Do You Have It?

Three Foundational Reasons to Live a Life of Purpose

 

So many people just simply don’t IT.

They think they do. They may even fake they do, but the reality is they don’t have IT.

Some people go through their entire lives and find out at the end they didn’t have IT and as a result feel like they wasted their entire lives.

How could someone live their life and even see that other people have IT yet still never find IT themselves?

IT ironically will look different for each person but the reality is in the end, IT has common characteristics to anyone who has IT.

So, What is IT?

IT can be defined in just seven letters: P U R P O S E

The definition of Purpose is “the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.”

 

My simplified definition of Purpose is as follows:

“Doing something bigger than me or living for something bigger than myself”

 

Living with purpose is bigger than money, power, or prestige. So many thought that was their purpose but when they achieved IT, they found themselves hollow and left wanting more.

IT was NOT what they had thought or hoped it would be and often SO much valuable time was lost that will never be regained.

There are countless stories of people who go through life assuming IT was one thing and found out IT was something completely different. Let me give you an example.

 

IT IS OBVIOUS WHEN YOU SEE IT

Most days I don’t run across someone with Purpose. Its just business as usual. But when I meet someone with purpose, I am drawn to him or her.

The irony is they don’t have to announce to me “I have Purpose”. Why? It’s just evident in everything they do and they way they approach life.

I may not even understood or agree with their Purpose but I instantly respect IT.

 

There are three foundational reasons to live a life of Purpose:

1. Purpose Gives Life Meaning – Why I’m Here

Mark Twain was once quoted for saying, “The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you found out why.”

[tweetthis]Life must have meaning. Too many people walk around on a self-imposed life sentence just doing their time. – Bryan Paul Buckley[/tweetthis]

Is this you? Do you know why you’re here and does your purpose give your life meaning?

 

2. Purpose Gives Life Direction – Where I’m Heading

Once I know the why, I know where I am headed. Most people have little to no direction in their lives.

They simply log another day in the books, saying “thank God it’s Friday” then “oh God, its Monday.”

This is language of someone who lives his or her life without direction. If you had a direction you were heading, you would have the motivation to live life with purpose.

 

3. Purpose Gives Life Focus – What I Should Be Doing

When I know why I’m here (meaning) and where I’m heading (direction) then I will know EXACTLY what I should be doing (focus).

This will unfold the rare gift of clarity and will affect everything else in your life most specifically, how you should use your time.

The guesswork and meandering through your days are gone. There is no longer time to waste. You have a purpose and you are compelled to accomplish IT.

 

Closing Thoughts

The sad part is just how many people use SEVEN LETTERS to describe their lives:

S U R V I V E

 I believe most people would not readily offer that as their actual life purpose but their day-to-day behavior and decisions point to that as simply surviving.

You can hear it in their language:

• Just trying to make it through the day
• Can’t wait for the weekend
• What’s the point anyway?

 Question and answer with complete honesty:

So, where are you in this process? Do you have IT yet? Are you fulfilled right now in this place in your life? If not, do not lose heart.

If you’re a motivated busy professional, you have the desire and motivation to make the necessary changes in your life to make a difference.

What if you had a true and clearly defined purpose to guide your life? I mean intentionally guide your life.

I hope this challenges you to begin thinking about finding IT and changing your seven words from merely S U R V I V E to P U R P O S E.

In future Purpose posts, I plan to unpack each one of the three main reasons to live a life of purpose but wanted to give you something to think about right now.

 

Closing Question:

What is your IT in your life right now…?