Greetings!
Stop making a living
Create a life!!
How many of us have thought, "I am not sure I am doing what I was called to do"? Who among us have not thought that one day I will find my "calling" and be fulfilled? If you are in your calling and find significant fulfillment then you can skip to the bottom of the page for an opportunity to make a difference in a little girls life.
I have been asked by a good friend to speak to a group in a couple of weeks on the topic "Stop making a living and create a life". In considering what I will share I have had to do some soul searching myself. "Is this what I was called to do?" "Am I on the correct path?" Very difficult questions to ask oneself. Very important questions indeed!! I am answering them for me, how about you?
I would encourage you to consider the following wherever your journey is taking you:
Be a genuinely positive person
I am not talking about the Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) mantras we have heard for decades. You know the type. People who act all excited and enthusiastic about life when their world is crumbling around them. They are not attached to reality. They are self delusional and will crash with a mighty roar. I am also not feeling doom and gloom when you encounter setbacks in life. I am suggesting that we all strive to be realistic with a positive bent. There is a place for PMA when you can substantiate it with positive action that will actually accomplish a worthwhile goal. If we are not in motion then we need to be a bit "grumpy" with ourselves to motivate us to action. But when we are doing the right thing and it is not going too well at this moment we need to be positive in our attitude so as to feed the flames of creativity and positive action.
Find your passion
Passion is what drives all creativity. Think Michelangelo and DaVinci. Creativity makes a significant difference in the world and without passion it is dead or worse destructive. We were all built for a unique purpose. Exercising this purpose is what gives us fulfillment in life. Note: I am not talking of material fulfillment but genuine spiritual fulfillment. Seek your passion and strive to make a living with it. Money will always follow passion if you focus long enough on it. You and those around you will benefit from your passion more than just having a job that pays the bills.
Find a cause that moves you
Nothing will drive you more than a cause that is outside of yourself. I recently started selling cookbooks for Sydney. She is a severely brain damaged little 8 year old girl getting medical treatments that insurance will not cover. Her mom and grandma were not satisfied with the traditional medical treatments that were offered and had no impact so they took it upon themselves to find alternatives. To pay for these treatments they produced a cookbook to support the cost. Taking on this worthy cause has given me a much needed reality check that keeps me centered on what is really important in life, others.
Make your profession you mission
If you can find a way to combine your profession with something that serves others you will live a more fulfilled life, trust me. I am not talking about moving to Africa to take care of sick orphans (good thing that it is). I am suggesting that you find a way to create opportunities to serve your fellow co-workers and customers in a way that improves their lives other than just drawing a paycheck. During teaching sessions on my last job I told my students, "If we can help our client to not miss his daughters' 6th birthday party on a Saturday because of a plant shut-down, we have done our job well." The message is simply this, when we supply a product or service that makes someone elses' life better we have fulfilled our mission.
Hope this newsletter finds you well and that you will make a difference wherever you are.
Dan
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