Dionna Sanchez
Do you remember when you first embarked on this journey that you are living? The excitement you probably felt was accompanied by numerous dreams and goals – your mind raced with ideas.
Those feelings can subside over time. The daily-ness of routine can chip away at the lofty dreams you once carried inside of you.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. In the Bible, Nehemiah was a leader who ran into a lot of trouble with other leaders trying to sabotage and distract him. Without his clear vision that God wanted him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, he could never have finished that project in just 52 days!
When you find your joy slipping away, just remember why you do what you do. What is the end result that you have in mind? Do you want to better yourself, or are you doing what you do for the betterment of others? Do you have a passion for what you do? Do you feel called to be in the position you are in? Are you excited to get up every morning, or has what you do become a drag?
You can tap back into what led you to where you are in the first place. You can inject fresh life and energy into your days by simply defining why it is you do what you do. If there is no objective, no meaning to what you do, then maybe it is time to step into a different role in your life. Even if you were called into it in the first place, it doesn’t mean it was wrong. Sometimes our seasons and roles change with time. They are meant to – just as we change with time.
Pause and Reflect:
Why do you do what you do?
Pause and prayerfully list five good reasons why you do what you do.
Now ask God to reveal to you some reasons that may be selfish reasons why you do what you do.
It’s important to love where you are and what you are doing. No one wants to listen or follow someone who obviously doesn’t enjoy being in the position they are in. Energy is contagious. Dreams catch on. People want to work for something in life that is bigger than them. They want to feel like what they do matters.
You can give that to them. But only if you feel like what you do, matters.
It doesn’t matter if you are a parent, a boss, or an employee. Everyone has someone else looking to him or her as an example to follow. Everyone is an example to someone else. But especially, if you are in a place of leadership, it’s vital that you work with a result in mind. Otherwise, you will get burned out, and those following your lead will get burned out. They will get tired of feeling like they are “spinning their wheels” with no objective in mind.
So, I ask again. Why do you do what you do? Why do you spend your life investing in this particular role and position?
We were all called to something. We all have a niche to fill and value to contribute. What’s yours? And are you living it out?
Pause and Reflect:
Assessing your goals, your commitments, your work, your direction is a good habit because assessment helps keep you on the correct path going in the correct direction.
Pray for God to strengthen you to enable you to be energized by the good reasons you listed earlier. Commit yourself to resist and conquer what God revealed to you as being selfish or inconsistent with God’s plan in the exercise above.