Joe's Corner

Going to the Rock

Dear Friends,

Each year about this time, an old navy buddy of mine makes a pilgrimage to an isolated area on the pacific coast of California, near where he grew up. There he finds the same familiar vantagepoint, a huge, weathered stone formation overlooking the ocean. He calls this trek "going to the rock." He takes a sack lunch and just sits there for several hours---thinking. Starting with all the things he has to be thankful for, he reviews the year---both the successes and the failures. His definition of failure is simply not getting the result he was trying for---just another lesson to be learned until he gets it right. Mostly, he reaffirms the goals and values that give meaning to his life.

We have all heard about the importance of goal setting. Without a rock solid (pun intended) purpose for our life's work, setting goals is like building sandcastles. They are easily washed away by the storms of life that we all encounter.

My primary goal this month is to take time and "go to the rock" to explore and rediscover the purpose of my life. I believe that most of us are so busy making a living that we forget to work ON our lives. Only by living life "on purpose," rather than as it happens, can we achieve the physical, spiritual, and financial goals we set for ourselves.

My wish for you during this reflective time of year is to find the solitude to go to your "rock," wherever it may be and rediscover the purpose that gives meaning to your life. To quote my friend Todd Duncan, "Life is a journey; Mastery is the result; Purpose is the bridge."

With warmest regards,

Joe Brown