Are You Living a Life of Significance?
My heart bleeds when I see so many people NOT living a life
that is fulfilling; A life that leaves behind a positive legacy when they pass
on. Simply, there are many who are not living out their full potential; they
are settling for less than what they can do and be.
Therefore, let me ask you a question, what do these words
mean to you: vision, dreams, purpose,
success, achievement, legacy, passion, and significance? When was the last
time you meditated on such words for your own life? Personally, I never thought much about these
words until recently when I made a commitment to achieve something in my life.
At that point I was asked the question, what is your WHY?” That is to ask, “why
are you doing what you are doing?
Knowing your “Why” or
purpose in life is super important if we want to live fulfilled lives. John
Maxwell in his book Intentional Living
explains, “Humans are made to have meaning. Without purpose, life is
meaningless. A meaningless life is a life without hope or significance”(81).
Simply, when we have a purpose, dream, goal that fills us with passion it
empowers a person to live a life that will be significant, that will leave a
legacy. Also a strong “WHY” makes our way – the things we are doing now – meaningful
and gives clearer direction when we have to make decisions.
Hopefully you see now a little the
importance of knowing your “WHY” because when you know your “Why” it helps you make
decisions, find your way, and gives you the motivation to achieve your desire!
You may be asking a really good question now, how do I find my WHY? Ask
yourself these questions says Maxwell:
1. What do you cry about, what causes
you distress that you long you could change? He gives a personal example
saying, “my heart breaks when I see people falling short of who they could be”
(93).
2. The second question to ask: what makes you
sing? What puts a bounce in your step and makes you joyful?
3. And the last question, what do you
dream about? What do you want the picture of your life to look like. What do
you want us to remember you for when you are no longer around? What do you want
to accomplish?
It is interesting, in a survey, elderly people near the end
of their lives were asked if they had any regrets in their lives. They found
the majority of elderly struggle with a feeling of not having lived a fulfilled
life. They regretted greatly the things they did NOT do, rarely did any regret
the things they did do.
With that
said, I challenge everyone to stretch, to grow, to go higher in life and become
more, to maximize your potential, to do so you need to find your WHY your
purpose and passion that is within your dreams and go for it. Here is some
practical advice from Maxwell:
- Take out a pen and paper and take some time to write out and search out answers to these three questions:
- What do you cry about?
- What do you sing about?
- What do you dream about?
- Also, select one word that describes you. In this way you can focus on the single word or gift. “What the individual focuses on expands” (Maxwell, 102).
Figuring out
your WHY is a fun process. When you have your dream and your WHY it should fill
you with passion, energy, purpose and confidence: especially PASSION!
Make a difference, in the comments below by sharing with us what your WHY is today. Your ideas can really help others!
Make a difference, in the comments below by sharing with us what your WHY is today. Your ideas can really help others!
Closing Quote: “Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the
sense that we have figured out how to live so that lives matter, so that the world
will be at least a little bit different for out having passed through it”
(Rabbi Harold Kushner).
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