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Brad Swift Articles

Written by: Brad Swift

How to Use Contrast to Enhance Your Life - Click To Read Article
In my work as a Life On Purpose Coach many of my clients often experience times of "extreme contrast". These times can be very difficult and challenging and may have actually been what led them to seek out my services. So, let's look at how we can use contrast to actually enhance our lives. Contrast is defined in the dictionary as 'to compare or appraise in respect to differences.' Now we can either use this contrast to be right and make others wrong -- which we often do -- or we can use it to further distinguish what we want in our life, who we are committed to being, etc. by looking at what we don't want -- the contrast -- and allow it to point us to what we do want.

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast - Click To Read Article
He stood, gripping the sides of the counter, his fingers white knuckled from the strain. I'd seen my boss, Mr. Burke, stand there countless times before, studying the inventory, looking for just the right item for the customer, but I'd never seen him like this; his face and neck a livid red, his neck muscles strained, beads of sweat on a brow that only moments before had been dry. I heard Allison, his assistant whisper, "Go get Mrs. Burke." Someone scampered away, relieved to escape the tense scene. I stood there frozen, uncertain what was happening, even more uncertain what to do. After all, I was just part-time help, spending a few summer months between college semesters learning about the real world of business.

10 Steps to Simplying Your Life - Click To Read Article
Perhaps you woke up one morning to realize the old joke is true: "Even if you finish the rat race in first, you're still a rat." Or maybe, the thought crept in more slowly, wedging itself into your consciousness while sitting in the five o'clock traffic jam as you commute home. However it appeared, you now realize it's time for a change to a simpler way of life. But how do you start? These 10 steps will provide you with guidance to propel you along the path. 1. The 1st step may be the easiest for many people because by the time you're reading this it may already have been accomplished. That is making up your heart and mind that it's time to simplify, even better if the decision has moved to the level of being committed. If not, don't worry. It's quite possible to test the waters of simple living before diving in.

Digging Yourself Out Of A Deep Hole Of Fear, Lack and Struggle - Click To Read Article
Purposeful Point: No matter how deep a hole of fear, lack and struggle we find ourselves in; it is possible to return to our true purpose. Here are a few ways to bring our lives back on purpose. It can happen to the best of us. We're cruising along in our lives having a merry old time of living true to our life purpose where our thoughts, decisions and actions are consistent with our vision for what's possible, our core values, and even with the essence of our very soul, when suddenly we hit a bump in the road. Some of those bumps can be huge and can send us into a deep hole of fear, lack and struggle.

A Legacy of a Life On Purpose - Click To Read Article
As long as I can remember, I’ve yearned to make a difference in people’s lives, and thanks to the grace of God I’ve had ample opportunities, first as a small animal veterinarian for 15 years and for the past 15 years as a life coach, speaker, writer, and founder of Life On Purpose Institute. I don’t believe there’s anything I’ve done in these various professional capacities that’s been any more rewarding or difference-making than taking an active role in raising my daughter, Amber, with my wife, Ann. And with Amber all the other various threads have come together as a beautiful tapestry of life.

The Power of an Impossible Mission - Click To Read Article
I was sitting on one of the park bench at the top of Little Glassy Mountain at Connemara, Carl Sandburg's former home, when it hit me. I'd been reading excerpts from Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich and Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones, and was pleasantly surprised to find a connection between Hill's "definiteness of purpose" and Goldberg's essay on the power of our obsessions.

The Wet Blankets of Profitability and Practicality - Click To Read Article
I recently had a coaching session with a client who's been a bit stuck in his life, even though he's become clear of his life purpose. He realizes that it's time to create a powerful purpose project that will inspire him forward in his life but can't quite get it in gear. He even knows what the project could be but he keeps stopping himself because he can't figure out how to make the project profitable or practical. For me, considering these two 'Ps' too early in the creative process is the kiss of death. It's like placing two wet, soggy blankets over top of your kindling and wood and then not being able to figure out why you can't get the fire started.

The Land Of Purposeful Paradoxes - The Birthplace Of Your Divinely Inspired Life Purpose - Click To Read Article
Paradox is defined as something that appears to contradict itself, two statements that say opposite things and yet are both true. Something that seems to contradict itself and when heard together form a Truth. If there is such a thing as Truth in the cosmos, one of the most interesting places to find truth is in a paradox because like we said in our definition of a paradox, a paradox contains multiple truths. We as humans tend to want to see things as either/or, black or white. We are often uncomfortable with two things being true. We tend to want things one-way or the other. Do you have a FAVORITE paradox? Here are a few examples: "The more you learn, the less you know." Or "The more things change, the more they stay the same".... Or one of my personal favorites from Charles Dickens: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times".

What We Can Do to Transform our World On Purpose - Click To Read Article
I recently read an interview of Marianne Williamson as she discussed her new book, The Gift of Change. During the interview she talked about the happenings around 9/11 and that we had an opportunity to engage in an authentic inquiry into such questions as, "Why do these people hate us?" Unfortunately, instead, we then turned away from the inquiry and chose a path of fear instead. But perhaps it's not too late to engage in the inquiry again. As I started to do this for myself what came up was quite interesting.

The Vehicle Of Your Soul - Click To Read Article
I love the clients I work with. They are so committed to making a difference in the world. Many of them are like high performance racing cars. They speed around the track of life at breath-taking speeds. Unfortunately, many of them have refused to make a pit stop or take a break between races and their bodies, the vehicles of their soul, show sign of severe wear and tear, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Just like it's necessary to take our cars into the shop for servicing, it's important that we stop driving ourselves with our to-do lists long enough to reflect on old habits and attitudes that can rob us of our joy and can lead to serious breakdowns.

Powerful Coaching Distinction: Working In Vs. Working On Your Life - Click To Read Article
Having been a professional coach for over 16 years, and having been in over a dozen coaching relationships as a client during that time, I’ve had the opportunity to examine what makes coaching so powerful and effective. It’s my personal view that one of the most beneficial tools that can enhance a client’s life is coaching distinctions. You can think of a coaching distinction like a lens through which you look at life, and in the process life shows up differently. For example, when my mechanic, Dale, looks under the hood of my car he sees a whole different world than I do. I see mostly dirt and oil and maybe the oil dip stick and radiator cap. But because Dale has many more ‘engine distinctions’ he’s the one I’m going to call on if my car won’t start in the morning. In short, the more distinctions we have AND USE, the more powerful...

Spirituality - The Hub of Our Daily Life - Click To Read Article
"It is just as if a king sent you to the country to carry out a specific task. If you go and accomplish a hundred other tasks, but do not perform that particular task, then it is as though you performed nothing at all. So, everyone comes into this world for a particular task, and that is their purpose. If they do not perform it, then they will have done nothing." Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273) mystical poet of Islam. What is the task that the mystical poet, Rumi, is suggesting? What is it that we must fulfill or our lives will have been a waste of time?

Living In The Gap Of Possibility And Purpose: Part 1 - Click To Read Article
Creating a GAP in our lives can be one of the most life enhancing processes we ever do. The Olympic athlete does it when he or she 'goes for the gold.' The young teenager does it when he or she commits to the career of their dreams rather than settling for mediocrity. And you and I can do it when we clarify what our life on purpose will look and be like.

Living In The Gap Of Possibility And Purpose: Part 2 - Click To Read Article
Strange as it may seem, determining where we presently are in our life can be more of a challenge than we may at first think. For starters, in today's hectic pace, many people simply don't feel they have the time to make such a determination. While it may sound like a good idea, it's a little like the old saying, "It's hard to remember your plan was to drain the swamp when you're up to your tail in alligators." So, while many of us can end up devoting more time to planning our next vacation than planning our life, it's important to reserve some quality time to 'work on our life' rather than just get caught up in the hectic pace of 'doing, doing, doing.'

Living In The Gap Of Possibility And Purpose: Part 3 - Click To Read Article
Perhaps the Bible says it best -- "Without vision the people perish." But what is vision? In working with thousands of people over the last 16 years as a coach, I've found that vision is a key ingredient of our life purpose. It's what we see to be possible, not only for ourselves, but for our families, our communities, indeed for the world. Without it we perish. I've found helping people reawaken their sense of what's possible so important that it's a key component of preparing for the journey along the Purposeful Path because the more someone taps into this realm of possibility the more inspired they will be to take the actions necessary to make it their current reality.

Building A Practice On Purpose Series Part #4 Identifying the Fear-based Culture of Your Business - Click To Read Article
In the personal life coaching I do as a Life On Purpose Coach I work with my clients to help them uncover their Inherited Purpose. This is the fear, lack, struggling to survive-based force that shapes people's lives especially whenever we feel threatened which for most people is quite often in today's times. One way to think of a business is that it's a group of people who have come together for a common cause or purpose. For a veterinary practice that is generally to offer services to pets and their owners. So, it makes sense that when a group of people come together that their individual Inherited Purposes also come together to form a fear-based culture of business.

Building a Practice On Purpose Series Part #2 - When Life Purpose is About More than What You Do - Click To Read Article
In interviewing literally thousands of people through the last 10 years and asking them, "What do you think a life purpose is?" I found that a high percentage of the responses had a common theme to them which was: "A life purpose is what I'm here to DO while I'm alive."

10 Steps to Inner Happiness - Click To Read Article
I find it interesting that although the United States is considered by many to be the most prosperous country in the world and the most prosperous society in history, so many of us are unhappy. It has also been my observation that an increasing number of us are awakening to this fact, and are searching for ways to be happier. Perhaps by taking some of the following suggestions to heart and putting them into action, you will move a few steps further down the road to inner happiness.

The Basic Elements of an Empowering and Enduring Life Purpose - Click To Read Article
Many elements could contribute to the creation of a powerful, long lasting, and flexible life purpose. In my work with hundreds of individuals and thousands of people in groups, I have found the following three elements to be most effective: • Vision: What is the vision or possibility you see for the world? • Values: What are the core values you stand for and are willing to give your life for? • Being: Who are you? What can people count on from you? Life purpose is more about who you are than what you do. Remember, we’re called human beings, not human doings.

Sneaking Up On Commitment - Click To Read Article
Forever can be a long time. For many of us the idea of committing to something forever can be very intimidating and bring us a lot of fear in recognition of our past failures. This was certainly the case when my wife and I first met. One of my fondest early recollections of Ann was during a workshop on Prosperity Money when we first met. One of our assignments was to list 100 things we wanted to do, be or have. Ann was sharing with one of the participants in the hallway prior to our workshop. I overheard her say that on her list were two items: a committed relationship and a romantic relationship. As a way to enter into the conversation I asked her why those were 2 separate items. Wasn't it possible to have a committed and a romantic relationship as one?

Stuck in the Middle... of Insanity? - Click To Read Article
You've probably heard the modern day definition of insanity, right? It's doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. Well, let's look at this more deeply by applying the Life On Purpose Perspective with it. Recently, I've been working with the challenge many people who come to Life On Purpose seem to have -- drifting through life. I sometime think of it as the "Groundhog Day Syndrome" because one day seems pretty much like the repeat of the previous days. I find many of my clients who are adrift in their life are much like a cork drifting around in the water, being buffeted in one direction or another by the "currents of circumstances."

Stressed Out? Purposefully & Playfully Pivot through the Holidays - Click To Read Article
“Deck the halls with boughs of holly-- Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la. 'Tis the season to be....stressed and overwhelmed - What? That’s not how the song goes. Maybe not, but it sure is how the season seems to go for so many folks. Do you become stressed and overwhelmed during the holidays? Maybe you become confused and befuddled, perhaps to the point you’re frozen in your life - like a deer in the headlights. If so, here's a simple and effective tool that will help -- the Interim Purpose Pivot. You can use it every day, even several times a day whenever you’re feeling off purpose, or as to use a technical coaching term, feeling icky.

The Typical Ways We Often Make Decisions - Click To Read Article
Decisions, Decisions - Making Them On Purpose Decisions, decisions...choices, choices. Everywhere you turn these days there's another one waiting to be made. But how? In a world of so many options and possibilities, what do we use to help us make the "right" decisions and choices? Do we draw straws? Flip a coin? Throw a dart at a list of choices to be made? Sure, why not? Won't those methods work? Well, actually, yes, any of these 'random ways' of choosing can work IF we add in a couple of other things. Recently in a phone coaching session with two of my clients, we made a list of some of the typical ways people make decisions including...

"We May be Poor but..." - Click To Read Article
It started off so innocently which made the contrast that much more painful. We were kidding around as our family often does at night. Ann had offered to make chocolate chip cookies -- favorites of Amber and mine. Then we discovered we were out of chocolate chips. It was close to 9 pm and I wasn't excited about going out, so Ann suggested we make oatmeal cookies, then we realized we were also out of cranberries. In the midst of all this she said, "This is how poor people live..." or something to that effect. That's it -- 6 words that felt to me like a 250 pound thug had struck me in my solar plexus.

The Tremendous Life-Shaping Power of Vision - Click To Read Article
Vision is an integral part of a Life on Purpose. Without vision we can wither on the vine. What is vision? In working as a coach with thousands of people, I've found that vision is a key ingredient of our life purpose. It's what we see to be possible-not only for ourselves, but also for our families, our communities, and indeed for the world. Without it we perish. I've found that helping people reawaken their sense of what's possible is a key component of preparing for your journey to living your life according to your own personal life purpose. This is because the more someone taps into this realm of possibility, the more inspired they will be to take the actions necessary to make it their reality.

It's What You Don't Say that Runs the Show - Click To Read Article
I learned so much from my first life and business coach; lessons that I'm still using today in both my business and in my life as well as with my own coaching clients, some 20-plus years later. Now that's lasting value. (Thanks Judy B.) One of the most valuable lessons revolving around communication was the principle -- "It's what you don't say that runs the show." To say it a bit more accurately, it's those things we feel like we can't say for fear that we'll get into trouble with the other person that end up shaping the relationship and often in ways that ultimately are unhealthy for everyone involved.

Playing the Big R Game - Click To Read Article
What is one of people's greatest fears -- the fear of dying? Of public speaking? Spiders? The I.R.S.? Sure, many people share these fears, but the one I'd like to explore today I believe is larger than all of these put together. It's the fear of REJECTION -- the Big R. And while a lot of people in sales struggle to overcome this fear every day, no one is immune. Let's face it, one of our greatest desires is to be accepted and loved. And often times, being rejected feels like the exact opposite. So, how might we overcome this innate fear of rejection? How about a little 'purposeful play' to lighten the load. Here's a game I created over twenty years ago that served me well then and with a little modification, a number of other times.

Are You Suffering Unnecessarily? - Click To Read Article
"Life means suffering." Truth #1 of the 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism I've been pondering about the amount of suffering there is in the world these days. Perhaps my awareness has been heightened by these turbulent times, coupled with an increase sense of compassion that has grown in me with the years. I realize that, as Buddha said, that there is suffering in life, but it seems to me that it's useful to look at it as either 'necessary suffering' or 'unnecessary suffering.' Of course, this is a somewhat artificial distinction but it still seems a useful distinction to make.

Arising from the Ashes of Professional Burnout - Click To Read Article
Even though I had wanted to be a veterinarian since I was 7-years old, after 12 years in practice, I found myself at the point I didn't know if I could stand another day in the office. I was frustrated, tired and worn out by the constant stresses of practice that included staffing headaches, client turnover, and financial strains. On top of it all, the stresses at work were having a profoundly negative influence on my personal life. I felt disjointed and disconnected from those I most cared about. My life was out of balance and nearly out of control. The pain of burnout became so bad that I started abusing alcohol and drugs in an effort to numb myself so I could make it through another day. I even contemplated suicide...

Blueprint for Building a Business On Purpose - Click To Read Article
Have you ever seen a skyscraper being built? If so, you know that for the first several weeks or months, very little appears to be happening, at least above ground. That's because the initial work is focused on building a solid foundation. The higher the skyscraper is designed to be, the more solid the foundation needs to be to support all those stories. The foundation of a Business On Purpose is what I refer to as "Clarity of Purpose...

Freeing Ourselves From a Downward Spiral - Click To Read Article
Some people call them vicious circles or cycles. I prefer to think of them as downward spirals of life. I’m referring to those periods that we can all become trapped in like the whirlpool of water as it drains from the tub. If we're not careful and mindful these downward spirals can suck the life right out of us. They’re like the Spiral of Fulfillment in reverse. When we find ourselves trapped in such a downward spiral we life can look and feel pretty bleak. Here are a few simple and effective steps you can use to free yourself of such life draining periods.

What are the Upsides of This Major Downturn? - Click To Read Article
Well, we've all heard plenty about the major down turn that we're in the midst of. The news media is having a real hay day with it all. Unemployment continues to rise, home foreclosures are everywhere, and no one seems to know quite what to do about it all. But let's take a step back and look at this from a different perspective. Let's say for the moment that we live in a universe where there are no accidents. I know that can be a bit of a challenge in its own right, especially when it looks like there's been a major accident on the universal freeway, but I don't think so. I think it's more likely that we've been paid a visit from the Universal UPS Truck.

Is there a Place for Destiny in Your Life? - Click To Read Article
I recently read an article online that asked the question, "Where will you be in 25 years?" then invited me to first consider where I was 25 years ago as an way of introducing the role of destiny in our lives. I found the exercise interesting and worthwhile so I thought I'd share it with you. Where were you 25 years ago in 1983? Me, I was 35 years old. I'd graduated from veterinary college 9 years previously, and I had purchased my own veterinary clinic (a former out patient clinic of a larger hospital) for the rip roaring price of one dollar, which was about all the savings I had at the time. The rest of the purchase price, if memory serves some $26,000 was financed at the local bank. Not long after, the loan that started at 12% shot up to 19%.

The Universe is Calling - Will You Heed the Call? - Click To Read Article
"The soul is like a wild animal -- tough, resilient, savvy, self-sufficient, and yet exceedingly shy." Parker J. Palmer from Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation In our last issue I made a distinction between one's life purpose and a calling or vocation. As you may recall the Life On Purpose Perspective offers that your life purpose is more about who you are as a spiritual being and what you came here to this life to be and to experience, while a calling or a vocation often has more to do with what you choose or are lead to do as an expression of your purpose. Of course, on one hand anything that you do in life can be enhanced when it's 'poured' into the context of your life purpose. For example, several years ago with Life On Purpose Institute was just getting of

All is In Divine Order Even When it Doesn't Look Like It - Click To Read Article
All is in Divine Order and working perfectly even when it doesn't at first glance look like it. "Take this economic crisis -- while it may not match our preferences for how we'd like it to be, it's the perfect outcome to expect when you have a small number of ego-centric people hungry for power and run by greed making the decisions and policies while everyone else casts a blind eye of ignorance and complacency." Brad Swift from meditation While participating in John Randolph Price's 40 Day Prosperity Plan that includes meditating each day and then journaling, the above statement flowed from my pen. Upon reflecting on it later, it felt true and worthy of expanding upon.

The Power of C - Click To Read Article
The following distinction may challenge your beliefs and stretch your ability to try things on, but I believe if you make the effort you will find this to be one of the most powerful tools for living on purpose. Remember, these coaching distinctions are intended to stretch your mind and consciousness into new ways of thinking and relating to reality that will ultimately enhance your life and give you a deeper sense of purpose and prosperity. So, try this basic premise on: You’ve never created anything in your life!

I'm Dying -- But Not to Worry - Click To Read Article
What a way to start off an article -- "I'm dying but not to worry." Well, it's because as I approach my 60th Birthday I have noticed a new relationship evolving to life and to death. It started when I heard this past week that Dom DeLuise had died at the age of 75, and for the first time, I counted up the difference between his age and mine. And even though I'm not the greatest at math, it only took me a few minutes to figure out the difference was only 15 years.

Quit Trying to Change Your Life - Click To Read Article
Several weeks ago I received the following message from one of our readers. My heart went out to this troubled soul who wrote: "I've come to the point that I believe in nothing, my self esteem is in the gutter, and I don't know what to do with the rest of my life. changing careers and going back to school just seems too daunting. I need the line of work that I'm in to pay the mortgage even though I think I'd rather be doing something else." So I wrote back: "My heart goes out to you. It really does.

Life Isn't FAIR! - Click To Read Article
Purposeful Pondering Question for Today: Are You Living a Grace Filled Life? A few years ago, my daughter, Amber, went through her 'that's not fair' phase. Seemed like every time I turned around I heard her say, "but that's not fair." Didn't seem to matter much what the 'that' was she was talking about, life just seemed to be unfair all the way around. Have you ever thought that way -- that life just isn't fair. Well, I want you to know that you're right. Life isn't fair. It's actually rigged in YOUR FAVOR. That's right.

Money & the Meaning of Life (Part 1) - Click To Read Article
"Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is God's." Jesus - (Matthew 22:21) For several months now I've known that what's next in my own personal journey along the Purposeful Path is to delve more deeply into my relationship with money and finance. I've said it several ways -- to have a breakthrough, a transformation, to create a new relationship with money -- one that is more empowering and that gives me access to greater freedom and power in this important part of the physical/material world.

Money & the Meaning of Life (Part 2) - Click To Read Article
"Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is God's." Jesus - (Matthew 22:21) In part one of this 2 part series, we examined the two worlds in which we live -- the physical/material world where money is king, and the metaphysical/spiritual world where Divine Spirit rules. Today, let's explore how we might bring these two worlds together in a way, through challenging, can lead us to an inspiring life on purpose.





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