WHAT DRIVES YOUR LIFE?

A wise man once said that the man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder – a waif, a nothing, a no man. There are several factors that impact people’s lives, inspire them, and shape their value system. I was talking with a buddy about life and principles in general when the thought occurred to me, “What exactly drives my life?” What exactly do I want it to be? If I were to identify everything, there would be a long list of factors that are now driving my life.  There are several factors that impact people’s lives, inspire them, and shape their value system. And I’ve discovered that for a lot of people the driving factor behind success is envy and jealousy! I vividly recall when all that appealed to me was acquiring MORE. That would seem to be a good thing, but it wasn’t. It was apparent that increasing value wasn’t exactly the intent. It had to do with possession of things. 

People are driven by a variety of factors. Most of what I’ve seen is materialism; their philosophy is “what can I get out of life?” rather than “what can I offer to life?” They are driven to continually desire more because they believe that possessing more would give them more confidence, make them happier, more important, and more secure. I immediately learned that material possessions only bring momentary satisfaction. Net worth and self-worth are not comparable. – Don’t you think so? Our worth is not decided by our possessions. our value is not determined by our valuables.  Moreover, the most significant things in life are not things at all.

People are also often driven by guilt, and they spend their lives running from regrets and hiding their shame.  Guilt driven people are manipulated by memories. They allow their past to control their future. We are products of our past, but we do not have to be held captive by it. 

I’ve also experienced folks who are motivated by rage and resentment. Instead of letting go of their pains through forgiveness, they cling to them and never get over them. They subconsciously practice it again and over. Resentment always hurts you more than the person you are resentful of. Consider it this way: it’s the equivalent of ingesting poison and waiting for someone else to die. Can you picture it? 

Those who have hurt you in the past cannot continue to hurt you unless you hang on to the pain through resentment. Your past is what it is. Nothing will make a difference. Worrying about resentment is a silly and pointless thing to do. Breathe it out and let it go. 

Without purpose, life has no meaning and without meaning, life has no significance. The greatest tragedy is not death but a life without purpose. Because Nothing can compensate for not knowing your purpose.