Good day to you all, and welcome to Leisure Lane. I hope you are experiencing well-being spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
Well-being is determined by many factors, but an important one, I think, is the ability to not only know your purpose, but to be able to live it. In my October 30th post, I said, “life just needs a reset every so often – taking stock in what we’ve been eating, thinking, feeling, and filling our lives with. Are we fulfilling our purpose? If not, why not? What can we do to ensure we live our lives in the joyful and meaningful way we were designed for?” And we are meant to live life joyfully and meaningfully.
These are important questions to ask ourselves. Now, some of you may be living your life’s purpose, so you understand how much healthier and well-rounded you feel in doing so. Perhaps, you wake every morning with a smile on your face, knowing that you are about to embark on another day’s adventure of making a difference in your life and the lives’ of others. And at night when you get into bed, you fall asleep more easily with the contentment that comes from knowing you did what you are here to do – you used your talents and your resources to the best of your ability and made the world a better place. But, there are many people who are not experiencing the joy of fulfillment because they either don’t know their purpose (yet), or they do know their purpose, but are not able to live it out consistently. And I believe, consistency is key.
Not knowing ones purpose can be quite frustrating. I believe that the biggest clue to finding out what you are meant to do in life has to do with your talents: what comes most naturally to you? what is the thing, or things, you love doing so much that while you’re doing it you have to remind yourself to eat? What is the thing you feel so much joy in doing that it resembles prayer? These are clues to your talents – your passions – and they are very connected to your life’s purpose. If you don’t know the answers to these questions, then take some time with a pad and pen in hand and think about it. You have the answer in you – you only need to bring it to the surface. “Oh, well, Marianne, I don’t have any talents.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that from people over the years. Of course you do! Everyone has a talent in something. Talent is not defined by the arts alone. That’s a common misinterpretation of the word – one I’ve heard over and over. Let me give you an example most people would not associate with the word talent. Waitressing. Now before all of you waitresses out there send me comments with overtones of disdain, let me continue. Waitressing in a diner is a talent, if you love serving people in that capacity. I’ve heard waitresses say they love their work! Now, when I hear that, I’m thinking inside, “Really?!!” I mean, I’m happy they love their jobs, but I’m thinking that because I can’t imagine loving a job like that because that’s not what I’m wired to do (And I’ve done it, too, so I know!). But a waitress who loves her job loves it because that is the way she enjoys ministering to and communicating with others; she gets to affect people in a positive way with her smile, her positive attitude, her desire to serve them a cup of coffee, or a cold drink and a meal after a long journey – and she’s good at it – her talent! And, there are many other reasons she/he may love that profession.
Once, when I was waitressing, I had the early morning shift behind the counter. A man came in for a cup of coffee. I greeted him with a friendly smile and “good morning” and served him his order. When he was getting ready to leave, he told me his mood that morning was very bad, but after seeing my smile, it made him feel better. Now, that’s wonderful! Truly! And some may think that should be enough for me to stick it out as a waitress, but I’m not designed for a job like that long term, because it doesn’t fulfill me on any other level – it’s not my soul’s purpose. And that leads us to another misconception by many. Should our soul’s purpose fulfill us and bring us joy, as well? YES!! Absolutely! No question about it! To think otherwise, is ignorant of life and certainly of God, but that’s another topic.
So, how do we get to where we are actually knowing, living, enjoying, and serving others with our life’s purpose. This leads us back to the statement I quoted earlier from a former post. “life just needs a reset every so often – taking stock in what we’ve been eating, thinking, feeling, and filling our lives with. Are we fulfilling our purpose? If not, why not? What can we do to ensure we live our lives in the joyful and meaningful way we were designed for?” If you aren’t sure what your life’s purpose is, or you do know, but are having a hard time figuring out the next step to living it out, then perhaps it’s time for a reset in your life. Eating right, moderate exercise, and a daily spiritual connection with God are important ingredients in determining how we think and feel about ourselves and others – about life, itself. If we’re not putting nutritional things in our body, our mind, or our spirits an imbalance will definitely occur. Stress will increase, our thinking and decision making will become cloudy, confused, and unproductive. And if we’re already under a significant amount of stress that will lead to a breakdown in every area. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues (the flow) of life.” The original word for “heart” means the mind – thoughts, feelings, emotions. It’s your thoughts that determine your emotions and those determine your actions, as well as determining your health – both mentally and physically. Your thoughts are physical things and will physically change your brain in a negative or positive way – and that will, in turn, affect the well-being of your body.
The bottom line is this…if you love what you’re doing on a daily basis, then you will be happier, and those around you will be happier. You will make a more positive impact on the world immediately around you, which will cause an impact on the world farther from you. Let’s face it, you spend the majority of your week at work – whether it be a job outside of your home or inside your home – and if your job is literally sucking the life out of you with continual stress, anxiety, fear, or emotional numbness, you are not fulfilling your purpose, but rather taking a shortcut to a short life. It’s not what you do that matters, it’s what you love to do that matters. Are you waking up every morning with a smile and eager anticipation, or do you throw the covers over your head dreading the day ahead of you with a sick feeling all over? If the latter is the case, then you need a reset. It may be time to re-evaluate your situation and write down some steps that will put you back on the right track for you and into Life.
I’d love to hear what you think about this topic. Thank you for strolling by the Lane today. I hope you prosper in all good things, and…
Until next time, may happy days abound!
Marianne
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