“You were born to achieve something significant, and you were destined to make a difference in your generation. Your life is not a divine experiment, but a project of Providence to fulfill a purpose that your generation needs” - Dr. Myles Munroe
“In the mid-twentieth century, in Bangkok, Thailand, the government wanted to build a large highway through a village. Yet in the path of the planned road was a Buddhist monastery with a little chapel, so they had to relocate the monastery – including a heavy, eleven foot clay statue of Buddha – to another place. Using a crane, the government workers moved the monastery in sections. When the workers transported the statue of Buddha to the new location and began to lower it into the place, however, the clay on the statue started to crumble and fall off. The people were afraid because this was a precious religious symbol to them, and they didn’t want it to be destroyed. Yet the more the workers tried to place the statue, the more it fell apart until, eventually, all the clay was falling off. Suddenly, the workers stared in amazement because, as the clay fell away, something unexpected was revealed: The statue was pure gold underneath. Before the statue was moved, people thought it was worth about fifty thousand dollars. Today, that golden Buddha is worth millions and, because of the story behind it, it is visited by hundreds of thousands of people every year”1
Question to Ponder:
Are you the Buddha statue that has clay on top of the valuable gold or are you the extremely valuable golden Buddha statue which will be seen by many?
As you enter into 2018, below are 3 life and leadership lessons which we can be applied to this upcoming year to help make 2018 your most intentional and fruitful year ever.
Lesson #1 – Your Purpose is Paramount
A lack of purpose and unfulfilled potential is very common in today’s society. You were born to fulfill a purpose. Don’t wander through life unintentionally. Intentionally choose to make 2018 the year that you relentlessly seek after your purpose and don’t stop until you are clear why you were put on this earth.
Lesson #2 – Vision is Different than Sight
Vision is the ability to see farther than your physical eyes can see; to not only see what is but also to see what can be and to make it a reality. Take a look around you for a moment, look at each of the items and objects which are in front of you (cell phone, computer, car, etc.), these items were someone else’s vision brought to the world for the benefit of you and many others. In 2018, don’t allow your sight to get in the way of your vision and purpose. Picture if the Buddha statue didn’t start to crumble, the people of Thailand would have never realized the valuable asset they were sitting on.
Lesson #3 – Always Make Your Purpose Bigger than Your Problems
Often people who are unclear on their purpose find themselves distracted and frustrated by the daily problems of life. In my own life, I have found the less I focus on the problems and the more I focus on my purpose, inevitably the smaller the problems become. The truth is, what we focus on expands. Choose to focus on your purpose and not on all the problems. In 2018, feed your purpose and starve your problems!
We at Lions Pride Leadership would like to wish you much joy, health and prosperity in this upcoming year as you pursue your vision, purpose and goals.
References:
1 An Excerpt from Munroe, Myles (2003) “The Principles and Power of Vision” (pg. 15). New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House. Print.
*** This article was authored by Chad Reyes, Chief Visionaire at Lions Pride Leadership Co.***