This is a brief update from Coronado Beach in California, and a message that you can create any kind of life you want. I’ll have another update video coming soon after this exciting Youngevity Leadership Retreat.

(I reposted this from my new site at www.FreedomPassionPurpose.com … enjoy!)

This blog is entirely dedicated to help you create a life of Freedom, Passion, and Purpose… but what the hell does that mean?

The truth is … those words, those values, those principles … can mean something entirely different to each and every person. I encourage you to create your own definition of a life of Freedom, Passion, and Purpose and pursue it vigorously.

To get you started, I will give you my definitions…

Freedom

What is personal freedom? It’s living life on your own terms. Breaking away from the financial, religious, political, and cultural restrictions and limitations that hold us back from living our lives the way we truly desire. This includes financial freedom to walk away from the chains of bills and liabilities… but also from materialistic desires. This includes breaking out of the prisons of organized religious to pursue an individual and unique spiritual path. It can mean going against the grain culturally, rather than giving into society’s ever-changing values.

More importantly, it means tearing ourselves apart from the greatest prison of all: our ego. Let go of self-doubt and self-pity… let go of prejudice and judgment… let go of the need for recognition. Release the negative emotions which poison our lives. The thirst for competition. The hunger for revenge.

No force will imprison you so much as your own ego. The moment you let go of what other people think of you, you will feel immeasurably lighter… more free.

Living a life of Freedom means living life on your own terms.

Passion

While this is seemingly the most obvious, I find it the hardest to describe in words. Living a life of Passion means living your passion… doing what you love. Everyone has their own unique passion, their own gift to themselves and world. Some people are passionate about dogs. Others are passionate about marketing. I am extremely passionate about personal development, especially in youth. Others are passionate about wine!

Take advice from the section on Freedom here and let go of your ego and of what others may think. Look deep within yourself. Think of what you love. Discovering your passion is the greatest gift that you can give yourself and the world.

It will allow you to climb to heights that you cannot imagine without it. Most importantly, discovering and living your passion will allow you to live a life of happiness.

To me, living a life of Passion means to only pursue projects and goals which bring that special fire to my belly. Which drive me and excite me. Which energize me to dream and act upon that dream.

Living a life of passion means doing what you love and loving what you do. It means living with a fire in your belly. Always.

After being boxed in for a lifetime, it can be difficult to find your true passion… fortunately there are many exercises out there which you can do to help you discover your passion. I will have many of them available on this blog soon for you.

Purpose

In a society driven by largely by egotistical and materialistic ambitions, this is unfortunately one of the most overlooked principles in designing our lives.

Living a life of Purpose is to live beyond ourselves. Find a purpose – a cause, a mission. Something that we can contribute in our time on Earth. The key here is that our mission must be a cause… something outside ourselves, greater than ourselves, whether it be the environment, humanity, God, animals…

To some, a Life of Purpose may mean to save the environment by creating oil independent countries. To others it can be as simple as raising a good family and bringing up children with unique gifts and goals.

After some deep introspection, meditation, and some exercises out of Robert Staub’s book 7 Acts of Courage, I have discovered and decided that my purpose is to empower others to improve their own lives and the world. And this is what I hope to do here with this blog, while simultaneously living my passion and working towards financial freedom.

Decide For Yourself

Take some time with yourself in deep introspection. Think of what each of these principles means to you…

What does living a life of Freedom mean to you?

What does living a life of Passion mean to you?

What does living a life of Purpose mean to you?

Once you come up with your definitions. Think deeper: What is my passion? What is my purpose? How can I create the life I envision?

I look forward to hearing your story… please feel free to share your meanings and your vision in the comments below. You never know, you just might inspire someone to change their life.

Today I was inspired to share a framed piece of paper that sits in front of my desk, that I read daily for personal inspiration … it helps me focus on my purpose and throw aside all the day’s distractions.

A good friend and business partner, Allan Edwards, gave me this almost a year ago. With the rest of our core team, we signed the Resolutions together…

Here it is:

Unstoppable Resolutions

• I am devoted to my purpose.
• I am following my heart’s passion.
• I believe in myself and my ideas.
• I am preparing daily for the fulfillment of my dream.
• I am building a team for support and to ask for help.
• When obstacles come, I seek creative solutions.
• No matter how long it takes, or how difficult the task may be, I will persevere until I achieve my purpose.

I am unstoppable!

X_____________________ Date________________

Copy and paste this page and print it out for yourself. Read it daily in your pursuit of a life of purpose.

Last week, I had the chance to spend a week at the home of a great leader (Robert E. Staub II) in business, spirituality, and family. The following post is a summary of one of his exercises from his book entitled The 7 Acts of Courage, and focuses on helping you develop a personal vision by which to live your life.

Define Your Personal Vision

• List your goals and aspirations on paper.
• Find an underlying theme running through your list. Summarize this theme in two sentences. Take note of how you feel about these sentences.
• Arrange the two sentences into a vision statement that speaks to your heart even more than to your head. Make sure it captures how you would like to experience your life, how you would like to relate to others, and what you would like to achieve. Take note of the feelings your statement evokes.
• Read it in front of a mirror looking yourself in the eyes, noticing your feelings and observing any doubts. Believe in the importance of your vision, even if your mind says it can’t be realized. Consciously choose your vision: Say to yourself, “I choose this vision. I choose to believe in it, in spite of any doubts.”
• Share this vision with your loved ones, and ask for their support.

Consciously Focusing on Your Vision

• Write your vision statement on several index cards. Post them in highly visible places, such as your refrigerator, car visor, bathroom mirror, desk, inside your planner, etc … be sure to carry one with your inside your purse, wallet, or pocket.
• Repeat your vision statement to yourself first thing in the morning, last thing before bed, and many times throughout the day. Remind yourself about what you most desire and your aspirations.
• Find opportunities to discuss your vision with others. Notice your interaction with others; consciously watch what actions bring you closer to your vision, and which may be working against the realization of your vision.

After diligently doing this exercise, I came to my own personal vision statement:

“I am creating a life of freedom, passion, and purpose. My purpose is to empower others to improve their own lives and the world. I trust myself and live with joy.”

This personal vision statement, dear to my heart, will also be the primary focus of my blog, teachings, and business philosophy moving forward.

I encourage you to develop your own unique Personal Vision Statement that calls to your heart and mind. If you need any guidance in the process, please do not hesitate to contact me.

To learn more about Robert E. Staub’s works, visit him at www.StaubLeadership.com

To get your copy of The 7 Acts of Courage: Bold Leadership for a Wholehearted Life…

Watch this video and apply what you learn. Get introspective, then take action. Watch it several times if you have to … and you can completely shift your emotional state, which will transmute into the other energies of your life.

Hope you enjoyed this! I have watched it many times, but only recently did it have such an impact on me.

I’d like to start by saying that the Boot Camp Training this past weekend in San Diego, CA was nothing less that extraordinary. There was no hype, no BS … just straight training from some of the top leaders in network marketing. I will spend the next several blog entries summarizing my notes from this life changing weekend, and hopefully you can take advantage of this information in building your business…

My first post is about failure… Why? Because most people fail or quit. Not only in network marketing, but in any pursuit of any challenge or significance. Understanding WHY people fail in network marketing can help you and your team avoid these pitfalls and turn them into Reasons People Succeed. Follow along…

The 5 Reasons People FAIL in Network Marketing (Truth: They don’t really FAIL, they QUIT)

1. Never Fully Commit: If you aren’t fully committed to success in your business, you are automatically headed for failure. Develop a vision of where you want to go and commit 100% to that vision. Know where you’re starting and know where you’re going.

2. Never Fully Plug In: If you don’t think getting on the conference calls, webinars, and local training events is vitally important, think again. You are on the road to failure.  Get your conference call schedule; plug in. Get yourself to the next local event. Start a local event if you have none. Call your upline frequently. Plug into personal development.

3. Spend Time with the Wrong People: The Most Frustrating Path to Failure.

Two main groups of people…

a.) Those IN your business: Whiners vs. Winners … whiners will always find a problem to whine about: the products, the website, their negative uncle, the prices, etc, etc. If you want to fail from frustration, spend your time listening to whiners. If you want to achieve your WHY, spend your time helping the Winners.

b.) Those NOT IN your business: Cynics vs. Seekers … Cynics will tell your business is a pyramid scheme, that you’ll never make it, nobody makes money in these things, etc, etc. Seekers will ASK you questions: Is this like a pyramid scheme? How do I make money? – ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS!

If you spend your time convincing cynics, you will quit from sheer exhaustion. If you spend your time educating seekers, you will build a successful organization.

4. Focus on Problems and Obstacles Rather than the Vision they are Creating: There will always be problems and obstacles. Always, in anything worth doing. If you focus on them, they grow; if you focus on your Vision, IT grows.

5. Don’t Play The Game for All Four Quarters: If you Don’t Play the Whole Game, You Have No Chance of Winning… Here’s the Key: Your 4th Quarter Starts at the Beginning of Your 3rd Year. If you haven’t reached the 4th Quarter yet, Don’t be surprised if you haven’t Won yet. If you are past your 4th Quarter, reevaluate the last 4 Reasons and Play Hard Into Overtime! And drop those Heavy EXCUSES holding you back!

If these are the reasons people FAIL, how do they SUCCEED? Simple…

1. Never Fully Commit: Commit Yourself to your Vision and Purpose

2. Never Fully Plug In: Plug into all company events and conference calls. Plug into personal development.

3. Spend Time with the Wrong RIGHT People: The Funnest Way To Success

Two main groups of people…

a.) Those IN your business: Whiners vs. Winners

b.) Those NOT IN your business: Cynics vs. Seekers

4. Focus on Problems and Obstacles Rather than the Vision You are Creating

5. Don’t Play The Game for All Four Quarters: If you Don’t Play the Whole Game, You Have No Chance of Winning… Here’s the Key: Your 4th Quarter Starts at the Beginning of Your 3rd Year. If you haven’t reached the 4th Quarter yet, Don’t be surprised if you haven’t won yet. If you are past your 4th Quarter, reevaluate the last 4 Reasons and Play Hard Into Overtime! And drop those heavy EXCUSES holding you back!

As you read these 5 Reasons, think long and hard about your own success or failure. Evaluate yourself, your attitude, and your business behaviors. Are you fully committed? Fully plugged in? Spending time with the RIGHT people? Focusing on Your Vision? Have you Played your 4th Quarter yet with 4 Yeses to the 1st 4 Questions?

Drop those Heavy EXCUSES you’re lumping around and see how much lighter you feel. See you at the top!

Yours In Pursuit of Freedom,

Dmitriy Kozlov

Credit: The Fundamentals Training (the basic 5 reasons) came from the notes I took on Curtis Broome’s training. Curtis has been an extremely successful distributor in network marketing, having earned millions of dollars in commissions, and has played significant executive roles in companies. He is now a sought-after industry trainer, speaker, and consultant. Curtis consults for DrinkACT with his Partner Lisa Grossman.