination of appreciating my physical body, striving for excellence, having the energy and strength to fulfill other needs and demands, etc, then I feel this shift. It's not about a certain pants size or number on a scale- it's about becoming who I am meant to be.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, a day I love to use to reflect, evaluate, set goals and make plans. May I invite all of you before you set your intentions, write down your resolutions, and make your plans, to do this. Make a list of 100 reasons of why you are here on Earth and I promise you will start to find your "why"s.