Thursday, 5 February 2009

Living By Design - Part 2

In the last post (click HERE to see it) we introduced Stephen Covey's idea that things are created twice... first mentally and then physically.
We also had the challenge: Are we living by default or by design?

How do we become someone who lives by design?
We begin with the end in mind.
We look forward to who we want to become and what we want to have accomplished.

If you've ever been funerals... there are the one's where people will be missed by their close relatives... and then there are one's where it seems the whole community comes out, and people speak of someone who deeply impacted their lives. You sit there thinking, "Boy, if I could be just a little like so-and so... my life would have been well lived.

So... who do you want to become (your character)?
What is it that you want to have accomplished? (I'm sure that climbing the corporate ladder or owning the house with a white picket fence, a batch, and all the toys doesn't even feature!)

So what's standing in your way right now?
What do you need to start intentionally doing to become that person?

Leave your thoughts by commenting. I can't wait to hear what you have to say!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

That just made my day. Am I impacting my community? Yes, I realised I was when I thought about that question. If I died tomorrow there are many people who could come and say I made a difference in their lives. Then I pictured my funeral and all the people that could get up and say I'd made a difference to them and realised none of that was so important to me if my children didn't get up and say that I was there for them and impacted their lives. I think there's a caution in that. My children are my first mission field. In this season it is appropriate that my family come first and I don't neglect them for the community/ministry/workplace. My ministry is part-time. If I die young and that means there are fewer at my funeral but I have been there for my children, then I'm happy. But for now I am impacting the community and will have time to do that on a greater scale later in life. Meanwhile I am laying significant groundwork. We can all do little steps towards a long term goal when other priorities and situations hold us back due to circumstances or necessity. Meanwhile, a smile or meeting someone for tea, a phone call to ask how someone is are all ways to impact the community. It's about working what we have when the bigger goal is still in process.

Clive Smit said...

Thanks for your comment AnonAsUsual...

It's so easy to forget about family... I mean they are there all the time and they love you don't they...
But it sounds like you are on the right track. Keep it up!
If we can get those closest to us (even if it was just them) to love and respect us the most... we would have lived great & lives filled with integrity!

Here's a challenge I'd like to leave you with...
Would you tell one person - who is impacting your life - in the next month what impact they are having in your life.
I'm sure it would mean the world to them!

Anonymous said...

Thats the problem I think, we don't tell the people who impact our lives enough that what they are doling is really making a difference. The saying goes rather late then never, but later might not come either then what?

Clive Smit said...

Thanks for that comment Maryke.
It's true, we always tend to put off telling people what they mean to us. But the Bible does tell us that we aren't necessarily guaranteed a tomorrow, so live in the now!