Are You Going Through the Motions?

The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all.
Jawaharlal Nehru

I recently heard the song Going Through The Motions by Matthew West. The song is very inspiring. I love the lyrics. The song is about truly living your life for Christ instead of just going through the motions. While truly living for Christ is something close to my heart, I think the song can be inspiring for other areas of your life as well – not just spiritual.

Here are 5 steps you can do right now to quit going through the motions:

1. Know your Dreams: Do you know what your purpose is in life? What your dreams are? What inspires you?

Without a clear understanding of this, I don’t think you can help but go through the motions. If you know what they are, then write them down. Post them in your office. Put a copy in your wallet. Hang them on your mirror. If I was to ask you what your dreams are in life, how many words would you have to stumble through before you painted me an image of what that was?

Take some time to think about what inspires you and what you want to accomplish in life. If you are unsure, ask your friends what seems to make you come alive. If you still are not clear, make a goal to try new things to see what makes you come alive.

2. Embrace the Season you are in: First off, recognize that difficult seasons will bring about growth or change for the better in your life. We went through a very hurtful season recently that placed us in a new situation with amazing opportunities for us. Without going through what we did, we likely would have never come to the place where we are now. Look for the fruit that the labor of your current season will bring forth.

The second thing you need to know about seasons is that they will change. And along with them, your dreams will likely also change. You are going to grow as a person and so should your dreams. The problem is too often as we grow older or dreams become more faint. Kids tend to have dreams aimed at the stars and adults tend to have dreams aimed at getting through next week. As you enter new seasons of life, re-evaluate your dreams.

Finally, Seasons are also about timing. In my interview with Gary Humble, he spoke about new seasons coming in your life and waiting for the right time. He shared a quote from Leonard Ravenhill – “the opportunity of a lifetime must be seized during the lifetime of the opportunity.”

3. Fail Forward: Change your definition of Failure. Understand that successful people don’t get to where they are without failures. They simply see each failure as a necessary milestone to getting closer to their goal. I highly recommend reading Failing Forward by John Maxwell. John Maxwell redefines how we should think about failure. I enjoyed the book so much, its one of my Top 10 Books.

4. Take Small Action: Dream big. But start small. I believe that besides fear, the number one thing that prevents us from achieving our dreams is paralysis. Paralysis due to thinking we have to achieve the entire dream all at once. I have some amazing things I’d like to accomplish in my life, but if I try to accomplish the end product of that vision I will surely fail every time. So if your dream is to solve world hunger, start by volunteering at your local homeless shelter. Achieving your dream should be just as much about the journey as it is the end product. In fact, a good dream will likely be one with no official ending.

5. Be Passionate: Finally, when you are on the journey to fulfilling your dreams and purpose – be passionate about what you do. Don’t hold back. Share your passion. One of the things I have been working on recently is sharing my passion for wedding entertainment with potential clients. I absolutely love weddings. I think marriage is one of the greatest experiences and I believe is something very sacred and special to Christ. My hope is that with every wedding my wife and I are apart of, we can help bring out the meaning of each and every moment that happens during the ceremony and reception. That we can highlight the significance of each event that the bride and groom participate in. And by doing all of this, we will help provide a firm foundation for their marriage. That the moments they experience on their wedding day will be something they can fall back on during difficult seasons.

When I’m able to effectively share my passion, then bride’s and groom’s are willing to trust me with their wedding day. The same is true with any dream. You will need help and support to get there. Your dreams should be big enough that you can’t do it on your own, and by learning to be passionate and share your passion, you’ll find others willing to help you.

———————-

Bonus: Listen to the song and read the lyrics.

See the lyrics here.

Listen to the song here.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!