(Say this out loud with a Scottish brogue)
I believe God made me for a purpose.
But he also made me fast.
And when I run I feel his pleasure. (Eric Liddel, Chariots of Fire)
That line has haunted me since the last post. The challenge is to fill in two very significant blanks. Wait, that's weak, how about life-altering... destiny-directing blanks? And here's the epiphany: it is probably easier to live with significant blanks; never daring to fill them in. It is possible in our busyness, stress and chaos to never notice the empty, open spaces silently screaming to be filled. Easy but sad.
In the song Beautiful Boy, John Lennon wrote "...life is just what happens to you while you're busy making other plans..." That sounds very philosophical. But it's not very purposeful; and I don't want to live that way!
To be clear, I'm not talking about self-actualization for the sake of feeling better about myself, or you, yourself. I'm not making a case for just being more fulfilled (only). I believe it is in those aforementioned blanks that PURPOSE happens. It is in those blanks that IMPACT happens. It is in those blanks that JOY happens. It is in those blanks that LIFE happens. Sure, we can sometimes stumble into these; but remember... TMTITKTMTTMT! (see 9/17/14)
Fit50! is about empowerment. I have been empowered by first taking control of my physical well-being. I have been empowered by reigniting some creative fires that had been reduced to barely glowing embers. I am a work in progress. Truly, we all are. It's funny, as I write this I'm watching Kansas City route the Patriots on Monday Night Football. John Gruden just said, "Success, it's the best motivator I know." Sound familiar? Motivation... Movement... Momentum... It builds and builds!
Q: What if I fill in the blanks with the wrong thing(s)?
A: Don't worry about it! I'll defer to Teddy Roosevelt, who said:
In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing,
the next best thing is the wrong thing,
and the worst thing you can do is nothing.
Q: What if I give it my best and fail; i.e. look stupid?
A: Help me here Teddy:
Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs,
even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits
who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray
twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
- When do I feel most alive?
- What is it that brings me the greatest pleasure (keep it clean!)?
- What am I good at? (Other than ending sentences with prepositions).
- How do I bring the most value to others?
- How would my three closest friends answer those questions for me?
I believe we all have soul mates. That is probably a subject for a different blog and a different author (for now). I also think we need goal mates. We are strongest in community. We are pushed, challenged, encouraged and stretched via relationships. I have begun to work through these questions with my goal mates. I challenge you to do the same.
I believe God made me for a purpose.
But he also made me _______.
And when I _______ I feel his pleasure.
For now...
D
