Life Purpose lesson learned at Graduation Party

I went to a graduation party Saturday night. Great time honoring a great gal who has worked very hard. While sitting in the back yard eating blackberry cobbler I commented on how nice the yard looked to the hostess. She agreed and then shared a great insight.

The hostess shared how she had grown use to the disrepair and how little things had become common and normal. How she looked right past them and they never caught her attention. It was the little things that seemed to have stopped life around the yard. Once she took notice and began to move forward with the little issues of the yard things began to change. Today the house is freshly painted, the yard is a island of peace and beauty.

My friend continued with how the same is true inwardly. She talked about how it is the small things that stop spiritual growth and living life to the fullest. I alway love listening to people as they share their insights with passion. I sat there for a few minutes and listened with delight.

Are the little things in your life stopping forward progress in you finding your life purpose? How you become comfortable with the internal disrepair and peeling paint of your spiritual or emotional life? Have you given up and settled for status quo when you could be enjoying a inner life of peace and beauty?

Stop! Look inside! Are there weeds choking out the fruit of the Spirit? What one thing little thing could you do that would start the process of change?

Don’t run off to another blog until you have sat and considered my questions and have formulated a plan. I know you want one so that the time, another cup of coffee and find one thing to do different today.

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To succeed at your purpose add Respect

Often when looking at our life purpose we put the emphasis on MY purpose. Every purpose includes others if not centering on others. When you make your like purpose all about yourself you set yourself up for an empty victory. There is no purpose within yourself.

You and I are made to live in community with others and the role of leader is best lived out through serving others. Leaders can fall into the trap of thinking that they are important. That when they are successful others will be successful. In reality, you are successful when those you lead are success. Their success is what makes you successful.

Where does respect come in to this discussion? Respect is captured in the time tested Golden Rule. Do onto others as you would have them do to you. Respect is getting into the shoes of others and anticipating their feelings and needs and then acting accordingly. Respects is assigning value to others, not for what they can do for you, but because as a person they have intrinsic value. Respect is a verb. It is about what you do when you interact with others.

Now let me wrap this together. When you put people as the target of your life purpose and treat them with respect you will find success. Success in not found in money, toys or vacation homes but in making others successful. That starts with anticipating how others will be affected by your words or actions. Adapting your choices to make them successful and then carrying out those choices.

Are you giving others respect? Today, as you go through your day be intentional about giving others respect. If you do, you will be a success story when you go to bed tonight. Now go be a success!

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Don't lose out on your purpose.

Roy: "Ok, I'll fill in the blanks next time."

First of all I want to say Thank You to all the Veterans and the family of those who gave their lives for our freedom. Today is Memorial Day in the USA and it is the day to remember the sacrifice of those who served and those that died. Again, Thank You!!!

Last Saturday I ran my first 5k run/walk. A friend, named Roy, also ran it. It was his first 5k also. In filling out the reg. form Roy did not put his age. He left that space blank. After the race we were all looking at the number and someone noticed that  Roy was 3rd. in his age category in time. Yet, someone else go the 3rd. place slot in the published results. Why? Because Roy left the space blank.

Like a lighting flash the thought raced through my mind, how many times do I miss something important, something that would be meaningful, something that I was created for because I left a space empty. I did not fill in the blank.

Maybe I was too busy. Or I thought it does not matter, I’ll never need that space filled in. Perhaps I don’t like following the rules or didn’t take time to even notice there was a space to fill. Whatever the reason how many times have I missed something important because I left the space empty?

Placing 3rd. in your first 5k is not a life changing event. Problem is you never know which event will be life changing or which event could be life changing for someone else. Blanks don’t always matter, but sometimes they do. My problem is I don’t know ahead of time which is which.

Moral of the story: Fill in the blanks.

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