What does Finding your Aim mean?

We all have abilities and skills. The problem is, for many of us, our careers have nothing to do with our strengths or passions. Our jobs are just what we do to make money. We all spend a lot of our life working. The best hours of the week are given to our careers.  We often hear the phrase “do what you love”. How many of us can really say they are doing this?  Can you ever really love your job? We all try to choose careers that suit our skills and desires. But once we are done with the education and training, the actual job is often far away from what we hoped for. Sometimes it is the job we hoped for, but we outgrow it. We realize we have more to offer. Unfortunately, we can’t all define our jobs. Despite the fact that we may have skills beyond our job definition, our employers often don’t allow us to grow beyond our bounds. So many of us work for money, pensions, healthcare, and survival.

Doug and Kids

Finding your aim means being able to do things that fully express your talents and passions. It means doing something  that allows you to express yourself and your abilities in a way that that allows for a meaningful change in the world. It means discovering a way to be passionate about other people rather than a paycheck. Finding your aim means learning the best way for you to help mankind rather than just helping yourself. The only path I know to satisfaction and happiness is by helping others. Going for the buck is certainly a popular goal, but not a real path to happiness.

If you don’t feel as though your job is important or meaningful, maybe it's time for some kind of change. Finding your aim does not mean you have to quit your job or radically change your life. It could be that the best way to achieve it is to write a book on the side or start a blog. Perhaps you should start a second business or find a position in your company to transfer to.  Maybe it's as simple as volunteering your time. Possibly you really should quit your job and start over. The truth is, there is not one answer for everyone. 

I have to admit, there is nothing wrong with working just for money. Maybe you hate your job but use the money to fund your dream business or help your children find their own aim. You might be miserable, but that money-making job might be just the ticket to allow you to realize your dreams. So don't quit your day job just yet.  I suppose there are even some who make lots of money and are satisfied with that formula.  If that’s you, then more power to you. I doubt you need to read this blog.

I feel differently. My time on this planet is short. I want to make a difference that will be felt even after I leave. For me, having an effect on others is all that matters.  I have tried to accomplish this with my own children and my clients.  Yet, I feel I have the potential for even more. I am not looking for retirement or a lottery win. I want to be able to look back with pride at my experiences and the people I helped, rather than my bank account.

If you are interested in this journey yourself, then the following articles here might help you.

Doug’s adventures in finding his aim:

I found happiness once - For about 2 years I was completely happy. In 1998 I had constructed a life that made me happy every single day.  

How to lose all your money in the stock market - I got my wake-up call sooner than the rest of Wall Street. .  In an instant, my call options plummeted. In a day I went from being fabulously wealthy back to just having some assets. 

How learning not to want stuff led to real wealth - In 2002 I sold all my stuff. Within 3 years, I had more money in my bank account that I ever thought possible. 

How my success almost killed me-  In 2005, I purchased a failing medical practice.  What I did not know was that this purchase would almost result in my own death.

How I built then destroyed a home care agency - Last year I created a private duty home care agency called Windward Home Care. By the end of the year, closed. 

My failed Coffee Company -  In 2005, I started a coffee business called Lanikai Coffee Company. 

My perfect moment - I was standing before two absolutely gorgeous  naked girls. And, in the next few minutes, something would happen that would make me seem very much like James Bond incarnate. 

How I survived buying the house from hell. -  A home in Hawaii had just been purchased. It turned out to be the home from hell, full of ghoulish nightmares and hidden dark secrets. It nearly killed me. 

Someone to watch over you    -There are lots of things we encounter on the path of life. I was lucky enough to have a person in my life, early on, who helped me sidestep those blockades. 

What Finding your aim means:

Have you met your Aim?I had a very odd experience with an Irish woman who called herself Mrs. Quirk.  

 Finding Your Aim   I am an expert on myself. I am an expert on the reasons  I have not met my aim. I am an expert on the steps I am taking to find it.

What is life for?   Are we are all just killing our time until we leave. I guess I always find his concept depressing. Is that all there is? 

What is finding your aim -   The way I view life is that what you pass on to your children and other people is much more valuable than how much you have or what you yourself have done.

How you can find your aim: 

7 things you can do to find your aim - Ignore the noise.
The shotgun method to finding your aim    An approach to starting new ideas.

Don't be fooled by randomness -  a client told me how he had made millions selling banking software in china and the middle east.  This guy is fooled by the randomness.

Be a contrarian   If I saw a thousand people running in panic, in the same direction, my instinct would be to run in the opposite direction.   

How a survival story about Auschwitz saved my life. -   As I sat there, he told me  how he and his wife survived Auschwitz. 

4 things that stop us from realizing our aim. -   The question is, why haven’t I been able to find that thing? Why can’t we find our aim?

Finding certainty in uncertainty  . Certainty is a fickle bitch.   Can you reached the state of nirvana that certainty offers? 

People who have found their aim:

What a famous movie director taught me about finding your aim - “All my life, there was just one thing that I wanted to do. I wanted to do this more than anything else in the world. And now, I am doing it. And it's killing me. I spend hours hunched over a chair watching editing. I spend tense hours in a directors chair telling people what to do. Yelling at people on a phone. You have no idea how much stress I have doing what I love.”

7 lessons from my grandmother  I had a very unusual Grandmother.  She told lots of stories including my favorite, how she made millions in real estate.

Casey Neistat has found his bliss.  Casey Neistat make very original, quirky movies. I have to say I became a huge fan. 

How Spalding Gray saved my life He was known for his dry wit, narrative monologues, and his "quiet mania." His worked saved my life