From time to time you may find you have drifted far from your Life Purpose. Sometimes life knocks you for a loop and you find yourself so far off the Purposeful Path that you may feel lost and alone. When this happens, you may find the regular daily practices, ponderings and prayers insufficient to restore you to a course true to your purpose. When this happens to me I have a Purposeful Place in reserve. This is a special place that I have designated especially for those occasions where I can't seem to restore myself completely without a little extra effort.

The name of my place is Jump Off Rock. It is a beautiful mountain setting with amazing views where on a clear day you can see for hundreds of miles that take in three different states. I find it to be a very nurturing and spiritual place. It even has several walking trials with winding paths through the mountain laurels and rhododendrons that populate the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. I find myself going there on some occasions just for the pure joy of it. At the same time, the most special times are when I really need to get closer to God.

I think part of the reason this Purposeful Place is so effective in restoring me to a Life on Purpose is because I have set it up that way. I have made a pledge to myself that if I need to go there to restore myself, I will not leave the mountain until I have accomplished my intention.

Luckily, so far I have not had to spend the night at Jump Off Rock. Usually within an hour or less, I am able to get back in touch with who I really am. I have had a good long talk with God, I have released the fear and self-doubt that may have been shaping my experience of life and I can enjoy the ride back home.

I encourage you to designate your own Purposeful Place, and keep it in reserve for those occasions when you have been knocked off purpose and need some further assistance in restoring yourself.

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.