Geneva's Blog

Good evening, my pragmatic Readers,

I only skipped one week (we went to the beach), but it feels like sooo much longer since I’ve written a post! I am excited to settle down to write this with a nice warm tea and a snack 😊 Okay, let’s go!

Here’s what has been on my mind recently: what is the reason we aren’t living out our purposes? We’ve talked about how to discover our purpose, and we’ve discussed how our purpose can manifest in different ways in different stages of life. But it’s not like anything I’ve said is rocket science. I haven’t discovered some hitherto unthought-of formula for completing your life’s assignment. This is all pretty figure-out-able and (dare I say?) common sense stuff. So, what is going on? Why aren’t we all living the lives we were meant to – full of joy, fulfilled, and being of invaluable service to others?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this, and while I may have heard a thousand different “reasons” someone isn’t yet actively working on their Assignment, I think they can all be sorted into one of three categories.

1. Lack of conviction
2. Lack of direction
3. Lack of community

Let’s talk about each of these three hinderances.

1. First, we have a lack of conviction or a lack of belief in the importance or even the reality of their Assignment. These are people who have not found their passion or haven’t connected it with their potential. They may not even believe in their potential. They may not know a way to serve others using their passion/potential. This particular lack is what most of my posts have been focused on until now, so here links to some relevant earlier posts if you’d like to read more about this.

POST ONE

Post Two

POST THREE – Potential

• The second lack is a lack of direction. I think this is a big one and it encapsulates many obstacles that keep people from pursuing their purpose/completing their mission. Examples include:
• Conviction without a plan
• Difficulty with time management
• Improper prioritization
• Fuzzy goals that make it nearly impossible to establish next steps

This lack can be devastating because it leads to poor follow-through which may make an individual think that they just don’t have what it takes to accomplish their Assignment. This can quickly lead to feelings of overwhelm and the temptation to shut down. There is a lot more to talk about here. I plan to address this further in a future post.

• For now, let’s move on to the third lack. Lack of community. We were made to be connected to God and to others. Although the narrative of hard work and individual willpower is quite popular, the truth is that big meaningful things are done by teams and communities. We are meant to have and to give support. This can mean family, friends, coworkers, or teammates, but hopefully it means all the above. A healthy community offers perspective, resources, advice, and encouragement.

Think of the phrase “it takes a village”. That doesn’t just apply to raising a child.  There is a myriad of sources that say humans are hardwired for connection. Don’t feel confident in my unsupported opinions yet? That’s okay, I respect that. Here are a few sources to support the need for human connection:

• The Harvard Study of Adult Development is one of the longest longitudinal studies of human life ever conducted. The findings of this study are that the biggest predictor of living longer and healthier was the quality of the participants’ relationships in the middle of their life.
• John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory says that we are biologically driven to form strong emotional bonds from infancy.
• Mathiew Lieberman’s book Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect argues that the human need for social connection is a fundamental need as powerful as hunger or thirst.
• Pastor and author, Craig Groeschel says that isolation is an enemy to mental health and spiritual growth.
• Genesis 2:18 The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone.’
• Ecclesiastes 4:9-10   Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
• Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
• Hebrews 10:24-25     And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
• Galatians 6:2 Carry each other’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Huh. There is a lot to dig into there. Maybe I’ll dedicate a future post to that as well.

In our age of digital everything, online communities, and work from home options we may be lacking in community more than ever before. It is well known that we have a loneliness epidemic on our hands. And for the many reasons listed above, this is not good news for successfully living our purposes!

When I think of all the reasons I’ve heard from friends, coworkers, and my kids for why they “can’t” fulfill their Assignment (and trust me, I’ve heard a lot!), they can all be sorted into one of these three categories.

What do you think? What’s holding you back? Can you sort it into one of these? Try me! Or do you have a different obstacle? Is there something you think I’m missing? I know I always say this, but I would truly love to hear your thoughts. Comment below or on social media. Let’s talk about it!

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