Finding Your PURPOSE

"Find & Keep/Protect Our JOY & PURPOSE For Our Lives"

(Share & Teach Family and Others!) - PART 2 

 Back in August of 2010, my wife suffered a heart attack and had to be "shocked" back to life on two different occasions. This was not a normal event - my wife was not overweight and did not suffer from any type of high cholesterol or anything like that. It was literally a 1 in 1 million incident that happened. And, she survived and is doing well. 

However, after returning home from the hospital and still being in a very emotional state (which is normal following an event such as this) she would discuss with me how she felt that God had kept her here for a reason. The struggle she was having was that she could not figure out what the reason - or the PURPOSE - was for her life now. Through our discussions I found that she was searching for some BIG and tremendous "something" that she needed to do.

I shared with her that, perhaps, the "reason" that God kept her here was that I and the rest of her family NEEDED her to be here! I suggested that, perhaps, her "purpose" was to still be there for us because she was so important to "our world". 

You see, friend, I believe that THIS is the key to our search for our "purpose" for our lives. That key is the impact or importance that we have upon "our world". 

Think about it.

Yes, many desire to be known by people all over the world and, quite honestly, they are not truly "known" by those closest to them, including their own children. I'm not saying that this is always the case but we have seen it far too often in our world. And, YES, we NEED people to step out and lead and challenge and encourage us but, perhaps, at the same time, the TIMING needs to be adjusted.

Just a thought.

But, again, here's what I believe is the key for all of us as we contemplate our "purpose" in and for our lives...what is your impact and importance upon YOUR world?

Join me for a moment as we peel back the layers that make up "our world" beginning with those closest to us. Perhaps visualize this like the ripples on the water after tossing a pebble into the pond or creek.

First of all, it begins with your immediate family. This could be your spouse and your kids or, it may be your brothers, sisters and your parents. Sometimes these are some of the most difficult relationships we have simply because we ARE so close to them and, often, because we spend so much time with them. But they are important and you DO have an impact upon them. If you DO have children at home, please do NOT overlook the importance that you have in and for their lives. This gets especially difficult (at times) when they go through their teen years! But it still holds true.

Then continue on to the level that includes your closest friends. Then your other friends that maybe don't fit into that "closest" category but they are still good friends. Then continue on out to your co-workers, neighbors and all of the other acquaintances that you have in your life. That "circle of friends" expands rather quickly, doesn't it?

Now then, with each of these level of relationships, think about how YOUR impact upon them may influence THEIR relationships on each of those different levels in their lives! WOW!

Think for a moment about how the way you treat those around you - good or bad - can be passed on and on and on through these relationships. That, my friend, is quite powerful to think about and, hopefully, as you think about it, it will also challenge you to be a positive influence along the way. 

And, from experience, I can tell you that you may never know how powerful that influence has been in someones life. Or, you may find out years later about the power and level of that influence.

In my opinion, here's the answer to the question, "What is my PURPOSE in and for my life?" To be the best YOU that you can be in and for "your world". 

That, my friend, is more powerful than you may ever know.

Again, as a reminder, if you haven't done so yet, you need to listen to the podcast on today's topic. Just click one of the links at the bottom of this article to do so. There is SO MUCH MORE information and additional thoughts that I share with you there that is not found in this article. 

If you listen by going to iTunes, please take a moment and leave a review - I thank you in advance! Also, be sure to stop by the FYU fan page on Facebook and let me know that you left that review AND to just say "hello" and let me know that you are benefiting from Future You University. 

As always, THANKS for joining me today and, please, share this with as many as possible and always be sure to keep moving forward, closer to your dream!

And, until next time, whatever you do,  be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University   FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed

Finding Your JOY!

"Find & Keep/Protect Our JOY & PURPOSE For Our Lives"

(Share & Teach Family and Others!)

This last section of my white board will be covered over the course of this article plus the next two. Honestly, I could spend a lot more time than this on this part of my white board - it's that important and it can be discussed in that amount of detail.

But, to keep this informative without becoming boring, I will keep it to these three articles and podcasts (you can find the links to the podcast at the end of this article). 

Notice that, in the image above, I have the words, "Still Key!" circled. That serves as a reminder to me that, no matter how much time goes by, this phrase is key now and it will be key every single day that I exist. IT IS ALWAYS KEY! 

I'm going to start off by breaking this down to the first part of this phrase - "Find (and keep/protect) your joy". Let's shorten that a bit and just get to the main point: "FIND YOUR JOY".  We'll cover the "keep and protect" part in part 3 of this section, o.k.?

So, how does one FIND their joy? Well, let me suggest to you that you not consider it as if this joy is something that has been "lost". Sure, it's possible that it has been lost, but that's for another discussion at another time. So, for now, let's rephrase this discussion to the need to "discover" and/or "uncover" your joy. 

Although the wording for this is simple, it is not necessarily a simple thing to accomplish. So, here is the simple wording: What is it that brings you JOY? 

Notice that I did not ask, "What makes you happy" but, instead, "What is it that brings you joy?".  Remember, no one - or thing - can "make" you happy or sad. But, what is it that YOU involve yourself with and in that brings about the result of JOY? 

Let me illustrate it this way...

Some people thoroughly ENJOY doing yard work. Being involved in keeping their grass meticulously mowed and their flowers in perfect condition brings them a feeling of joy and contentment. While, at the same time, others absolutely dread doing this kind of work.  Some people really enjoy a good long jog or walk. They enjoy knowing that they are doing something good for their health and, they may even enjoy the "quiet time" that they get as part of the process. And, again, others may find this more of a form of torture!

Part of the process of "joy" is peace and/or contentment. Again, it's not just "being happy" but it's experiencing a sense of peace and contentment as well. Along with that or, perhaps, the result of this combination,  is that this brings about a sense of fulfillment.

Maybe these thoughts will help you as you think about what it is that brings about JOY in and for your life. Consider these factors and you will find the answer.  

Hey listen, this doesn't mean that this will be something that you will be able to earn a living from BUT, at the same time, it WILL bring about a REASON for truly living. Make sense?  

I left this little hint on the podcast so I want to be sure to leave it with you here: Many people find that this sense of joy, peace, contentment and fulfillment comes when they are doing something to help others. 

Think about that and share your thoughts with me on the Future You University fan page on Facebook - I'd love to hear from you! 

In my next blog article, we'll take a look at finding your PURPOSE in life. Guess what? These two are very closely related so, be sure to come back and join me as we continue this discussion.

Again, as a reminder, if you haven't done so yet, you need to listen to the podcast on today's topic. Just click one of the links at the bottom of this article to do so. There is SO MUCH MORE information and additional thoughts that I share with you there that is not found in this article. 

If you listen by going to iTunes, please take a moment and leave a review - I thank you in advance! Also, be sure to stop by the FYU fan page on Facebook and let me know that you left that review AND to just say "hello" and let me know that you are benefiting from Future You University. 

As always, THANKS for joining me today and, please, share this with as many as possible and always be sure to keep moving forward, closer to your dream!

And, until next time, whatever you do,  be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University   FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed

What Is Your RESPONSE?

E + R = O

Event + Response = Outcome

 The "formula" or "equation" that you find listed above, comes from Jack Canfield and the meaning for each of the letters of the formula are listed below the equation. 

Be sure to listen to the podcast (links found below) to hear more information that can be found ONLY on the podcast. I do thank you for reading this blog, HOWEVER, reading the blog and NOT listening to the podcast is like eating just half of your meal. Make sense?

What you'll find here is the basic idea behind Mr. Canfield's formula...and it's TRUE. Follow through and you'll soon understand that, indeed (although not always easy), it IS the truth. 

1. EVENT - You and I cannot control the event - ANY event - that comes our way. The event is simply, "what happens" throughout the course of the day. An event may be good or it may even be considered bad. The event is what it is. I know that wording it this way may be a bit confusing, so I'll try to clarify this a little bit. 

     We ALL encounter "events" in our lives and, in each and every day. We cannot "change" or "direct" an event...we experience the event. An event may be something as simple as experiencing a good meal as part of your day or having a nice conversation with a co-worker or friend. It could also be something less enjoyable like having a flat tire on your way into the office or even getting involved in a minor "fender-bender". And, yes, there are "bigger" events that come our way that have a bit more impact (either positive or negative) on our lives. It could be a great new job or promotion while, on the other hand, it may be the loss of a job due to a layoff or even getting fired.  It could be the birth of a new child or the death of a spouse or other family member. 

2. RESPONSE - If you take a closer look at the image above, you will see that I have written the words, "The one I control!", underneath the equation. You see, as I have already said, an event is an event and we cannot influence that event one way or the other. HOWEVER, it is our RESPONSE to that event that will determine the outcome that follows that event. 

     Hey, listen, I understand that this part of the formula takes quite a bit of discipline at times.  It's not always easy to RESPOND in a positive way to a negative event. Please don't misunderstand, I'm not saying that we should smile and say, "No worries", when a tragedy comes our way. Not at all. 

     But, your response to that tragedy, for example, will determine the ultimate outcome from that tragic event. For example, you may experience the death of a loved one...maybe even your spouse or a child. I've not experienced either but I have worked closely with those that have experienced both and I can't even imagine how difficult that must be. You can either allow devastation and depression to overtake you to the point that you become of no use to anyone - including yourself. If you have children, for example, they need you to help them through the tragedy as well but, if your RESPONSE takes you away from the life that must continue, then the outcome will not be very positive. 

     Yet, as difficult as it may be, you may determine that you must keep on living and, as part of that task, you must continue to be a parent to your children and help them deal with the same tragedy with which you must deal. You may determine to be appreciative for the time that you had with your spouse and, as painful as it may be, you find a way to smile when those memories come across your mind. This is your chosen RESPONSE. 

     We CHOOSE our response. You may have heard others say, or you may have even said, "They make me so mad!" or "They ruined my day!". Neither of those statements are true. You made a choice and, in those examples, you CHOSE to allow that person to determine your outcome. 

     I've seen examples where a person allowed others to "impact" his response to the point that this person became miserable at the workplace. 

     Originally, he was happy to be there and enjoyed his work. However, over time, he allowed the negativity that you find at most work environments to affect his response in a negative way. He began to "give in" to the negative thoughts and, as a result, his RESPONSE was to be negative. He began to gripe and complain and, eventually, lost his job due to his negative attitude. 

     I was that person. 

3. OUTCOME - In one of my recent blog articles entitled, "Don't Quit & No Excuses!" , I make the statement that, more often than not, when someone quits something (or gets fired, for example) they will pretty much ALWAYS make excuses as to why that happened. They will make an EXCUSE as to why they experienced the OUTCOME that they did. Yet, the truth is, they received the OUTCOME that they did due to their RESPONSE to the events that they encountered on a daily basis. 

     In the example above, I had allowed myself to be influenced by the negativity around me. I MADE A CHOICE about my response to the negativity (the events) around me. And, it cost me in a lot of ways. 

     This was quite a few years before I really began to concentrate on turning things around concerning my mindset and the direction of my life. But, it did stick with me and I did not like how I had changed during my time at that job. Even then, I knew I had failed by allowing others to have the impact on me instead of me using my influence on them. Thankfully, I later began to make better decisions / responses based on what I was putting into "the library of my mind". 

How do you feel about the outcomes that you are experiencing in your life? Are you satisfied with them? Some people are satisfied with SOME of the outcomes, but most people feel that they would prefer better outcomes more often. 

Jim Rohn put it this way (and I paraphrase): "If you don't like where you are or what you are doing - MOVE! MAKE A CHANGE! You are not a tree...YOU have the ability to MOVE!"

It takes discipline and discipline requires patience and determination. How bad do YOU want better outcomes in and for your life? 

Here's the final thought on this: Consider the fact that you read this article as one of the EVENTS for your day.  Now then, what's your RESPONSE? Will you just read it and walk away or will you allow it to sink in and and influence you in a positive way to become more disciplined with your responses to the events that come your way? 

As always, the choice is yours. So, what will YOU do?

If you haven't done so yet, you need to listen to the podcast on today's topic. Just click one of the links at the bottom of this article to do so. There is SO MUCH MORE information and additional thoughts that I share with you there that is not found in this article. 

If you listen by going to iTunes, please take a moment and leave a review - I thank you in advance! Also, be sure to stop by the FYU fan page on Facebook and let me know that you left that review AND to just say "hello" and let me know that you are benefiting from Future You University. 

As always, THANKS for joining me today and, please, share this with as many as possible and always be sure to keep moving forward, closer to your dream!

And, until next time, whatever you do,  be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University   FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed

    

I Am AMAZING!

"I am made in the image of God, therefore, I AM AMAZING!"

" I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." is part of a verse found in Psalm 139:14 in the Bible. As a believer, it gives me confidence in knowing that I, indeed, am AMAZING!

Over the past seven years of doing this blog and my podcast (see links at end of this article) I have mentioned the following phrase several times: "God doesn't make junk!". 

The phrase listed below the image is what I actually have written on my white board that you see highlighted in that image. It is actually and addition to my "7 Daily Affirmations" that I now say along with those affirmations. That's why - if you enlarge the image - you can see a #8 at the start of that phrase. 

Again, this phrase goes along with so many of the things that I have shared with you over the past couple of weeks. In this world of negativity, it is important for me to ACKNOWLEDGE and ABSORB the FACT that "I am somebody special!" (#1 of my 7 Affirmations). And, as a part of that, I acknowledge the fact that I am special because of my Creator. 

That doesn't mean that I just sit back and "take it easy" and expect others to wait on me and serve me because "I am somebody special". Not at all!

Actually, it's just the opposite. Understanding that I have been "fearfully and wonderfully" made challenges me and pushes me to BE somebody special  by BEING - through ACTION - somebody special. I have the ability, the privilege and the responsibility to use the talents and ability that have been bestowed upon me by my God to help encourage others and bless the lives of others along the way. 

And, friend, I believe that this is true about you - and FOR you - as well. 

Do you desire to change the world? Here's how you do it - you start by changing YOUR world, the world in which you live. You do that by encouraging others and blessing the lives of others around you one person at a time and one day at a time.

Visualize how that type of action will spread far and wife due to the "ripple effect" that WILL come from such actions. 

For me, I don't know that there is anything more fulfilling than to have a young adult come up to me and share with me how I impacted their life sometime in the past. It's pretty powerful and, at the same time, it's very humbling!

Hey listen, look at yourself in the mirror and look yourself right in the eye and declare this truth and do it on a daily basis: "I am made in the image of God, therefore, I AM AMAZING!" 

As always, if you haven't done so yet, you need to listen to the podcast on today's topic. Just click one of the links at the bottom of this article to do so. There is SO MUCH MORE information and additional thoughts that I share with you there that is not found in this article. 

If you listen by going to iTunes, please take a moment and leave a review - I thank you in advance! Also, be sure to stop by the FYU fan page on Facebook and let me know that you left that review AND to just say "hello" and let me know that you are benefiting from Future You University. 

As always, THANKS for joining me today and, please, share this with as many as possible and always be sure to keep moving forward, closer to your dream!

And, until next time, whatever you do,  be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University   FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed

 

It Is Up To ME!

"It is up to ME! No one else can do it for ME! I must make it happen... 

Me + God = Undefeatable!"

 "Friday Shout Out"... I forgot to include this in my original posting but have now edited this article to include my "shout out" to the locations that have been added to the original list I shared last week. Here we go - and THANKS to....Mountain View, AR., Mountain Home, AR., Lake Linden, MI., Las Vegas, NV., Hemet, CA., Pasadena, CA., St. Petersberg, St. Petersberg City, Russian Federation; Southampton, United Kingdom; Hamburg, Germany; Bournemouth, United Kingdom; Barcelona, Catelonia, Spain and Moscow, Moscow City, Russian Federation.

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This article will be closely connected to what I discussed in an article from last week about "No Excuses!" and, at the same time, it is also closely related to another from a couple of weeks ago. I'll share that in a bit but, right from the start, can you see how so much of this works together? Can you see how and why it's so important to incorporate as much of this type of material into your mindset as often as possible? 

NO EXCUSES - IT'S UP TO ME! Don't blame this person or that person. Don't blame this situation or that situation. And, at the same time, don't wait on - or expect - someone else to come to your rescue and "make things happen" for you. Notice the part of the phrase that says, "No one else can do it for ME!"

God has equipped you with all that you need to "do for yourself". In other words, you are not in a situation where you have to wait for and expect others to serve you. Yes, I do understand that there may be circumstances physically and/or mentally that make it necessary for a person to depend on others but, friend, that's not who I'm talking to, o.k.? Even at that, there have been handicapped people that have accomplished many great things because of the very attitude, "It is up to ME!"

The Bible declares, in Luke 1:37, that "with God, nothing is impossible."  Does that mean that every endeavor that I attempt will turn out in my favor? Nope. But, again, what it DOES indicate is that God has equipped me with abilities to succeed. 

Bottom line - stop whining, stop making excuses, stop expecting others to do it for you and OPEN YOUR EYES and take advantage of the opportunity that surrounds you every day. Yes, EVERY day!

Oh yeah, that other article that I was talking about that is closely connected to this one? It's the one I did a couple of weeks ago featuring that quote by Jim Rohn, "The major key to your better future is YOU."  Not anyone else...YOU.

So what?

So what are you going to do to put this into practice in your own life? Look yourself in the mirror and say firmly, "IT'S UP TO ME!" and then TAKE ACTION by living your life based on that belief!

Once again, if you haven't done so yet, you need to listen to the podcast on today's topic. Just click one of the links at the bottom of this article to do so. There is SO MUCH MORE information and additional thoughts that I share with you there that is not found in this article. 

If you listen by going to iTunes, please take a moment and leave a review - I thank you in advance! Also, be sure to stop by the FYU fan page on Facebook and let me know that you left that review AND to just say "hello" and let me know that you are benefiting from Future You University. 

As always, THANKS for joining me today and, please, share this with as many as possible and always be sure to keep moving forward, closer to your dream!

And, until next time, whatever you do,  be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University   FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed