Don’t be so spiritually minded that you are no earthly good. I believe your life was meant to be more than a religious summary of heaven and hell. Your fight for your truth should define your life; it’s all about what happens between the day you are born and whatever you chose to believe in after your body dies, what happens in the middle. Choosing what you believe spiritually is an important part of creating a vision for your life. Still, it is mandatory for you to also have the answers for your truth mentally and physically to understand, grow and live in purpose.
For me, I realized that the only thing I have total control of is my attitude and effort while I’m alive on this planet. The opportunity to control my mind and live based on my values is only possible as long as I live where my freedom as an individual is protected and my physical health holds up. Everything beyond my attitude and effort is out of my control to a varying degree, so attitude and effort must be my primary responsibility.
For me, building a vision for my life started by choosing to believe that there is something spiritually bigger than just my time on planet earth. This choice has freed me up to take the values-based purposeful risks necessary to understand my heart and develop my character. Developing this belief in my life has been key to staying consistent while surrounded by inconsistency.
I also chose to believe I was created with a purpose. That purpose wasn’t something elusive I needed to find. I believe that purpose is in my design. It’s evident in the way my heart is wired up. I already have all the ingredients to live out my purpose inside my heart. The challenge is defining it and establishing it in my life as part of my identity as an individual.
I also recognize when I was born into this world, I was born into chaos and imperfection. The momentum of this world is rushing to crush my heart, and it will destroy me if I don’t do the work to define myself and develop the tools necessary to play offense despite the societal and culture wars raging all around me. My freedom is threatened daily, and all of the imperfections that are to be a human will attempt to poison my heart to define me and create the obstacles I will have to overcome to become the person my heart was created to BE.
Defining yourself, establishing your identity, knowing how to re-aim at your purpose starts with taking a look at your heart and making sure it’s honest. Thriving inside of imperfection, making a positive difference, creating happiness for your life means you have to be willing to do the work to develop a values-based mentality, including defining yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually. You must choose what is true for your life in all three of these areas.
This process starts with defining your heart and making sure it’s honest.
Is your heart honest? Forget about being a reliable person if you don’t know how to tell yourself the truth or you won’t tell yourself the truth. Are you committed to holding yourself accountable to what you say are the truths in your life? I believe an honest heart is willing to admit to its mistakes, but more importantly, an honest heart is committed to and demonstrates growth toward the change it claims to believe.
To me, overly spiritual people always look like they are becoming “unbelievers” instead of being “believers.” Living your purpose means you are willing to be honest with where you are right now. Defining yourself is more than labeling the things you believe in. It’s defining yourself then fighting to live those values out in your life. When you make a mistake, you ask for forgiveness, and then you actually work at not making that mistake again. That’s how I believe you keep your heart honest, open for growth, moving forward through imperfection, re-aiming, and living out your purpose every day. S&H
Keep Coming Forward
Jim Hensel