Some time ago as I was rebuilding my life after traveling through the darkest nights of my life, I found a copy of a book that helped turn everything around for me. The book contained simple, yet powerful principles that resonated with me like never before. Who was the author of the book? The author of the book was–ME. I had written the book 20 years prior, and now I was reading it through different eyes as though it were the first time. It was a surreal experience. Twenty-Two year old Coz had discovered immutable laws and principles to build a life on. That original work launched my speaking and training career. I shared the platform with many of the best known professional speakers of the day and spread that message to audiences from around the world. But when I was young it was easy for me to talk about those principles because they were all theory at that time. I believed they were true for me. Something has changed since then–ME. I have experienced real-life lessons that have taught me that these principles are not just theory but they are absolute truths for me.

I now know these principles are true if I choose to live in harmony with them. Back in the day I was seeking “success and achievement.” To some degree, I had achieved “success,” but I didn’t hold on to it. I made choices that took me off course. As I re-read my own book twenty years later seven principles emerged that whispered as true for me. I took 100% responsibility to again live in harmony with these principles. Now, it didn’t happen overnight. It took time, but I was able to dig myself out of the hole that I had dug. I rebuilt my life one day at a time. Everything changed when I did. During my dark nights of the soul “success” wasn’t even a thought. I just wanted to feel some hope that there was a glimpse of a brighter day. Hope, that’s what I needed to survive. I had it once before. I have had everything, a beautiful wife and two amazing children, great friends, a comfortable life and a lot of hope. But I lost everything which, includes that hope. The combination of some bad choices, my intense battle with depression, and zero hope had led to catastrophic, overwhelming circumstances. I experimented with all of the “stuff” I had believed in over the years. I let go of the “success” doctrine since it had proven to be temporary and fleeting for me. Plus, I had seen so many of the gurus of success come and go.

On Monday, August 11th, 2014 those seven authentic sources of hope were ratified deep within my soul. Upon hearing the news of Robin William’s apparent suicide, I set out feeling called to share my story and spread this message so others wouldn’t die all alone and helpless. The seven principles that allowed the seeds of hope to grow within me are: purpose, faith, love, forgiveness, courage, gratitude, and persistence.

I invite you to just experiment with these principles as I have done. I make no guarantees about their outcomes. I can only ask you to try to incorporate them into your life and see for yourself what the results can be.

Let us let’s focus on the first principle: purpose. I heard it once said that if I didn’t know what my purpose in life was, that needed to become my major definite purpose–to find my major definite purpose. Sounds kind of confusing doesn’t it. I believe the starting point of hope is to recognize that when we become purposeful, everything follows from there. It is not enough to just say here is my purpose or my mission. If you don’t honestly believe, with feeling, that who you are and what you do is meaningful and matters then the seed of hope will not grow. The belief of purpose is where it all begins or ends. Do you believe there is a purpose worth getting out of bed for each day? Do you believe you are capable of being your authentic self? Purpose is having a reason.

On May 25th, 1961, President John F. Kennedy said, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth.” This statement became the purpose for the American people. Eight years later on July 20, 1969, that mission was fulfilled by the hands of Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins, and Buzz Aldrin, crew members of the Apollo 11 Mission. As an ever lasting legacy of hope and peace, they left a message on the surface of the moon, “Here men from the planet earth first set foot upon the moon, July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind.”

Millions of people around our world stood in awe as Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon said, “One small step for man. One giant leap for mankind.”

The emotions ran high at NASA where thousands of men and women had poured out their individual and collective souls to make the Apollo 11 Mission a reality. Americans who believed in the purpose of the mission felt something that day in July of 1969 when a purpose was fulfilled.

For those eight years preceding man landing on the moon and returning safely to earth, there was incredible focus and concentration of efforts. There was no question in the hearts and minds of everyone involved in the Apollo 11 Mission of exactly what their purpose was. Let’s put the power of purpose to work in your life. What is your “moon?” What is it that you can focus on single-mindedly to be? What is your reason for finding your moon? How would your life be different if you were focused on discovering and landing on your own moon? We can accomplish any what, if we just have a big enough reason “why.” What is your purpose? What reasons compel you to do what you do? What could you become that would change your little corner of the world? What would you need to start believing to become this person? How would these new beliefs change everything for you?

I have no idea what your purpose is, or might be. You don’t need to feel pressured to figure it out today. I believe we do have the answers for each one of our own lives, but we are so busy and so distracted to ever slow down enough to allow the answers to flow through us. We also don’t get the answers we seek because we fail to ask ourselves powerful questions and then be comfortable in the silence as we listen for  the answers to flow through us.

In part two of this post, I will share with you how you can ask yourself more powerful questions to discover your own personal moon and how to chart your own flight path to get you there.