Several thoughts have been percolating in my mind over the past week or so. I’ve researched, written, thought, and even posted some of them through various means. I’ve asked anonymous questions of people close to me and considered their answers as part of this research. Strangers, however, can sometimes give the weirdest answers, and you have no idea of the context of their words.
What’s the question? What’s your why? Why do you exist? What’s your goal? Where are you headed? What is your life’s theme? Where do you want to end up? When you reach the end, can you look back at your history and be happy? Is the Why present with the Who you were at key living points?
Way too often, we are struck with a thought that comes out of the blue. Even from some inner dissatisfaction, “What’s My Purpose?” “Why do I exist?” Easily, we put the thought on a bookshelf and rocking chair our way into retirement with no satisfaction or answer.
What Do You Need to Define Your Why?
One person says you need a manifesto. It’s used to focus strictly on politics but seems to be used for terrorists, entrepreneurs, and business people. It’s a “public declaration of policy and aims.”… I suspect this could be used to give you a long-range projection. With that, you can perhaps gauge the ending from the beginning.
Someone says you need an overarching goal that drives you forward with focus.
Businesses often have a Mission Statement that defines a corporate view of why they exist. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation states, “We seek to unlock the possibility inside every individual.”
Right away, my Grammarly wants to change “possibility inside” to “possibility of”. Regardless. The thought is a good one!
If you use the Mission Statement as your guide to the future, perhaps everything will fall into this focus. Weeding out those things that are unimportant for your future keeps your focus.
Churches make use of Slogans that change to reflect the dynamics of their community challenges and changes. However, they should all have that single purpose that gives them the reason for existence! Just as every Christian should be able to describe their purpose in life!
Sum It Up…
You’ve heard the adage, “Do what you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life!“
Is your purpose in life wrapped up in what you do for a living? If that’s the case, why are so many dissatisfied with their career? Why do we all do what we do? For Money? Benefits? Retirement? You can either keep it up for 40 years or, hopefully, you find out what you’re not happy with and work on making your life more enjoyable!
It would be nice to know the answer to this question when we are much younger in life. Reality often shows that seldom happens. It seems the search for meaning often comes long after we begin our search. Often, we feel our life is wasted and unfulfilled, and we are replete with dissatisfaction.
God packed
you on purpose
for a purpose.
Lucado, Max. Cure for the Common Life (p. 14).
Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Read today, 11/21/17)
Each of us is so unique. Our skills, interests, abilities, talents…well, a long list. It’s like our DNA is so dynamically different from the person closest to us! We wonder how we ever get along with others!
Fulfillment
An unfulfilled life will make the days onerous and long, and it seems like you never find your stride. As I age, I learn, again, how unique my mind is. I realize that perhaps my world would have been better off had I understood this as a teen, you know, about the time you graduate high school! Our minds develop over time. You can either be happy with who you are or who you are meant to be.
"You can either bemoan that you found your calling too late in life or be thankful for the time remaining to be profitable at just the right time. Waste what time you do have? Or make the best of where you are right now! #Attitude… Click To TweetWhat Will You Say At The End?
The great Sir Isaac Newton reached the end of his life. His final words are recorded as,
“I don’t know what I may seem to the world. But as to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore and diverting myself now and then in finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than the ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”
Recently, I asked my mom about the words on my grandmother’s headstone. I figured it would be her quip in the face of every question asked of her, day in and day out. “I do well.” But it’s not that simple. Her view of life was focused on home. As in, “This world is not my home. I’m just a passing through…” So, her headstone says, “Gone Home“.
Solomon describes his search for meaning and sums up that everything done under the sun is vanity and vexation of spirit. (Ecclesiastes 1:9-14) The apostle Paul approaches the ending of his life and recounts his focus, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” (2 Timothy 4:7) and he is satisfied that he’s done everything called upon him to do from his walk with Christ. Jesus commends his spirit into the hands of the Father with his last breath. (Luke 23:46)
And according to Steve Jobs’ sister Mona, the Apple founder’s last words were,
“Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.” [Source]
Don’t you want to reach the end of your life and have something profound to say about who you’ve been and where you are going? Maybe that would be easier if you only answered, “What is my why?”
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