After reflecting for some time on what of a personal nature did I want to share this week, I finally came to a bit of a quandary I'm working through and what I'm learning in the process.

It's about Katrina and actually much more. The happenings with Katrina and the incredible amount of media coverage is just one 'right in my face' example of a bigger issue which is "How do I balance the contrast -- the fear/lack/struggling type energy -- with the desire to not be like an ostrich with my head stuck in the sand?"

I have found that I can pretty effectively shelter myself from most of what's happening in the world without a great deal of efforts. After all, I live in a quiet rural community in the mountains of North Carolina, and unless I turn the TV on or go searching on the internet, a lot of stuff that's happening in the world doesn't come onto my radar screen.

And if I'm being brutally honest with myself, I not only like it that way, I've designed my life to be that way. As I told one of my clients this week, I live where I live because I find it conducive to my living true to my purpose. It's easy to be of service from here. It's easy to live a simple life, and it's one of the most spiritually serene places in the world.

Could I live true to my purpose in South Central L. A. or downtown Manhattan? Sure! Least I think I could but I do know it would take a lot more effort. And yet the dilemma I see is that my life purpose isn't just about me. It includes YOU, and you and the rest of the world.

So what's the solution? So far what I've found works best for me is to find a balance -- a happy middle of the road. When the Twin Towers fell on September 11 I was stuck to the TV screen for days, to the point that I felt like an airline had crashed into me. Too much contrast.

This time I've tried to be more mindful of what I watch and how much. I watched some of Oprah's show which I found saddening yet with a note of hope and encouragement. But even there, I took smaller doses of it.

And while I try to stay abreast of what's happening without being swept away by the drama, I continue to ask myself what can I do that's consistent with my life purpose? One thing I've realized from that is that where I live has many summer homes that remain vacant for much of the year, especially from September through May.

Not sure what to do with that that would be most effective but for starters I'm going to write a letter to the local paper -- an opt-ed -- suggesting a grass roots movement starting to help connect the homeless people from Katrina with the empty homes we have in this area. If anything comes of this, I'll let you know.

That's it for me. Brad Swift still living in the Paradise Found of Flat Rock NC.

2005 Brad Swift of Life On Purpose Institute, Inc. This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and this resource box are included.

Brad Swift

As a writer, I've written well over 300 magazine articles for a diverse assortment of magazines including Omni, Entrepreneur, New Age Journal, Yoga Journal, Utne Reader, Unity Magazine, Better Homes and Garden, Modern Maturity, and many others. I'm also a regular contributor to Veterinary Economics. (Yes, I still have a special place in my heart for animals.) My books include, WINNING THROUGH COACHING: Building Your Business Through Building Your Team and TRAVELING THE PURPOSEFUL PATH ? 6 Passages to an Inspired Life on Purpose.

As a public speaker, I lead programs on life purpose that are customized to fit such diverse groups as churches, spiritual centers, civic and professional organizations. The principles of these programs are also available in the 12-week teleclass, Living the Fulfilled Life. From these programs participants bring more focus to their life, experience a renewed sense of fulfillment, and lighten up and have more fun. Out of this focus, fulfillment, and fun emerges an ability to maintain balance in their life and a deeper appreciation for living.

One of my all time favorite ways of expressing my purpose is as a life purpose coach. I find the intimacy and creativity of one-on-one coaching to be a breathtaking experience. The select group of people who are my clients are very special to me, and with them I am constantly creating new facets of life purpose coaching that are then incorpoated into the other programs.

In short, the focus of my life is life purpose. From living on purpose, I've been blessed with an extraordinary life in which I am satisfied and fulfilled. My wife, Ann, and I share our redwood chalet home in the "Paradise Found" of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with our daughter, Amber, and a menagerie of purposeful and playful pets.

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