Carl Mathis's Blog
April 22, 2016
How to Identify Your Purpose at "Work"
Identifying your purpose in life is a key component to success at work.
Often times, we have no clue on what our purpose is when we are in high school and college and thus we end up choosing majors based on what we're good at or what will bore us the least. As we grow more mature, wiser, and in our closer relationship with Christ, we begin to see the distinction between choosing a major vs having a meaningful life.
When choosing a major or a vocation during our younger years, careers with the highest earning potential may appeal to us. Years later, we find ourselves on a career trajectory that leaves us feeling listless, unfulfilled, unmotivated, overworked, and isn't in alignment with our core values. We awaken each morning with a sense of dread, despair and hopelessness often praying for brighter days ahead and the strength to make it through the day.
Our careers can be at odds with our core values and belief system. Often testing us, who we are and what we stand for on a daily basis. God didn't intend for us to live this way. God intended for us to live life and life more abundantly: A life of joy, contentment and service to others.
The good news is, each of us has unique abilities that, when expressed or used, make the world a better place. Most likely you enjoy doing these things naturally, you daydream about them and you find that people respond well to you when you do them. Perhaps they're things you gravitate towards during out-of-work activities, and that people admire you for.
When you cultivate these talents as far as you can, you can make your greatest possible contribution to the world, and enjoy personal and professional satisfaction that goes along with this.
Key questions to determine purposeful work
- When have you felt most passionate?
- When have you felt the most enthusiastic?
- When do you feel the most creative?
- When have you felt confident about your choices and decisions?
- What makes you take a really strong stand?
- Have you felt God nudging you in a certain direction?
- Do you feel excited about going to work each day?
- If money were no object, what would you be, do and have?
- Is there a job at work that you would love to have?
- What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
- What hobbies and interests do you have outside of work that you feel you could get paid for?
Carl Mathis, author of "Purpose Your Purpose"
Allow Carl to motivate you and keep you inspire with his words of encouragement, for more from Carl go to http://www.carlmathisbooks.com
Often times, we have no clue on what our purpose is when we are in high school and college and thus we end up choosing majors based on what we're good at or what will bore us the least. As we grow more mature, wiser, and in our closer relationship with Christ, we begin to see the distinction between choosing a major vs having a meaningful life.
When choosing a major or a vocation during our younger years, careers with the highest earning potential may appeal to us. Years later, we find ourselves on a career trajectory that leaves us feeling listless, unfulfilled, unmotivated, overworked, and isn't in alignment with our core values. We awaken each morning with a sense of dread, despair and hopelessness often praying for brighter days ahead and the strength to make it through the day.
Our careers can be at odds with our core values and belief system. Often testing us, who we are and what we stand for on a daily basis. God didn't intend for us to live this way. God intended for us to live life and life more abundantly: A life of joy, contentment and service to others.
The good news is, each of us has unique abilities that, when expressed or used, make the world a better place. Most likely you enjoy doing these things naturally, you daydream about them and you find that people respond well to you when you do them. Perhaps they're things you gravitate towards during out-of-work activities, and that people admire you for.
When you cultivate these talents as far as you can, you can make your greatest possible contribution to the world, and enjoy personal and professional satisfaction that goes along with this.
Key questions to determine purposeful work
- When have you felt most passionate?
- When have you felt the most enthusiastic?
- When do you feel the most creative?
- When have you felt confident about your choices and decisions?
- What makes you take a really strong stand?
- Have you felt God nudging you in a certain direction?
- Do you feel excited about going to work each day?
- If money were no object, what would you be, do and have?
- Is there a job at work that you would love to have?
- What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
- What hobbies and interests do you have outside of work that you feel you could get paid for?
Carl Mathis, author of "Purpose Your Purpose"
Allow Carl to motivate you and keep you inspire with his words of encouragement, for more from Carl go to http://www.carlmathisbooks.com
April 18, 2016
A Christian’s view on finding your purpose
Pursuing Your Purpose: How To Discover God's Revelation For Your LifePursuing Your Purpose
Why is it important to figure out your purpose? Many people often go through life aimlessly—as long as they have the basic necessities they do not aspire for more. An equal, or even more, number of people are on the other end—trying to find meaning in their life and figure out what they can and should do in the short and limited time they have on this earth.
A Christian’s view on finding your purpose
From a Christian standpoint, it is very important to find one’s purpose, and realize it in line with God’s purpose for us. This is important because this is how one can best serve God and at the same time make the world a better place. Christians believe that God simply wants what is best for us, and so understanding that purpose, taking it to heart, and fulfilling it will help in not just making us as individuals happy, but also make this world a better place.
It is not easy to find, let alone pursue, one’s purpose. Knowing it and actually doing it are both equally difficult. However, it can be very spiritually rewarding and nourishing when you begin journeying your path. You begin to grow in many aspects, particularly in your character and wisdom. You become full of grace, and mature spiritually, aside from physically.
This, of course, does not happen overnight. Finding one’s purpose takes time and you may experience detours and stumbling blocks along the way. Things can sometimes be unclear, and of course, there are many things that God could possibly be asking of you. A good question to ask then, is not just what is God asking of you for the long term, but also what is God asking from you at the moment. Perhaps you were detoured and were asked to do something seemingly out of left field. What may seem to be odd may actually be opportunities for grace and love.
Know as well that there is something greater at work in your life, and that nursing this relationship with God will allow you to be more attuned to what is happening and where you are being called. Christians believe that this world was not made by a random God, but rather by a gracious loving God for all of creation, and so we can see this God reflected therein and get to know him more through this world.
Finding your purpose in life brings a sense of meaning as well: you do things not simply because you want to, but because ultimately, you are working for something bigger, sometimes even bigger than yourself, your ambitions, and your goals. It keeps you waking up and going each morning, and when the going gets tough, a gentle reminder is sometimes all it takes to remind you of why you are doing something, despite its difficulty and stress. At the end of the day, it is all worth it.
Why is it important to figure out your purpose? Many people often go through life aimlessly—as long as they have the basic necessities they do not aspire for more. An equal, or even more, number of people are on the other end—trying to find meaning in their life and figure out what they can and should do in the short and limited time they have on this earth.
A Christian’s view on finding your purpose
From a Christian standpoint, it is very important to find one’s purpose, and realize it in line with God’s purpose for us. This is important because this is how one can best serve God and at the same time make the world a better place. Christians believe that God simply wants what is best for us, and so understanding that purpose, taking it to heart, and fulfilling it will help in not just making us as individuals happy, but also make this world a better place.
It is not easy to find, let alone pursue, one’s purpose. Knowing it and actually doing it are both equally difficult. However, it can be very spiritually rewarding and nourishing when you begin journeying your path. You begin to grow in many aspects, particularly in your character and wisdom. You become full of grace, and mature spiritually, aside from physically.
This, of course, does not happen overnight. Finding one’s purpose takes time and you may experience detours and stumbling blocks along the way. Things can sometimes be unclear, and of course, there are many things that God could possibly be asking of you. A good question to ask then, is not just what is God asking of you for the long term, but also what is God asking from you at the moment. Perhaps you were detoured and were asked to do something seemingly out of left field. What may seem to be odd may actually be opportunities for grace and love.
Know as well that there is something greater at work in your life, and that nursing this relationship with God will allow you to be more attuned to what is happening and where you are being called. Christians believe that this world was not made by a random God, but rather by a gracious loving God for all of creation, and so we can see this God reflected therein and get to know him more through this world.
Finding your purpose in life brings a sense of meaning as well: you do things not simply because you want to, but because ultimately, you are working for something bigger, sometimes even bigger than yourself, your ambitions, and your goals. It keeps you waking up and going each morning, and when the going gets tough, a gentle reminder is sometimes all it takes to remind you of why you are doing something, despite its difficulty and stress. At the end of the day, it is all worth it.
