Thanks for reading.
Just going to recap some of my THMs (Take Home Messages) from the sermon this morning at Grace Roseville (http://www.extendgrace.org/) by Mark Allen...
Twas a great sermon and start to a new year. He reminded us to remember our identity, "I am a child of God." Easier said than done, I know. To help me remember, I need to get up early and write it and re-write it in my journal. How do you remember who you are?
The other aha for me is the following...
I've been focused on my goals for 2017 which isn't a bad thing, but there's a logical order to it and without a solid base to your pyramid, your top two layers may be misdirected (this risk is completely avoidable).
If your identity (firm foundation) is solid on the rock (Matt 7:24-27) you can discover your specific purpose through that lens (child of God). This is not our home, so seek out your purpose from that place (Col 3:1).
Assuming you've spent the time to establish your firm foundation and discover your unique purpose / passion / interests, now (and only now) can you identify a few goals to live out your purpose. Let's do it!!
But wait, what about all those other goals you had, such as lose 10 pounds, exercise more, this or that? Don't toss those goals out but re-frame them (and re-direct them as needed) based on the first two layers of your pyramid. There's nothing wrong with health goals or financial goals that are grounded in the truth of our firm foundation, so ask yourself the checking question: "Is this goal supported by who I am and my purpose on the planet?"
This is what I call peeling back the onion. There are many layers/complexity behind us and our goals. Let's peel back the layers of the onion to get to the real "why" behind our goals. As an example, let's say you want to pay off your home mortgage early. Why? I don't want to waste money on interest and I want to lower my monthly expenses. Why? If I lower my expenses, I can save more. Why? If I can save more and lower my expenses, I can retire earlier. Why? If I retire earlier, I won't have to work and will have more time. Why do you want more time? That's a good question!! I would argue that the answer to that question is the most important thing in the world (it's part of our goals, from our purpose, from our foundation) and we should start doing that NOW (not when we pay off the mortgage & retire).
I think I'll leave you to ponder that and please do so, the happiness and utility of your life depend on it!
Good stuff Ben! Thanks for posting. We all seem to have a habit of focusing on the what and how, but forget about the who and why. It's tough work to. But it's worth it! Cheers John
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