Earlier in April I was listening to my IRL friend Heather on a webinar. That’s right, I was multitasking (probably Pinterest) so I was listening instead of watching. Anyway, something she said was an “ah ha” moment and so I knew it would be perfect for a Motivation Monday post. I started texting her as soon as it was over letting her know ho much I enjoyed it and asked if I could use her purpose quote and if she had more info specifically about this topic on her website. Thankfully she was able to point me to this post, she discussed the real cure for comparison.
Why Comparison Hurts Us
Humans are more like dogs than we care to admit (The movie Up anyone??) Everyone gets distracted by their “squirrels”. Many times our squirrels are comparisons. Instead of chasing our purpose in life, we are focused on comparisons. What does this accomplish? The easy answer might seem to be, “nothing”, but I don’t believe this is true. Instead, I believe comparison is counter-productive to our lives. We lose focus, time management goes out the window, confidence is bruised, and our lives become a list of what-ifs and self-doubt. And the thing is, once comparisons begin, you not only lose the work during the comparisons, but you have to make up the work you have lost. Comparison really does hurt us!
Purpose is Key
So if comparison is the problem, then purpose is the antithesis. So how do we know our purpose? The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism is, “What is the chief end of man? The answer is where we can find our purpose: “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever”. Sounds easy enough, right? How do we glorify God when we are sitting at our desks working, hanging out with friends, or cleaning house? Now we can see that it isn’t quite as easy as it sounds. We glorify God when we first do things that honor him. Is the work you do honoring to Him? What about the things you do with friends? And as strange as it might sound, are you honoring Him when you are cleaning your house? I’m not saying it is always easy, toilets aren’t fun, but if I am cleaning with a cheerful and thankful attitude while I am doing it, then I am glorifying God. Second, we glorify God when we give him the credit and thanks He deserved for all He does for us.
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. – 1 Corinthians 10:31
How do we Know our Purpose?
As if understanding our general purpose isn’t hard enough, knowing what our specific purpose is beyond glorifying God is even harder. Personally, I couldn’t possibly begin to comprehend my purpose without prayer and reading God’s word. I know my primary spiritual gift is administration, which honestly lines up with everything about my website. My secondary gift is teaching, so I am still inline with my website. A broad purpose is one thing, but how does that translate into something that is actionable? I personally recommend SMART goals. I recommended an article on this in last weekends Weekend Reflection post. Our purpose needs to be specific, Heather’s example discussed moving through the airport. No one typically goes to the airport without a purpose and more specifically, no one gets pasts TSA security without a purpose. Do you know what your purpose is? Have you ever created SMART goals? This summer, I am doing an email series on moving goals from paper to reality. Sign up here to be notified when it is available.
Read the entire Motivation Monday Series here.
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