Figuring Out Your Porpoise or is that Purpose?3 min read

Janine Bolon joins Maria T. Finch on the Mindcluck Podcast to discuss the story you tell yourself as a high achiever and entrepreneur

porpoiseartDuring one financial seminar I held for youth I was explaining the power of purpose and told the students that the best way to stay true to their goals was to have a three-dimensional object they could look at from time to time. This object could be anything as long as it reminded them of their purpose and would provide them with immediate visual remembrance of their reason for working hard in life.

After the lunch break I found a plain brown paper bag on the podium. I was a bit hesitant to open it since many of the kids in the room were trying hard to stifle giggles. I also had the fleeting impression that there might be something alive and slimy in the bag. I need not have worried. When I finally plunged my hand into the sack, I pulled it back to find this small stuffed Dolphin. My mind was totally filled with questions marks at this point. Finally, a sweet young voice called from the back of the room, “Mrs. Bolon, I just wanted to let you know that I found my porpoise!” All the kids laughed, and I joined them. All of us realized that a porpoise was a great three-dimensional object for helping to keep one’s own noble purpose clearly in mind. I was also tickled that everyone in the classroom had understood the importance of finding their own great purpose.

A year later another student approached me with his three-dimensional object. It had taken him a few months of hard thinking to pull together his purpose, and he wanted to show me what he had worked up. As he told me his plans for music and pulling together a band with a unique sound, he unveiled the picture he was carrying. It was a framed gold CD on a black velvet background. I was so proud that he had never given up on his dream. No matter that forming a band is hard. He had recognized that this was his dream, and also his purpose in life, and so he had chosen an object to give him a real target to shoot for … a solid gold album!

It doesn’t matter what three-dimensional object you choose to keep your purpose in mind, as long as it matters to you. Pick a good vivid object like a porpoise or a gold CD, and then each time you’re out and about you will be able to stop yourself when presented with a sudden impulse to spend money. You will automatically ask yourself whether or not the proposed purchase is really worth delaying your financial goals or your purpose in life. It will assist you in keeping your dreams in front of you.

In the face of all the marketing and temptation we have in our lives today, we need some positive reinforcement on why we are living frugally, why we save money and why we are whittling down our debt. We do it so we can live our dreams. So, make your dreams a reality by giving yourself a mental nudge by having a focal point for your goals.

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