Day 13 - Two Little Words - On Purpose

Are you doing things on purpose?
 
When was the last time someone stepped on your foot and kept walking as if nothing happened?  
 
Most of the time, such an episode is likely to pass without further incident.  
 
However, if your day is already on the verge of becoming the next daytime reality series, that one little misstep is likely to be viewed as a foot stomp.  
 
In the final analysis, such an incident means absolutely nothing.  
 
In fact, I propose that, even if the person stepped on your foot "on purpose," the best that you can do is say, "No worries."  
 
And then let bygones be bygones.
 
True story:  I was at an intersection in Saginaw, Michigan, when I decided to pull into a gas station and call my mobile-phone service provider to inquire about the horrific reception I was receiving in that area of the state.  As I sat in my rental vehicle, trying to decipher the garbled questions from the customer-service representative, I watched a young man get out of his car, smash his lit cigarette into the top of a trash can, and toss the still-lit half-smoked cigarette into the trash can.
 
I know what you’re thinking… “With the cost of cigarettes these days, who smokes just half of a cigarette?”
 
But seriously, I watched the trash can intently, focused on the dark recesses of the opening. 
 
And, then... there it was: the first small signs of a smoldering fire.  
 
At this point, I knew I had to either tell someone or put out the fire myself.  
 
Actually… there was a third option – I could have just left the gas station.  But I didn’t leave.  And I didn’t try to put out the fire.  However, I did get out of my vehicle and tell the store clerk… and I specifically mentioned the large rack of propane tanks that sat in a cage flush up against the trash can.  The clerk immediately filled a bucket with water and doused the little flame that could have been so much more.
 
Ahhh… imagine the “what if’s.”
 
What if I had not stopped at that seemingly random gas station?
 
What if I did, indeed, had stopped, but spent the entire time totally engrossed in my conversation with a customer-service representative that was located in another far-off state?  What if the trash can did fully ignite and cause the propane tanks to explode like little bombs, one after the other? 
 
What if… 
 
Actually, we can’t go on living thinking about “What if?”
 
How do I know this?
 
I know it the same way you and everybody else knows it…
 
We have all seen someone transition from life at some point in our lives.
 
And we also know that we, too, will someday delve into another realm of reality.
 
Yet, in an interesting Catch-22-recipe of fate, faith, and denial, we speed toward our eventual death as if life goes on forever.  It does.  But that’s not my point.
 
My point is this:
 
When someone steps on your foot, it’s usually an accident. But if they did, indeed, do something to you on purpose (whatever it is), their actions should still have absolutely nothing to do with YOUR purpose.
 
Today I want you to believe, think, and KNOW that your life… the mind, body, and soul that is you… is definitely not an accident.
 
So, let’s not live our lives as if we’re waiting for an accident to happen.

After all, accidents will happen.  
 
Mistakes will be made.  
 
Tears will be shed.  

​And you know what?  Life will go on!  And you should, too.  And you should go on in a way that ensures your life is shimmering with the fulfillment of your purpose… not in a manner that gives a higher response to people doing “bad things” to you on purpose.  

Regardless of what their purpose is... focus on your purpose.  Regardless of their imperfections, focus on your path to an Ideal Life.
 
I am not perfect – and neither are we (you, he, she, and me).  To me, imperfection is wonderfully liberating!  Knowing that we are not perfect gives me knowledge and hope that I am not a hopeless heap of hopelessness.  Yet, all too often, we second-guess our respective God-given talents and abilities simply because we are afraid to make mistakes.  
 
Have you ever wondered why it’s called “second guessing?”
 
It’s called “second-guessing” because we actually initially KNOW what we should do. 
 
But instead of going with what we know, we second-guess ourselves (our S.E.L.F.), which is rather ironic in the fact that the ONE thing we should know, better than anything, is ourselves.
 
Perhaps we should start fist-knowing… and then “second-knowing” instead of second-guessing.
 
Remember: Your dreams are accomplished by first setting up your goals.  Your goals drive your plans.  And your plans tell you what you should do every single day of your life.  
 
Or, perhaps some of you see it this way:  
 
Plans are steps to achieving our goals, which help us achieve our dreams.  
 
Both of those statements say the same thing… and, if we really want to achieve our goals, we simply have to write them down.  As we write them down, our dreams are transformed out of our head and into the physical world...and into a written plan.
 
So tell me… with all this extra time we have on our hands during this pandemic, have you authored your dreams, your goals, and your plans?  If you have, indeed, written them down… you are in a much better position to avoid accidents, predict the future, and live your life ON PURPOSE...
 
...your purpose!
 
Aloha,
John
 

John H. Clark III is an optimistic realist.

Principal consultant at The PIE Group, and Executive Director of TeenBuilding USA, [a non-profit 501c(3)], John believes better development of leaders is what we (all) need.  And to be better organizations, we need more good leaders, not followers. To build better leaders, we must start with the individual (you, she, he, and me).
 
Described as “an innovative leader,” John teaches leaders, organizations, and individuals how to inspire each other. With a bold goal to inspire a worldwide community of optimistic realists who continuously accept, adapt to, and achieve the bold and beautiful concept of The Ideal Life, John is leading a movement to inspire people to apply his trademarked mantra {Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®}.
 
An innovative business manager and retired naval officer, John is fascinated by leaders and organizations that make the greatest impact within their organizational culture and within the “real” world — people who “get it.” Over the course of his life as a military leader, corporate mentor, and innovative content creator, John has discovered a wealth of insight about how we think, act and communicate within our respective work/life environments. As a career naval officer, mentor, educator, and optimistic realist, he has devoted his life to sharing insights to assist in our quests to become better at what we all do – live @ work!
 
An optimist with a penchant for writing about realistic solutions to the challenges of everyday life, John is the author of 3 books: a leadership-development insider, The Ideal: Your guide to An Ideal Life, a teen-focused guide, Getting Out: Expert Advice for Today’s Teens, and the Christian-based book, God’s Heartbeat: A Powerful Premise for Leading a Christian Life.
 
He delivers a unique and refreshing point of view to life's seemingly overwhelming situations. 
 
Through books, blogs, and everyday conversation, John's message resonates with an empowering blend of ideals that enrich, uplift, and “authorize” people to set and achieve goals far beyond current mindsets.  His trademarked phrase is a winner: