Gratitude Day 407

Mon., Feb. 17, 2020

Jeremiah 29:11: I say this because I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.

It was a very spontaneous dinner. Hubby Rick and I went to a high school basketball game. While there, we ran into our friends Bob and his daughter, Sarah. After the game, we decided to stop and have a bite to eat.

We covered a variety of topics: work, personal things, what is next in our lives, etc.

The conversation made me stop when Bob said to me, “Dianne, what is your “why?”

It was such an interesting question. It’s something I had been thinking about; contemplating and wondering. You see, I’m thinking about what some of the great and wonderful things are I see myself doing. Rather than just rushing into the doing part (I really AM trying to take my own advice from The Mary Experiment: When DOING and BEING Collide), I’m being thoughtful. Intentional. Reflective. I’ve prayed about this, consulted with others and been working through a couple helpful books as part of this process.

Rather than answering Bob’s question directly, I did what I prefer others would not do to me: I answered with a question. I asked Bob’s his why. He quickly repeated his why, using a sentence that was easy and memorable and concise.

One day last week, I think my “why” came to me. Or at least I’m rolling it around for a few days to see how it feels. It uses words that I repeatedly used in my recently published book … but takes it a bit further. Right now, I see my why as:

Finding Joy, Peace and Contentment in my daily living. And then, to inspire others to do the same.

Why is it so important to know your why? Because this becomes the benchmark by which you guide and direct your life. The things that fulfill this statement become the things that you focus your life around. Yes, there are things that we must do that will not necessarily fall into our why statements. Laundry still needs to be done, bills get paid and gas put into the car. I’m not sure any of these things bring me joy, peace and contentment. Yet, they are necessary.

Nonetheless, I CAN choose to do things each and every day that fit into my why statement. In fact, if I’m not choosing to do things that support my life mission, then either I need a new life mission OR I need to re-evaluate my choice.

Do you have a life mission? Do you know what is the benchmark by which you want to examine and determine what is most important to you? It’s not necessarily tied to our “work” job, although it may. Your why is what drives you to get up in the morning, where you get lost in your work and gives you the feeling that you are in your wheelhouse.

Your why should be very different from my why. It should reflect who you are and what is important to you. It should be as unique to you as your fingerprint. Your why is something that you discover for yourself and then choose to follow in your life.

Whether you are 14 or 90, you can and should have a why. It may have evolved over time … and this is OK. Your why helps you focus your time, energy, talents and resources into where you can get the most bag for your buck; impact with energy; opportunity to make effective and long-term impact.

Just how will I live out my why? Well, this is what I’m still working on. One small way I can fulfill my why today? By showing just a few photos from our recently remodeled bathroom. We’ve worked on it for months and months. It’s been basically ready for awhile but there were just a couple details that I wanted to finish out. Finally, … they are done and I’m so happy with the result.

When I walk into this bathroom, I feel joy. It brings me peace because of the coloring and style. I find so much contentment in knowing that this bathroom will add value to our home. More importantly, it reflects who Hubby Rick and I are.

A why statement may seem not important. I’m feeling that it is. I’m feeling that it will help me get this next stage of my life more right than without such a statement. I’m know that just how I live out this statement needs lots of time and attention. Yet, it is also a wonderful feeling to have a starting place.

Can you take a few minutes this day or week and think about your why statement? What were you put on this earth to do? What can you do that no one else can do? What gifts and talents did God bless you with so that you can share them with someone else?

Take the time. YOU are worth it. God longs for YOU to be clear about this. I pray you discover a why statement that is deeply meaningful for you.

For a God who gives each one of us a why for us being here, I am grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Dear God – Thank you, God, for putting a person into my life to challenge me to think about my why. I pray that as I continue to think this through, continue to bring people into my life who speak to me and help me determine who best to live out my “why.” Amen.

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