To often we are defined by what we’re against rather than what we’re for. We have mothers against drunk driving (MADD). We are anti-hunger, anti-smoking, anti-bullying, and so forth. But these things only get us out of negative territory. They just get us to zero.
Because of all this energy to avoid what we don’t want, we might be tempted to define our calling this same way. However, this doesn’t work for the long term.
If the bear that we’re running away from stops chasing us, what do we do? We get to a safe distance, and then we stop too. When our calling is defined as a negative, we loose steam when the crisis diminishes. Even if the crisis never goes away, we’re still only working to get into neutral territory.
In neutral territory, everything is bland. School isn’t bad, but it’s not great. Our work isn’t terrible, but we’re not fulfilled either. Over the long haul, this becomes rather depressing. We’re longing for life in full color, but we experience it only in black and white.
A more powerful approach is to define our life in terms of the positive we want to see. Instead of pouring all this energy into avoiding what we don’t want, we can put all that effort into achieving what we do want. For example, instead of focusing on eliminating domestic abuse, we can strive to create supportive, thriving families. Instead of preventing drunk driving, we can focus on increasing responsible driving.
My purpose statement is: “Speaking life into humanity.” I want you to get past zero into positive territory. I want you to live an adventure that matters. I want you to have life to the full. To do this, your life can’t be about avoiding the negative. You have to go for something positive.
Tell us, what do you stand for?
