Life's Appointments (Your Wake Up Call)
I heard two quotes that shook me.
"Wherever you find yourself, at some point in time, you made an appointment to be there" ~ Unknown
We are all self made...but only the wealthy all admit it. ~ Earl Nightingale
Right away, questions flooded my mind. You know...the ones you know you need to ask but don't really want to hear the answer to.
And I want you to ask yourself those same questions...
When in my past, did I make the appointment to be where I am today?
When did I set in motion the good and the bad I am experiencing in my life today?
What were the tipping points in my past that hard-wired my life for what I am seeing today? positively or negatively?
How much of my life today is manifesting as some (luckily) positive or (unfortunately) negative unintended consequence?
How much of the good parts of my life today are as a result of yesterday's INTENTIONAL exercise of the will and the mind to create?
What can I learn?
If I am not so sure about the answers that led my life to my today, am I clearly not on the same auto-pilot path to another day tomorrow where I may not be satisfied with?
I don't know about you but at first, these are scary thoughts....especially when I really think about what tomorrow might bring if I don't get a grip on things, make good decisions, and intentionally work towards a future I will thrive in.
I mean...think about it.
Relationships
Was there ever a time X years ago when you said this is the exact type of relationship you want, and started intentionally working towards that? and really...what have you done intentionally to have that?
Money
What was your specific, well articulated 5 year financial plan 5 years ago?...and if you were among the unicorns that actually wrote them down, did you actually execute them to create your current state right now?(crickets?)
Career
In your career...whether employed or not today, how did you arrive here? if you are employed, is it at your dream job? if not, why not? if unemployed, why not? was it really completely outside of your control? Why were you dispensable?
Health... business... ministry... education... your faith... the list goes on.
One thing is for sure...
Either consciously through well articulated and well executed plans OR through indecision, confusion, laziness, and procrastination OR thorough shear good luck, you and I have a huge impact on where we are in life light now.
I am discovering though, that these questions don't have to be scary if we apply them the right way. Here are some ways to think through and navigate them:
1. God was looking out for you:
If you look back and realize that its almost out of shear luck that you have the things you are grateful for, then you need to thank and really appreciate God for looking out for you....then you have to wake up and leverage that and stop taking it all for granted
2. Get a grip on tomorrow....today:
Fine. You're alive and breathing...but there's a lot more than that you want to do tomorrow. Get a grip on that now. Figure out what you want and start working a plan
3. Take it literally:
Yea...literally set an appointment with yourself in the next year as a deadline to have become/attained "X"
4. Change your attitude towards yourself:
Sometimes the problem is that we don't even think WE can make that much of an impact on our future because of how chaotic and "out of our hands" our today feels like. Its so stressful today. You already have no time today. You're already drowning in debt today...PAUSE...breathe...one step at a time...one day at a time...one area at a time.
You didn't"just" arrive at today. You wont "just" arrive at tomorrow.
Whether its consciously or unconscious, you are setting up your appointment for tomorrow.
I am only asking that you come off autopilot...and get a grip.
Prayerfully ask God what your life is really about...how you can thrive ... how you can arrive at a better tomorrow....and as best as I can friend, I will walk that road with you.