5 Steps to Help You Rediscover Passion for Life and Leadership – Step 1
- Can you recall the last time you felt enthusiastic or excited about life and your leadership responsibilities?
- Do you wake up each day with a feeling of excitement and enthusiasm, or of depression and dread?
- Do you come to the end of your day feeling you have had a meaningful, satisfying and successful day; or do you feel tired, discouraged and overworked?
If any of the negative aspects are true, perhaps most
frustrating of all is that life was not always like this. Now, you are wondering what happened? Where has the passion gone? Is frustration my new normal? Through the next five weeks, I will share five steps you can take to help you renew your passion for life and leadership. You may be surprised at how simple these steps are. Yet what a difference they will make in your life and ministry!
This week, let’s look at the first step.
Step 1 – Lack of goals is a major cause of frustration for many people. Do you sometimes feel like you are running yourself into the ground? Perhaps you look back over the past five years and all you see is the mad pace of living with little or nothing to show for it. At this point, you are tired and frustrated, and may feel physically unhealthy, spiritually dried up and emotionally drained. If that is the case, it’s likely that many of your significant relationships are either strained or in need of serious attention. You look at your current situation and wonder what has led to the unraveling of your life. You find yourself stuck and questioning the next move. A number of factors could lead to life unraveling or getting stuck but, without doubt, one of the main reasons is a lack of goals. Without goals toward which you work, valuable time, energy and resources are wasted in attending only to the urgent; that is whatever task, call, or person is in your path at any given moment. To live a life of purpose, passion, vision and excellence you must have goals.
- Clearly identified goals will determine your priorities.
- Priorities will determine where you invest your time, energy and resources.
You need goals in at least four areas of life if you want to live and lead with purpose, passion, vision and excellence.
A. Your relationship with God The goal of a Christian should be to have God as the center of life in every way. Do you delight in the ways of the Lord and meditate on his word (Psalm 1:2)?
- What are your goals for your spiritual life?
- What change(s) might be needed to make your relationship with God central to who you are as a person and a leader?
- What kind of time, resources, and energy will you need to make this a reality?
You must establish a goal for the kind of relationship you desire with God. For most of my life I have studied and taught the Bible. I was also spending time with God daily, but it was more out of the expectations of others than a genuine desire to make God the center of everything in my life. About eight years ago, I switched from expectations to genuine desire, and now my daily goal is to make God the center of everything. My daily time with God is for transformation rather than information. How about you, how are you intentionally making it a goal in your life to have God in the center of everything?
B. Your self-care The state of your physical health impacts your overall wellness. While some health issues are beyond your control, many maladies are preventable.
- What are you purposefully doing for your physical well-being?
- Do you have an ideal weight as a goal, or particular levels for blood pressure, diabetes, or preventable health issues?
- What are your goals for rest and relaxation?
Identify your goals for self-care. Many years ago I decided that when it comes to my physical well-being, it is not how long I live but how well I live. This decision led to particular goals: eat smart, exercise regularly, relax, and get enough rest.
C. Your significant relationships Healthy relationships require work. Therefore, be intentional in taking care of all valued relationships.
- Identify the most important relationships in your life. In what intentional, visible and practical ways are you nurturing these relationships?
- If you are married, family relationships must have priority over all others, with the relationship to your spouse as the first priority.
- If you have children, what are your goals for them? How do you want to be remembered by those closest to you?
One of my family goals is to be intentional in raising my daughter to have a good understanding of God as father. As such, I try to be a father who will reflect positively on God.
D. Your calling or career A sense of purpose and fulfillment is key to job or career satisfaction. What are your goals for this area in your life? One of my strengths is managing people. But I recall working in an entry-level job that I did not particularly like. I decided to learn this job really well so I could eventually manage others who do it. It took me a little less than two years before I achieved my goal of becoming a manager. How about you: do you have goals for your career or calling?
- Are you doing the work you felt called to, or are you in it for the money, prestige, security, or. . . . ?
- What are your dreams for your current career and how are you working to realize those dreams?
- What are your goals for the next five, 10 or 15 years?
Too many people remain in a job for money, prestige or security, or with no goals on how to either improve or move on; they are just stuck. Are you planning on furthering your education? Do want to retire in your current career?
Do you have clearly identifiable goals for your life and do your review them regularly? To live a life of purpose, passion, vision and excellence, you need goals. We can offer encouragement and assistance in defining and refining your goals, and in helping overcoming challenges in life and leadership If you need help to clarify or set new goals, please contact us at 208-880-0307 or errol@errolcarrim.com for a complimentary coaching session.