Simply Pursue YOUR Greatness

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a glorious new day - though very stormy & soggy - dawns on the Texas Gulf Coast! I am reminded of the Vivian Greene quote that says, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain." Whether storms of life or storms of nature, let's dance! :)

Earlier this week while listening to the radio, a gentleman talked about raising children. He stated something like, our role as parents isn't to help our kids become famous, professional athletes/singers/writers, etc. Our role as parents is simply to help them find their purpose, to discover what sets their souls on fire, and then help them fulfill that purpose. Profound. Simple to understand and yet, so hard for so many to live out.

Each and every one of us has a purpose. Thank goodness they are not all the same! Thank goodness we are not all passionate about the same things, find joy in the same things or desire to do the same things. Think how boring, and comical, life would be if that is how life worked! :)

Sadly, many of us are not living the lives we wish to live but rather we are living the lives that others expected us to live. Check this out; according to a 2017 Gallup Poll, 85% of the worlds  workforce - please catch that, it is not just one country...it is the worlds workforce -  is "emotionally disconnected from their workplace." I think I know at least a part of the reason why. Our jobs do not define us. They, hopefully, are an expression of who we were created to be. I am not a development professional. My purpose in this life is not to raise money for organizations. I am simply a man who was created to encourage, empower and equip others to be the best they are capable of becoming and I found a beautiful way to express this through work as a development professional. Make sense? With this, I fly out of bed every morning excited to help people fulfill their deepest philanthropic priorities while empowering others to pursue their hopes, goals & dreams through the generosity of others! Pretty blessed! :)

But what about the little girl who had a passion to heal the sick but was told she couldn't do that, that she needed to become a [fill in the blank with whatever you want], instead? What about the little boy who had a passion to sing but was told he should become a [fill in the blank], instead? There are a lot of little girls and little boys, some in their 70's, 80's and 90's, with those same passions burning, unfulfilled, in their souls.

So, this goes two ways:
1. Please pursue the deepest passions of your soul. Whatever they are, please pursue them! It really doesn't matter what they are or what anyone else thinks! If you are passionate about something, if you have a yearning in your soul, fight for it and relentlessly pursue it every day of your life. In this you will find great joy & peace and you will bless this world with a great gift it would not receive if you don't pursue it - YOU! :) As John Wesley, an eighteenth century theologian said, "When you set yourself on fire, people will come and see you burn."

2. Please don't tell anyone - not one single person! - what their passion or purpose should be. Our purpose, even if we have the honor & privilege of being called Mom or Dad, is not to tell others what they should become but rather to help them discover who they were created to become. Please don't put the weight of your expectations on your children, or anyone else, and in doing so, prevent them from growing to become all God created them to become. 

And then there is this other thing that is directly tied to people not pursuing their purposes, it's called comparison. Please don't compare yourself to me or anyone else for you were not created to be me, nor was I created to be you. Comparing yourself to anyone else is equivalent to looking at a beautiful, majestic, lion and criticizing it for being such a poor dog! That is not what it was created to be!

I shared this quote on Facebook this week.
"Never compare one student's test score to another's. Always measure a child's progress against her past performance. There will always be a better reader, mathematician, or baseball player. Our goal is to help each student become as special as she can be as an individual - not to be more special than the kid sitting next to her." - Rafe Esquith

Many of us, um, adults, are still comparing test scores. Please Friends, stop! I pray, and beg, you and I to simply become as special as we can become as an individual and that we would allow others to do the same.

So in case nobody every told you or gave you permission, please let me tell you a few things.
1. YOU matter.
2. YOUR life has great value, meaning & purpose!
3. YOU were created on purpose for a great purpose!
4. YOU are perfectly equipped, lacking nothing!
5. YOU are a great gift to this world, a great price has been paid for YOU and you honor the gift when YOU become the best YOU that YOU are capable of becoming!
*None of these things have anything to do with anyone else - it's all about YOU! :)

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families!

Kev