Living Your Purpose (and my personal dealings with fear)

 In Rocky III,  Rocky's wife, Adrian, confronts him about his half-hearted effort in preparing for the upcoming fight with power-puncher “Clubber” Lang, a fighter who took Rocky out in a previous bout.

Rocky: Just don’t want it no more. (We later discover this is untrue).

Unwilling to accept his answer, Adrian shouts, “Why don’t you tell me the truth!! What’s the truth, dammit!!”

Required: Soul-Searching

Contrary to popular belief, most who are passionately living into their purpose did not begin the journey with ease and luck. Rather, deep soul-searching is a requirement. A sustained examination into who we are and the nature of life and death. The living out of one’s purpose can more accurately be accounted for in this way:

Phase One: Dissatisfaction

A sense that something is “off.”  Deep-seated unhappiness with life.

Phase Two: Longing 

A desire to live a life of meaning. A yearning to use untapped potential.

Phase Three: First Attempt

We try, perceive a bumpy, challenging road ahead, then retreat back to the old life of mundane activity and status quo living.

Phase Four: Flame Reignites

Shortly after retreating, the thirst hits once again. Our soul is parched and needs the quenching of purpose. I can't explain how or why I know, but I absolutely know that I'm here for a purpose.

Phase Five: Dedication to Purpose

We finally understand- either cross the bridge and be dedicated to our purpose with its ebbing and flowing nature, ups and downs, periods of clarity and disillusionment, victories and challenges, OR, live in a constant state of wishing and wanting.

Those who are vehemently living into their purpose no longer wish, no longer want. We are so entrenched in the starkly paramount objective of using our gifts to serve others, there is no time to wish things could be different. Rather, we are the difference; the flesh and blood of the very difference we’ve been longing for.

Purpose: Don't Give Up On It!

Much of the world has given up on discovering their purpose. They've settled into a controllable, unchallenging routine requiring less than half available capabilities to get the job done. On a personal level, I've felt the urging within me to live into my potential for a long time. One word describes why I didn't live into that urging: fear. 

Back to Rocky and Adrian...

Adrian: Why don’t you tell me the truth!! What’s the truth, dammit!!

Rocky: I’m afraid!!! All right!

It’s time to confront fear and choose a new way of life that involves living into our purpose. Don't bury your God-given talents in the dirt out of fear as the servant did in the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 25). Invest them as the other servants did, and know that an investment in our God-given talents is by its very nature threefold:

1. We invest in our own souls. Stagnant water is disease-ridden, whereas flowing water is fresh.Create a state of flow by using your talents.

2. We invest in others. Somebody needs the gift of your God-given talents in action.

3. We invest in a relationship with God. Aspects of God's Spirit previously unknown to us become clear as we invest the talents we've been given.

It took me a long time to commit to running a workshop. Why? I was afraid. I didn't need more time to think about it, but told myself I did. I didn't need more time to develop my abilities, but told myself I did. Didn't need more time to find the perfect venue, but told myself I did. The nature of fear is that we intellectualize our way into a life we a) don't want, and b) were never meant to live. 

Back to you. Despite the existence of fear, how can you live into your purpose more fully? 

Rocky: I'm afraid!! All right!

Adrian: It doesn't matter what I believe, because you're the one that's gotta carry that fear around inside you. It doesn't matter if I tell ya, because you're the one that's gotta settle it. (Watch the complete scene here).

Settle this thing, and live into your purpose today! 

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Want to straighten out your foundational priorities? Check out Stop Meandering, Start Wrestling 

Need inspiration in tackling a big project? Check out Unleash Your Potential with a Mindset Shift