Are you clear on where you are going and what you are trying to achieve? In your family? In your relationships? In your finances? In your department? In your company? Without a clear purpose, our efforts become hap hazard. Life seems to be a daily grind of being reactive. We don’t seem to have control. So what can we do? Spend a few minutes this week and write down some things you want to happen in each area of your life and then begin the process of working on obtaining those results in each area.
John Maxwell reminds us why it is so important to live everyday with purpose.
A purpose will motivate you.
A purpose will keep your priorities straight.
A purpose will develop your potential.
A purpose will give you power to live in the present.
A purpose will help you evaluate your progress.
A term I have used for years is ”It is not real if it is not written.” Let’s begin to bring what “could be” into existence. Spend some time this week clarifying your WHY! It will change everything.
A few years back, about the time the economy stalled and many people including myself were displaced from the working stream, I had injured my back and my shoulder simultaneously, lost my job, house, and cars, & children went to live with others, as I could not provide a home for them immediately. As a man provider for my family, I became depressed and lost my direction and purpose. The loss of a job removed my constant feeling of being needed for work, customers were no longer calling, friends were no longer calling, and I was overwhelmed with a constant quiet Vs constant ringing of my phone and text messages and e mails, my mind and body went into a culture shock. Physically suppressed with injury and mentally depressed with culture shock I made my way through major back surgery and shoulder surgery and taking medications that increased my sense of depression.
It wasn’t until I took a trip with my wife that we had saved enough money to visit my brother in Fl., and we spent a week with him and his wife, that during walks through the day, that he and I would talk and he listened to what I was experiencing and quite readily stated, “You have to find another purpose”! At first I didn’t get it, and it took several walks before he hit the nail on the head, my purpose of being needed was gone, it had evaporated with the loss of a job, the loss of mobility, and the loss of my communication device and number change. I needed to feel needed and needed to find a job.
I could not locate a job, same as millions of people who were now out of work with the economic stall. I found myself getting creative with my minor in entrepreneurism I delved into creating my own job. They say when one door closes another door opens. This taught me that my inner peace is within me, not external or from physical things, it was my innate need to serve others successfully!
I have since been able to re engineer my purpose by adjusting with the business flow and structure like a rubic cube, able to change my operational combinations to fit what is needed to keep the business flowing and recreate my personal purpose!
Great in-site for Mr. Maxwell as he has hit the nail on the head with this one! Thanks for sharing as it has created some great lessons I have learned and revere!
Inspiring John. Praying for you and your family.