Remembering Why

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on an absolutely majestic Saturday morning!

I find myself writing this Happy Friday on Saturday morning as this past week was one of the busiest, and most fulfilling, weeks of my professional life! I am so very blessed to be living this life God has given me to live and I intend to honor it by living it fully – becoming all that God created me to become and using all that I am – time, talent, and treasure – to love, care for and serve others. Even if that means I find myself writing Happy Friday on Saturday morning! 😊

This week’s Happy Friday is about me remembering, and actually living out, my “Why.” For you it might simply be an understanding of why Kev is always saying and writing, “What Will You Influence Be…?” The prompting to write this Happy Friday came earlier this week during my prayer time. I felt a very strong conviction in my spirit of “are you actually intentionally living out ‘What Will Your Influence Be…?’ every day?” It is so easy for all of us to drift from our why, our purpose, and our calling when we don’t take the time to pause, evaluate, remember, implement, and act! I refuse to live my life not honoring the reason God created me, pursuing my purpose, and being a great steward of all that He has given me – my Beautiful Bride, my Tender Warriors, my time, my talent, and my treasure! They, after all, are not mine but His! 😊

Why – I believe to the depths of my soul that every person has value, meaning, and a purpose. I don’t believe a person has ever been born that is worthless, insignificant, or whose life has no purpose. I am not responsible for how they treat me or others, behave, or speak. I am only responsible for me. With this, I will choose to treat everyone – regardless of, well, anything! – like they have value, meaning, and purpose.

My Purpose – I truly believe that I was placed on this earth to encourage, empower, and equip others to become the best they are capable of becoming. That’s it! That is why Kevin Haslam is on this earth. I am not here to be rich, famous, have a lot of money, buy a big house or any of those material or societal things. I am not saying that it is wrong or bad to be/have any of those things. I am simply saying that those things have nothing to do with my purpose. With this, whether I am fulfilling my role vocationally, walking down the street, or sitting on a beach on vacation, my purpose is to encourage, empower, and equip others. That is the thing about purpose, we don’t retire from it, and we don’t take a vacation from it. My aim is to be fulfilling my purpose every day of my life until the Lord calls me home.

What Will Your Influence Be…? – What Will Your Influence Be…? was born while I was driving from Phoenix to Tucson in 2011 – so hard to believe it was 12 years ago. I was having my prayer and meditation time, just talking to God. I was really pouring out my heart, specifically for coaches and student-athletes. I was lamenting how social media was becoming such a big thing that they didn’t have to go looking for bad things, it would come and find them. And as I was pouring out my heart, I felt this conviction in my spirit asking, “What will your influence be?” As I write these words and so vividly remember that day, I am reminded of these lyrics to “Do Something” by Matthew West:

Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of

People living in poverty,

Children sold into slavery.

The thought disgusted me.

So, I shook my fist at Heaven,

I said, “God, why don’t you do something?”

He said, “I did.” Yeah. “I created you.”

Now listen.

If not us, then who?

If not me and you?

Right now.

Well, it’s time for us to do something.

If not now, then when?

Will we see an end

To all this pain?

It’s not enough to do nothing.

It’s time for us to do something.

Does the conviction of my spirit make sense now? God had burdened my heart with something and now it was up to me as to what I would do with it. So, I did a couple of things….

First, I became obsessed with learning about influence. This is why I now know that research has shown that the most introverted person will influence 10,000 people in their lifetime and that the average person will influence 80,000 in theirs. Do you still wonder if the things you say and do everyday matter?

This is also why I am acutely aware of the influence that the things we watch, read, and listen to, the people spend the most time with, have on our lives. It is also why Proverbs 4:23 resonates with me so strongly – “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Not some things, EVERYTHING.

Second, I spent a lot of time praying and thinking about what I wanted my influence to be every day – not just some days. From this was born the desire to be “intentional, positive, and encouraging.”

Putting all this together, I promised God that I would honor the life He has given me to live (I would strive to become all He created me to become and I would be a good steward of everything he has given me, including the burden for the type of influence we have), that I would honor the purpose He has given me, and that I would do something about this burden I felt for others to have an intentional, positive, and encouraging influence in their lives every day. So, every day I seek God, pray, and read – none of us can pour from an empty cup! – and then I post positive and encouraging quotes on Twitter and Facebook. Once a week a write a message I call “Happy Friday” and I also try (I am being honest! 😊) to carve something (usually a heart/cross/anchor) for someone at least once a week. I also strive every day to be fully present, to notice the lost and hurting, and to love, care for, and serve everyone, any way I can.

What led me to write this Happy Friday is that piece about being intentional and actually doing. I don’t want to just wear a bracelet that says, “What Will Your Influence Be…?”, post a few quotes, and call it all good. To me, that would be a very shallow life. I want to actually live it! I want to – I am sorry, this is the only word that keeps coming to me! – HONOR my why, purpose, and calling…which is exactly what “What Will Your Influence Be…?” is.

To you I ask, what is the burden of your heart. Matthew West sings about poverty and children sold into slavery…what burdens your heart? What is the thing you shake your fist at Heaven at God and ask, “Why don’t you do something?” Please remember, He created you. The next move is yours…

Now, there are two quotes I came across this morning that have absolutely nothing to do with this Happy Friday however I thought they were awesome, and highly useful if applied, so I wanted to share them with all of you.

“Growth is when you improve your weaknesses. Greatness is when you maximize your strengths.” – Unknown

“Don’t take things too personally. Critique, failures, unwarranted advice – take it to mind, not to heart. What you hear out of the mouths of others are opinions and perspectives. It’s often worth listening to opinions and perspectives, but it’s not a requisite that you take them on board.” – Nate Hamon

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, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well!

Kev