I got back to a John Maxwell quote because I heard him say something this morning in my car ride into work. I listen to his podcast “Minute with Maxwell” and I know there is probably not a more valuable 60 seconds around.
Something he said got me thinking about success and purpose. He mentions that most people have different ideas of what success is. There are so many definitions and ideas for all of us. The thing he said that out of all the successful people he knows is that each one of them has purpose in their lives. That has been on my radar for awhile now in my life. The purposes that I have are many, but they all come down to making a difference with people.
Obviously it’s one of the main reasons why I became a teacher. People who get into teaching and at the top of their list of reasons why, is for summers?? That is one thing that I quickly tell people to remember that summers don’t last! It certainly isn’t for the money, although is not horrible. People last and relationships last (at least some of them do), that’s the reason to get into teaching. It’s all about making a difference and the younger the people we can do that with, the better they and others will be. If you think of all the people that will come into contact with our students throughout their lifetimes, and the difference they will make with them because of something you did in the time you worked with them, that’s powerful stuff!
We need more people figuring out what their purpose is. We also need more people to do things and live life with passion! That has become one of my main messages over the years to my students and now I’m getting braver to make sure it’s my message to adults too. It’s never too late to find your purpose and passion and to make changes to go after those. The only time when it’s too late is when you take your last breath. Which remember, we all are going to do at sometime. That’s a driving force in my life now not to leave with “any of my music inside of me” that still has to be played.
Have you figured out what your purpose is? What are you passionate about? The bigger question is if you don’t know, what are you doing to find out what they are?