"Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” -George Sheehan
We had a little bit of a conversation yesterday in our church book group (we're reading A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian D. McLaren) - about pre-determination in one's life...is there a "Master Plan" that sets out who we are destined to become? Some people in theological circles call this the "chess piece" model. Are we "pre-determined" for a particular goal or destiny, or do we choose out destiny.
I don’t know that I believe we were “meant to be” anything specifically, but I know that we all have greater intentions that often get suffocated under the weight of our daily responsibilities. I also know that many of us (if not all) are gifted with particular life experiences, skills and talents which, when fully actualized, will lead us towards certain ends. As one awakens to this reality, it's a very powerful experience to realize that there is a greater sense of self we can move towards.
Even the bad stuff in our lives has a purpose - it offers us the possibility of transcending our challenges and, if we choose to effectively process whatever happens, if we choose to face it head-on, without flinching, with some honesty and courage - we have the potential to be an example for others that survival is possible - and, as we overcome whatever the challenge might have been, we become stronger and more effective as humans.
Many of us want to make the world a better place, or to mean something to other people. What that looks like differs for each of us, and sometimes it changes or evolves from one day, one month, and one year to the next - as our own insight into who we are evolves.
But it’s up to us all individually to wake up every day and decide that those intentions are what really matter. It’s not (really) money, approval, acclaim, or anything else that might distract us from what we believe to be true. What matters is who we want to be, and what we do about it today. It matters more who you are, than what you do. Ultimately your doing will flow out of your being.
I want to be someone who cares deeply. I think that is my destiny, and the end-result of all my current life experiences and relationships. Whether that destiny was pre-ordained for me or not doesn't really matter. I also remain constantly amazed, delighted and entertained at the interesting ways that path continues to play out in my life.
Who do you want to be – and what will you do about it today?
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