PURPOSEFUL DISCOVERY

Note from Kimanzi: This is a guest post by Joseph Iregbu. He blogs here and is passionate about leading on purpose and helping others do same. He is the author of a book, husband to Temi and father to Isabel-Juda. Connect with him on Twitter here.

Call it passion or purpose; you cannot go far in life without it. Passion is an absolute necessity to winning in life.

There is something about passion and being passionate that inspires a person to greatness. Having the right passion is a good thing. But the question is:

What are you passionate about?
What drives you?

People without passion stand the risk of wasting their lives. In an age rife with mediocrity, who REALLY wants to hang out with people without drive?!

I believe God wants us to win in life, not survive. But it takes a realization of our purpose (or passion) to win.  Here’s why:

You cannot pursue what you don’t know. You cannot chase hard after what you don’t see.

HERE’S WHAT MIGHT HELP

The discovery of your passion is a personal experience. Others can only help and guide but you cannot outsource your responsibility. It’s YOUR life, YOUR dream, YOUR identity.

But how can you make this purposeful discovery of what you are about? These are not five steps to greatness – life is too short for such lists! I am just a regular guy with a huge heart for purposeful living and in my experience I have known these key points to lead the way:

Find a mentor(s) This is absolutely important if you want to succeed in life. I have one mentor for different areas of my life: marriage, career, family life, ministry, etc. Here’s why I believe in mentoring: God did not create us to be lone      rangers. We need people. We succeed when we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone ahead of us and those who share similar passion.
Identify what you’re VERY good at You came pre-packed into life with talents (at least one). But you must unpack      them to reach your potential. What are you VERY good at? This is time for soul-searching.
Read Grow your knowledge. You will limit your reach and progress if you do not read. Read about successful people whose passion you admire and find out how they are living out their purpose. Read about unsuccessful people too and learn to avoid their mistakes.
Don’t wait for permission Quit being overly respectful when it comes to living your dream; get up and do what you we rewired for. People applaud risk takers, not ‘nice guys’. Live you dream be yourself. You only have one crack at life. So, live to die without regrets!
Pray This tops my personal list of purposeful discovery. Who would you rather ask than the One who wired the gifts in you?

Purposeful discovery of your passion leads to a lifelong pursuit of the same. And if you do it long enough, you will discover the joy of living for a purpose greater than life itself.

Have you made your purposeful discovery yet? What other tips can you give to others yet to fully emerge in their own journey?