Four Categories Of People When It Comes To The Issue Of Purposeful Living

BEING WHAT ONLY YOU ARE BORN TO BE

Purposeful Living. No matter where you are in your life right now—whether you’re currently succeeding at the highest level of your callings or passion-driven endeavors, or you ’re struggling to find your way, there is at least one thing I know we have in common; we want to improve our lives, and ourselves. As human beings, we were born with the innate desire and drive to continuously grow and improve. Yet, most of us wake up every day doing things that do not develop the special abilities within us, and so life pretty much stays the same.

How much time do you think you have left and what do you think is the meaning of your existence at this stage of your life?

You are doing one of two things at this current stage in life:

1. You are either merely existing, greedily wasting life in pursuit of temporary comfort, prestige or a name that promises to bring you a sense of importance but has nothing to do with your inborn gift(s), abilities and passions, or…

2. You are walking the path of your genuine calling in life which involves daily selfless sacrifices, conscious efforts toward spiritual and mental growth, challenging periods of waiting, continuous learning and a walk of faith.

The common excuse is “I have the drive and I want to follow my call, but I do not have the money”. The truth is that you may not have everything you think you need, but I tell you, you have all you need to start living fully and effectively, because you have a life now, and all you ever need to start walking in your purpose is life itself.

You are not here to do everything, but you are here to do something. You are not meant to know or be appreciated by all people, but your potentials are meant to benefit some people within a particular geographical stretch. You are a limited resource; you are not here to be common because you are irreplaceable from the inside out and so am I. The most important decision we can make is to accept our unique abilities, see them as special and to be willing to develop and use them in service to the ones meant to benefit from our gifts.

Dr Hayward Thelma who was a mentor to Martin Luther King junior and Mahatma Gandhi, said “There is something in each and every one of you that waits and listens to the voice from deep within your heart and it will be perhaps the only real guide you will ever have and if you cannot hear it all of your life, your days will be spent on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.”

The big question is, are you following the leading and guidance of your inherent callings and putting your God-given abilities to use, or you are being controlled by the opinions of people and tossed by the ever-changing circumstances of life? Have you spent your years doing things you have no genuine connection with… doing wrong or even good things instead of the right thing?

Four categories of people when it comes to the issue of purposeful living:

1. Let’s call this group “Life Wasters”: This category consists of people who have not heard or seen anything in relation to the issue of meaningful living. They are completely ignorant: So they spend their days doing whatever they feel is fun… they waste their lives away, saying “let us have fun today for tomorrow we die”.

2. We can call this group “Seekers of Fleeting Comfort”: This category consists of people who have heard about and are aware of their special abilities… their life’s work or call, but are unwilling to pay the price- the discipline, intentional effort to learn, endurance and sacrifices required for purposeful living they choose to conform and live by the common standards of the masses.

3. “Uncourageous Hearts” is a tag befitting this group: This category consists of people who have acknowledged their special abilities and call but have allowed the seeming absence of needed resources to deter them from taking the needed step. They do not know that the supply is only tied to the bold step and not indecision. So they blame circumstances and everybody else, except themselves, for time wasted. They find themselves subject to the Law of Diminishing Intent, which says, “The longer you wait to do something you should do now, the greater the odds that you will never actually do it.”

4. “Keepers of the Flame” will be an appropriate name for this group of human beings: Last but not the least, is a group of people who have embraced their special potentials and are learning, sharing, believing and working daily on themselves as they walk the path that leads to lasting fulfillment. They walk the path less traveled. They endeavor against all odds, but with the help of God, to be what only they have been born to be.

Which of these groups do belong to?

We already have within us all that’s required to be what only we have been born to be.  But unfortunately, the average person has no higher purpose beyond merely surviving. Most people just focus on getting through the day, taking the path of least resistance, and pursuing short term, short-lived pleasures along the way, while avoiding any seeming pain or discomfort that might cause them to grow. Abraham Maslow said, “the story of the human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short”. How true!

What is your life’s work? What is it that gives your life a sense of meaning and purpose? Where have you been? Where are you now? And where do you intend to go? Are you making the right investment of your time and energy to ensure the full development of your call or are you selling yourself short, merely, for survival?

If you knew that you had just a month to live, what are some of the irrelevant thought, and deeds that you will desist from? Well… we do not have a month to live, not even a week or a day; only the present moment is assured. Author and professor Leo Buscaglia asserted, “Life lived for tomorrow will always be a day away from being realized.” You can… I can, and we must live fully, effectively and on purpose. It is the only way to truly live and not merely exist. When all is said and done, we must have the satisfaction and fulfillment that last beyond time and money. There is an unseen supply for me and you, but it will not become tangible until the soul to whom it is meant for, is ready to receive. Step up and decide today to live with intention and purpose. If you’re not already intentionally growing, you need to get started today.