In the July 2004 Newsletter:
Are you hot enough? / Practical Pointers / 7th Prosperity Practice

Summer is hot, hot, hot — are you?

Are you keeping your fire burning for your passionate purpose? Here’s how. Once you have found and committed to your passionate purpose, the next stage of the process is to pursue it while keeping your fire burning. Passion is the fuel for the persistent pursuit. Sustaining this kind of effort requires development and implementation of a focused plan — saying NO to many things in order to say YES to this purpose.

Easier said than done. But it can be achieved for both companies and individuals. Boulder Rotary, one of my non-profit clients, successfully used the “Pursuit of Passionate Purpose” approach to inspire its leadership and direct its annual planning process.

On an individual level, I found that finishing my “Pursuit of Passionate Purpose” manuscript on time within the publisher’s aggressive schedule required disciplined focus. For seven months I said NO to many things — consulting, speaking, traveling, and personal demands — in order to say YES to the book.

With the support of my family and friends, I sequestered myself in a “writing haven” and lived away from home for 5 days a week. Not only was there a sense of progress, but the one-pointedness deepened my passion which further fueled the pursuit.

Consider this ancient wisdom:

“My first lesson as a Buddhist monk was that passion in an activity does not have to be related to the activity. You can generate passion from inside, with one-pointedness.”
          Shinzen Young, mindfulness meditation teacher

Practical Pointers

• Produce. Create a written plan. Shorter is better.
• Focus. Stay focused on your plan by saying YES only to priorities.
• Remember. Identify times when you said NO in the past. This is tangible evidence that you have what it takes.
• Meditate. Try contemplation to strengthen your ability to focus.

7th Practice of Prosperity

The 7th Practice of Prosperity states: develop and focus on implementing a plan by persistently involving people in partnership, resources, and communication.

Recall that over the year in monthly installments, this newsletter is highlighting each of the 12 Practices of Prosperity described in my presentations, consulting, coaching, products, and forthcoming book on Pursuit of Passionate Purpose. What do I mean by prosperity? All that you want in work and life — real rewards of meaning, satisfaction, results, financial gain, and more.

Life is Short. Begin Now

Don’t just wish for a prosperous 2004. TAKE ACTION! Pursue your passionate purpose with focused determination. Let Technology and Management Solutions, the catalyst for your extraordinary results, help you.

Saying NO in order to say YES to passionate purpose,
Theresa M. Szczurek, Ph.D.
CEO, entrepreneur, and author

P.S. Pass it on. Feel free to share this newsletter with your colleagues.