Answer the question to find your passion by Chris Bowen

When we were raising our sons, I can almost guarantee that my wife and I heard them ask, “Why?” a million times! As a parent, it seemed like the most annoying question in the world. Little did I know that it is the most important question we can ask and answer in this life. We can answer all the other “Big W” questions: Who? What? When? But if we don’t know why, everything else seems useless. Why is the most important factor of doing anything in this life!

For several years now, I have taken a motto for myself: I am #livingthedream. This isn’t just a phrase that sounds good to me; I can honestly say I am indeed living my best life! You want to know why I’m so satisfied and fulfilled in this season? Because I found my why! Once you find your why, your purpose for getting up in the morning, you won’t have to hit the snooze button on your alarm clock five times before crawling out of bed. You’ll be happy to start the day, rather than dreading it.

When you think of people throughout history, or even the people in your personal life, who have made lasting influences on you, they all have some very common traits: they are happy, determined, focused, positive and confident. These are people who have found their why. A prime example of this is Mother Teresa. She dedicated her life for the cause of serving others who were poor, in need and hungry. She received such little outside help that she herself had to beg for food at times. Yet she changed the world through her lifetime of serving others. Because she knew her why, we are still seeing the results of her ministry and repeating her inspirational quotes today. One favorite is, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” She knew her why, and you can know yours, too!

Finding, then walking in your purpose is the most fulfilling achievement in life. The first step on the journey to finding your destiny is realizing what brings you joy. The reason why so many never find their purpose is because this requires serious soul searching. It is truly an inside job. You have to answer some difficult questions and that is a hard task, especially for those who tend to allow others to make their decisions for them!

Another essential step on the road to your purpose is learning to prioritize why you’re doing over what you’re doing. We tend to think that the more we do, the more we accomplish. We spread ourselves so thin that we literally fall apart, and nothing gets done in excellence. Quality will trump quantity every time. Learn to say a hard “No” to the things that don’t take you to your why.

The next trait that people of purpose have in common is that they don’t waste time and energy playing the blame game. Own up to the fact that although you can’t always control what happens to you, you alone control the way you respond. Take responsibility for your life.

To find your purpose, you first have to find your passion. Passion will point the way to your purpose! It will be your driving force.

Let me leave you with this quote:
Your life has PURPOSE.
Your story is IMPORTANT.
Your dreams COUNT.
Your voice MATTERS.
You were born to make an IMPACT.

You, too, will be #livingthedream when you find your why!

This article was extracted from issue 8 of Thrive Today! Journal (Winter 2023).