Finding Purpose and Joy - Blog

How can you find your purpose in life?

5/2/2017

After I had a heart attack in 1999, I began thinking about the questions, “Why am I on this earth and why did God spare me?” What became apparent to me is that relationships with people were far more important than things and stuff. I also noticed that I was becoming involved in much deeper conversations with people about the struggles that they were facing in life. When I began thinking more about the meaning of my life, my desire became “to live with the attitude of Christ”.

So when I retired from Laidig Systems, Inc. it was pressed on my heart that what would bring me the most joy would be to help other people find purpose and joy in their lives. This ultimately began the journey toward me writing the book, “Finding Purpose and Joy in Life, It’s a Journey” at the urging of a few people. Now I am able to use the book as a guideline as I mentor people on their journey.

What about you? Have you thought the meaning of your life… and then how to take action on finding your purpose through giving your gift(s) away to others? If so, congratulations! It makes every day more enjoyable, doesn’t it? If not, consider setting some regular times in your schedule to be still to reflect and listen to God’s direction. Here are a few suggestions about some questions you might want to really think in depth about:

#1: What is important to me?
#2: What am I truly good at?
#3: What is my potential?
#4: What brings me joy?

Then as you more clearly understand the meaning of your life, think about how you can give your gift(s) to help others. When you do that, I can nearly promise you that you will find more purpose and joy in your life!

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Do you taste your words before you speak them?

4/2/2017

THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK!

Have you ever spoken some words that you wish you could have back? I know I certainly have. I am in a Friday Men’s Group and recently one of the men challenged us to ‘T H I N K’ before we speak. You’ve probably heard or seen this before but I believe that it’s good to be reminded once in a while. So if you agree, this is ‘once in a while’…

Rather than saying hurtful things, wouldn’t it be a great time to hit the pause button and THINK? Is it…

True?
Helpful?
Inspiring?
Necessary?
Kind?

The Bible instructs to “Take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” So that’s taking it a step farther… ‘Listen before you speak.’ And that too, takes thinking, doesn’t it?

If you want to enhance your relationships, doesn’t it make a lot of sense to ‘THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK?’ Won’t it surely help you find more joy in your relationships and in life?

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How can you make good decisions?

2/27/2017

Aren’t decisions and choices the same thing? How can we make the best ones? Here are some simple steps to consider…

Develop a clear picture of who you as a person want to become 5 or 10 years down the road… spiritually, family, physically, emotionally, financially.
Write it down and refine it with someone you trust… your family or friend.
When you consider a decision that you are going to make, will it take you closer to your vision or will it take you farther away from it?
If it will take you closer to your vision, it’s a really good decision. If it will take you farther away from your vision, it’s a bad decision.
Never make a major decision when you are not feeling good. Spend time with a trusted friend or advisor to settle out troubled emotions.

No matter what our circumstances are, we all have the ability to choose the better way.

Take to heart this phrase…

“I AM A PRODUCT OF MY DECISIONS… NOT MY CIRCUMSTANCES”

May your life be filled with purpose and joy!

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What does sarcasm say about a person?

2/1/2017

If you use sarcasm it might be a good idea to ask yourself,

What are you trying to accomplish with your communication?
What kind of relationship do you want?
Are you striving to be funny at the expense of others?
Or do you want to build relationships of trust and love?
Do you care how other people feel?
Or are you only interested in entertaining yourself?

Here’s what I found when I Googled ‘Sarcasm’. Sarcastic people often see teasing as tough love and believe people should be able to handle it. They also think saying, “just kidding” after a sarcastic remark makes it OK, even if it hurts. They usually see themselves as funny people, even if they are the only ones laughing. In reality, sarcastic people usually have a fear problem. They are usually battling either a fear of not being good enough (the fear of failure) or the fear of being taken from (the fear of loss). They need to step back and figure out why they need to be sarcastic.

If you’re interested in learning more about sarcasm and how it affects relationships, here’s a good article to read.
http://www.lifeway.com/Article/marriage-family-relationships-Sarcasm-The-verbal-enemy-at-the-gate

May you choose a life that brings joy to both you and those around you

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What would a life changing resolution do for you?

1/4/2017

You may or may not be into New Year Resolutions. Either way, if you hope that 2017 will be a great an uplifting year, isn’t likely that if you speak gently, forgive freely, and love relentlessly, it will deliver in spades?

Maybe just a little note like this on your bathroom mirror or someplace that you look at frequently will help.

SPEAK GENTLY
FORGIVE FREELY
LOVE RELENTLY

May your 2017 be filled with joy and be the best one ever!

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WHAT IS THE TRUE ESSENCE OF CHRISTMAS?

12/21/2016

What is the true essence of Christmas? The quick answer is ‘The Birth of Christ’. While that is true, it seems like it becomes much more relevant when we live out ‘The Attitude of Christ’ by the example He gave us through His life on Earth…

Give up one's very self and think only of others
Forgive one another
Listen empathically to understand each other
Value and appreciate each other
Look for the good in each other
Accept differences with others
If necessary, agree to disagree with grace

If we do these things, isn’t it likely that we will experience the true meaning of Christmas resulting in peace, joy, and goodwill to men?

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ARE YOU INSANE?

12/6/2016

We humans are interesting people. Why is it that many times when we do things that don’t end up with good results, we continue to do those things the same way? And the results continue to be bad. Here are a few examples…

Worry about things that we have no control over
Practice things over and over with techniques that don’t work
Play the lottery. While you may win a little, the system is set up for you to lose
Jumping to conclusions only to find out that you didn’t know the whole story
Use the word ‘but’ and as soon as you do it, the other person becomes defensive
Bad choices about things that you know aren’t good but you do them anyway
Wait until the last minute and then you’re always late
Continue to saw down a tree without sharpening the saw
And there are many more things that would fall into this category

All of these things cause extra stress in our lives and rob joy and productivity from us and those around us. I suppose that’s why Old Albert said that this is a form of insanity. Do you agree?

Take a minute to think about some areas in your life that are causing some stress. What are some things that just aren’t working well? What can you do to prevent them from happening again in the future? Wouldn’t it be the best use of your time and will bring more sanity and joy to your life as well as those around you?

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How can you be assured of a Happy Thanksgiving?

11/22/2016

Many times Thanksgiving involves getting together with family and in-laws. Sometimes it turns out to be a great time of getting together and catching up on life’s happenings. On the other hand, occasionally if there are some trying relationships, it can be difficult resulting in anything but a time of thanksgiving.

Can you believe that you can have great impact on how your Thanksgiving Day turns out? Since Thanksgiving was founded on thankfulness of the harvest, try to remember, “What you sow is what you reap.”

So this year do your best to sow Kindness, Gentleness, Patience, and Thankfulness with those that you gather with. If you do, isn’t it likely that there will be a high probability of reaping what you sow?

Why not do your best by sowing these fruits and experience great JOY! And I hope you all have a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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Have you ever struggled with resentment?

11/8/2016

Is it reasonable to assume that one time or another someone has ‘wronged’ you? What feeling did you immediately feel when that happened? My guess is that it may have caused you to hold resentment toward that person.

Take a minute and think right now. Are you currently harboring resentment or bitterness toward anybody? If so, who is the real loser in this situation? It’s you isn’t it?

So what choice do you have? How about the choice to forgive them even if they don’t deserve it? As the Bible instructs us, “Forgive and you too will be forgiven.” In addition, when you don’t forgive, don’t you feel out of sync and in bondage?

Hanging onto resentment is giving someone power to make you feel bad. Choose not to and when you make this choice, take note of the freedom and joy that enters your life.

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DO YOU HAVE THE COURAGE TO LEAD?

10/18/2016

In his book “Next Generation Leader”, Andy Stanley suggests that ‘Courage’ is one of the greatest tools in the toolbox of a good leader. Webster says that courage is “the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous. Many of us may interpret this to mean that we need to boldly move into difficult or treacherous activities.

While that may be true in some cases, Stanley cites Three Expressions of Courage that look a little different than traditional thinking.

THREE EXPRESSIONS OF COURAGE

The courage to say ‘No’. Doesn’t it almost seem counterintuitive that saying ‘No’ takes courage? But think about it, aren’t there many things in the world that we live in that can take us down a dark path? That said, saying ‘No’ when the masses are saying ‘yes’ to bad choices truly does take courage, doesn’t it? In addition, wouldn’t learning to say ‘No’ to good things also give you the freedom to say ‘yes’ to the best things?

The courage to face reality. Many times aren’t we tempted to get drawn in to thinking and dwelling on things like “If only such and such would have happened”, “I sure wish he would change his mind”, or “I wish the economy wouldn’t be so bad?” As a result doesn’t that many times result in negatively affecting our ability to lead others in a positive way? Doesn’t it make sense for the strong person or leader to focus on “the way things are” rather than “the way we wish they would be”? Then time and energy can be spent on productive things that are relevant.

The courage to dream. One thing that is very restrictive when we live in the “If only” world, is that it keeps us from dreaming what can be. Doesn’t it take courage to dream about the future and bright solutions when many people are locked in to believing ‘it can’t be done?’ And doesn’t dreaming give us more freedom to hope for a better future? One of the strongest influences on finding purpose and joy is having hope for the future. Choose to dream with courage!

Click here to learn about "FINDING PURPOSE AND JOY" book and life mentoring programs