Photo credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
“Ordinary people are the ones that do extraordinary things. YOU have a purpose to your life and there is a place reserved only for you. Wherever you are. However you are. Style points don't matter! All that does matter is that you do what you were meant to do!”
A few days ago I posted this quote of mine on The Relationship Difference Facebook page. One of my friends read the quote and asked the question,
“What if you don’t know what you are meant to do?”
Oooh. That was a great question. And one that made me pause before answering. (If you know me, you know that is sometimes hard for me to do.) Here is the essence of what I said in response back to her question.
I think there are two main things to consider. On the logical side, all of us are wired uniquely. And in many ways what we're meant to do is often related to how we're created to be. For example, when I look at my whole life story the common denominator was wanting to motivate and encourage and teach others.
From elementary school and beyond, I was always the guy on stage, making a speech. I was the one who had the overblown skits, that were often entertaining and funny. No one needed to teach me how to speak or perform in front of an audience; I really think I was just wired to be able to do so.
On the flip side I was terrible at higher level math and science. While I felt really smart in history and English classes, I felt awfully dumb in algebra and physics! When I was a kid I wanted to be a pilot, but then I had to come to grips with the fact that my brain wasn't wired to do that aeronautical engineering stuff, even though I wanted to. If I continued to try to become a military pilot I know I would have kept running into the proverbial brick wall and would have still fallen short.
On the emotional front, deciphering what you are meant to do can be harder because many things can bury the passions and desires you have. I have a good friend who I believe was born to be an entrepreneur, but his life experience has taught him to play it safe in the corporate world. He's miserable, but I don't know if he will ever break out of it.
But I think one of the clues you'd want to consider is what are the first things that you think of when your mind thinks about doing something else? Is there something that you'd almost do for free? Is there something that just makes your heart light up whenever you're doing it, thinking about it, working towards it?
I realize this is one very simple answer to a very complex question...but I hope it will give you some food for thought.
Now it's your turn! How have you handled this question in your life?
A few days ago I posted this quote of mine on The Relationship Difference Facebook page. One of my friends read the quote and asked the question,
“What if you don’t know what you are meant to do?”
Oooh. That was a great question. And one that made me pause before answering. (If you know me, you know that is sometimes hard for me to do.) Here is the essence of what I said in response back to her question.
I think there are two main things to consider. On the logical side, all of us are wired uniquely. And in many ways what we're meant to do is often related to how we're created to be. For example, when I look at my whole life story the common denominator was wanting to motivate and encourage and teach others.
From elementary school and beyond, I was always the guy on stage, making a speech. I was the one who had the overblown skits, that were often entertaining and funny. No one needed to teach me how to speak or perform in front of an audience; I really think I was just wired to be able to do so.
On the flip side I was terrible at higher level math and science. While I felt really smart in history and English classes, I felt awfully dumb in algebra and physics! When I was a kid I wanted to be a pilot, but then I had to come to grips with the fact that my brain wasn't wired to do that aeronautical engineering stuff, even though I wanted to. If I continued to try to become a military pilot I know I would have kept running into the proverbial brick wall and would have still fallen short.
On the emotional front, deciphering what you are meant to do can be harder because many things can bury the passions and desires you have. I have a good friend who I believe was born to be an entrepreneur, but his life experience has taught him to play it safe in the corporate world. He's miserable, but I don't know if he will ever break out of it.
But I think one of the clues you'd want to consider is what are the first things that you think of when your mind thinks about doing something else? Is there something that you'd almost do for free? Is there something that just makes your heart light up whenever you're doing it, thinking about it, working towards it?
I realize this is one very simple answer to a very complex question...but I hope it will give you some food for thought.
Now it's your turn! How have you handled this question in your life?
