Copyright © 2008-2017 Timothy A. Kelley. All rights reserved. “True Purpose” is a registered trademark of the True Purpose Institute. Revised August 29, 2017.

As a change agent, upgrading your inner game is of paramount importance. Most change agents are drawn to workshops, trainings, and reading transformational books. This is because you are the instrument by which change occurs! As you transform and grow, your capacity to change the world increases, too. There are many ways to grow and develop, and many schools of thought on how to do so. Here is a simple, powerful way of viewing the different methods. Any path will work, if you devote yourself to it with sufficient commitment and persistence. Note that many practices are shared by these paths; what distinguishes them is the intent of the practices. The distinction between the paths is based on the individual path’s relationship to two concepts: the ego and trusted sources. Understanding these concepts is key to understanding the paths.

The Ego The “ego” is the sum of an individual’s conscious thoughts, feelings, memories and bodily sensations. “Ego” is Latin for “I”, and that is exactly what it means: the individual sense of self. Other names for this aspect of the psyche include “persona,” “personality,” “conscious,” or “self” (with a small “s”). The ego’s role in the psyche is to fulfill individual needs (e.g. survival, safety, relationship, esteem, and self-actualization). This includes maintaining a sense of individual identity. Some traditions work to expand and empower the ego; others seek to diminish its influence or eradicate it altogether.

Trusted Sources A “trusted source” is a source of deeper wisdom, something that knows an individual’s higher purpose. In order for something to qualify as a trusted source, the ego must believe in the existence of the trusted source and believe that it is possible to communicate with it. The ego may perceive the trusted source as internal (e.g. my soul, my spirit, my Higher Self, my intuition) or external (e.g. God, the Universe, Spirit, guardian angel, dead relative). Trusted sources are focused primarily on the growth and development of the individual. Some traditions ignore trusted sources; others use them as an integral part of the path. The four paths are defined in terms of their relationship to the ego and to trusted sources. Do they empower the ego or seek to remove it? Do they practice communication with and devotion to a trusted source or do they ignore it? As you read each path, notice your reaction to and relationship with it. Have you practiced

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this path in the past? Are you practicing it currently? Do you feel called to it or intrigued by it? Is it a good fit for you or not?

The Path of Power Attitude: Desire and commitment Relationships: High ego, low trusted source Purpose: Chosen by the ego Archetype: Sovereign Shadow: Megalomaniac In this path, the ego operates solo, without any direct relationship to a trusted source. The natural desires of the ego are converted into goals, and the individual pursues those goals with as much skill and commitment as possible. Essential to this path is taking stock of the results the ego achieves in its attempts. This is how the process typically works: Set goals.

1. Create a plan to achieve them. 2. Execute the plan. 3. Assess the results: What worked? What didn’t? 4. Modify behavior, train, learn and grow. 5. Revise or recommit to goals (or set new ones) and repeat the process.

The feedback that reality provides in response to the ego’s attempts is the source of continuous growth and development. Therefore, it is essential in this process that the ego interprets whatever happens around it as the RESULTS OF ITS OWN CHOICES AND BEHAVIOR. This very high degree of accountability can be daunting; it is what prevents many people from fully engaging in this path. In this path, if the ego desires to use a higher purpose to increase meaning and success and life, it simply chooses one. In the absence of a trusted source, the purpose must be determined by the ego. In a sense, it is a higher form of goal. Examples of the Path of Power

• Military leadership training • The Landmark Forum • Most high-functioning business enterprises • Internet marketing, direct selling and multi-level marketing • Tony Robbins • T. Harv Eker • The Secret

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• Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter • The 4-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss

Over time, persistent practice in this path causes the ego to transform and evolve. People who achieve mastery in the path of power often become mature, serene and philanthropic. They are difficult to “rattle” and display excellent judgment, even under great stress. Such people radiate self-confidence and often charisma as well. Masters of the martial arts, retired U.S. Navy SEALs, and captains of industry turned philanthropist often display these traits from a lifetime on the Path of Power. When this path is executed poorly, all the attention paid to personal power and desire can result in self-absorbed obsession with power and control. In this state, no amount of success is enough. The individual can lose touch with his or her impact on others and operate without compassion.

The Path of Presence Attitude: Non-attachment and focus on the present moment Relationships: Low ego, low trusted source Purpose: Usually determined by the specific version of the path being used Archetype: Buddha (or bodhisattva) Shadow: Detached Victim When the ego pursues years of devoted spiritual practice, this, too, transforms it. In this path, rather than empowering the ego, the goal is to reduce and dissolve its influence. The din of the ego is gradually quieted by focused attention practices, such as meditation, prayer and chanting. Often, there is some devotion to a trusted source integrated into the path, but the focus is on spiritual practices. An actual connection to a trusted source is not required. Examples of the Path of Presence

• Buddhism • Eckhart Tolle • Diamond Heart • Yoga

Individuals who have spent years on this path are able to remain fully present for long periods of time and lose the psychological reactivity common in most people. They can be warm, spontaneous, funny and irreverent. Some display extraordinary abilities of perception and intuition.

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Followers of this path usually don’t have a unique individual purpose. Leaders who teach this path often specify a purpose which is held in common by all those who subscribe to that particular version of the path. Typical purposes include “to release attachment to all desires,” “to achieve enlightenment,” “to be fully present in every moment,” or “to help all beings to achieve enlightenment.” When this path goes awry, it can result in a state of passive detachment, in which the individual displays a lack of interest in people and events. This can be accompanied by efforts to appear more enlightened than others, or by an unwillingness to engage in life, set goals or take actions that require considerable effort. This is the image (but not the reality) of the non-attachment to which seekers on this path aspire.

The Path of Piety Attitude: Devotion and surrender Relationships: Low ego, high trusted source Purpose: Given by the trusted source Archetype: Saint or Prophet Shadow: Passive Slave While this path often involves contemplative practices, its heart is the surrender of the ego’s will in favor of the larger will of a trusted source (or in some cases, a human representative or symbol of that trusted source). This can be done with or without a direct connection to the trusted source. If there is no direct connection to the trusted source, its will is usually determined by studying sacred texts, interpreting signs, or consulting spiritual leaders (e.g. priest, minister, imam, rabbi, guru). This path is most often practiced within a religious context, though not exclusively. Most religions are “big tents” that include many people, most of whom are not engaged with deep devotion. The “party line,” though, is usually some form of the Path of Piety. Within each religious tradition, there are groups living this path. Examples of the Path of Piety

• Islam (especially Sufism) • Christianity (especially religious orders and evangelical congregations) • Judaism (especially the Hassidim and kollel) • Hinduism (especially the elderly who retire to live in the temple) • Baha’i • Guru-led communities

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Many people who are not drawn to religious institutions and teachings engage in this path on their own, following strongly held personal beliefs. They are often less visible to the outside world, as their practices and beliefs are a private matter. Their desire to surrender to their version of divine will is their guide. Though not required, a connection to a trusted source is extremely helpful in this path. If the ego can communicate directly with a trusted source, it is not dependent on the fallible guidance of other humans or its own potentially erroneous interpretations of signs and sacred texts. The more direct the communication the better; conversations in words are much more effective than vague feelings of intuition and guidance. The combination of devotional practices and the continual efforts to surrender individual will have a transformational effect on the ego. Decades spent on this path usually produce people who display great faith and take the ups and downs of life in stride. The power of devotion seems to radiate from such people, like nearly visible light. They often guide and support others through the toughest of circumstances. When a connection to a trusted source is present, a person on this path may speak powerfully and inspiringly on its behalf. In this path, when a higher purpose is used, it is given (directly or indirectly) to the ego by a trusted source. In the absence of a direct connection to a trusted source, it may be given to the ego by a religious practitioner, as in the “patriarchal blessing” ritual of the Mormon Church. When this path goes bad, the surrender to divine will can become a passive (sometimes resentful) submission, denying personal accountability for choices and actions, and ceding all power and responsibility to the trusted source. Such people can be simultaneously self-righteous and ineffectual, waiting for the trusted source to manage everything to the conclusion they desire. In the case of spiritual leaders who go to the shadow of this path, it looks similar to the shadow of the Path of Partnership: behaving as if they have exclusive rights to the truth and have been “deputized by God,” treating their personal opinions and desires as if they represent the will and authority of the trusted source. Claims of infallibility are the surest sign that the shadow of this path is in play!

The Path of Partnership Attitude: Agent of larger forces Relationships: High ego, high trusted source Purpose: Given by the trusted source

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Archetype: Avatar Shadow: Self-righteous Messiah This appears to be a recently developed path. Many traditional spiritual, religious and psychological paths argue that the ego is bad and should submit itself to the will of a trusted source or disappear altogether. When the ego is empowered, as in the Path of Power, it is usually done while ignoring trusted sources. There are few examples of traditions in which both the ego and trusted sources are fully honored. In this approach, the ego develops a direct connection to a trusted source (a requirement in this path). It then uses this connection to gather information and advice, in order to understand the best way to proceed. Armed with this information, the ego then makes decisions, ideally finding a way both to follow the trusted source’s advice and simultaneously to pursue its self-interest. Those who follow the Path of Piety often work with a very small set of potential trusted sources defined by their religious beliefs. In contrast, people who walk the Path of Partnership may use much broader definitions of what constitutes a trusted source, including completely non-spiritual sources (such as aspects of their psyche that have the capacity to provide guidance about their purpose and path). Repeated consultations with trusted sources and balancing of purpose- and ego-based considerations have a transformational effect on the ego. The trusted source typically advises spiritual practices, and the act of consulting the trusted source is a spiritual practice in itself. Purposeful goals stretch the ego’s abilities in much the same way as the path of power, and sometimes more so. This is because the trusted source often holds a higher vision for the ego’s growth, capabilities and potential impact than the ego holds for itself. Examples of the Path of Partnership

• The True Purpose® Institute and the True Purpose® Community • Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch • Jason Schulman and a Society of Souls

Once people have been on this path for several years, they begin to experience themselves as agents acting on behalf of larger forces. In this state, people are capable of producing extraordinary results. Synchronicity and seemingly magical occurrences are common while manifesting one’s purpose in partnership with a trusted source. This focus on higher purpose aligns the ego with the trusted source, while at the same time greatly expanding its capacity for manifestation.

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In this path, a higher purpose is typically given to the ego by a trusted source. Different from the Path of Piety, though, in this case the ego is free to accept or reject that purpose. Ideally, this results in a higher degree of “ownership” of the purpose by the ego. In the shadow version of this path, people may become convinced that their awareness of purpose and connection to a trusted source makes them better than others. In its extreme, this can lead to self-righteous domination of others, deluded in the belief that information from trusted sources gives them additional authority or makes them infallible.

Now that you have learned about all four paths, ask yourself these questions. You should be able to detect easily both the paths you have followed in the past and the

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one you desire to follow in the future. Choose the one that you believe will work best for you and go for it! The world will be better off as a result of your growth and development.

“Which of these paths have I practiced in my life?” “How did it go? Did they produce the results I sought?” “Which path is the best ‘fit’ for me and my beliefs?” “Which path do I desire to follow? Which one intrigues and inspires me?”

If you are drawn to the Path of Partnership or the Path of Piety, the ability to communicate directly in words with a trusted source can be an essential tool on your path. If you would like a better connection, the True Purpose® Institute can help you to develop one!