As a shorthand and effective way of referring to the condition-
ing our parents gave us, we use the phrase “inherited purpose.”
(Thanks to teacher Brad Swift for acquainting us with this
phrase.) Inherited purpose is a good way to describe parental
conditioning because the conditioning is much, much more than
mere ideas. If you memorize Hamlet’s “To Be or Not to Be”
speech or the names of the first 40 presidents of the United
States, you have done nothing more than fill your mind with
ideas that have no effect on your behavior.
In contrast, this inherited purpose serves as an internal map—a
guide for where you are, what things mean, and where you should
be going. Unfortunately, the map is very much out of date because
it was constructed as children. Today you have far more freedom,
resources, and responsibilities than you did when you made the
map. Imagine trying to find your way around a growing city, such as
Atlanta or Dallas, using a map from the 1980s or earlier. You would
be lost much of the time, experiencing undue frustration and de-
lay. A similar result occurs from using the inherited purpose to
guide your adult life.
Your inherited purpose is dynamic, because it guides your val-
ues and behavior. Inherited purpose forms the basis for how your
mind filters information, the generalizations, distortions, and
deletions that we discussed in Chapter 4. Your inherited purpose
forms your basic ideas about yourself, the world around you, and
your power. The things your parents taught you about money also
affect your opinions about yourself and your outlook on life.
Childhood conditioning affects you whether you chose to con-
form or rebel. The important question is whether the values, mo-
tivation, and behavior derived from your inherited purpose move
you closer to or farther from earning the income you want from
work you love.
There are three possibilities about this inherited purpose:- You are one of those very rare people who inherited a noble
purpose from your parents. This noble purpose includes
earning the income you want doing work you love, and you
are doing that now. Congratulations to you. Use this book to
expand your contribution. (Incidentally, we haven’t met any-
one like this.) - You have discarded an inherited purpose that did not serve
you. By doing this you have made the transition to earning
76 Your Recovery from a Good Upbringing