Enriching Your Life to the Extraordinary: Exceed to Excellence (Part 4 of 5)

Sunday, August 22, 2010

“Passion is the fuel of life. It is the great source of energy and drive. It’s what makes us explore new vistas, develop new relationships, and seek solutions to perplexing problems.” -Bob Buford

At Pixar Animation Studios passion isn’t a way of life; it is the only way to pursue life.  After 15 years making animation classic after classic, you can’t help but be amazed at their improbable run of success.  From Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, to Up–they keep raising the bar that leaves the rest of the industry in the dust. How do they do it? Pete Doctor producer of the movie, Up, provides us with this piece of information inside their philosophy: “Everybody is very selfless about wanting to make the movies as best they can, even if they’re not immediately involved with them.” Pixar has refined a way of working and living that seems obvious, but few are able to follow: Work hard. Surround yourself with bright people who all share one vision, and put your faith in their opinions. Above everything else, always strive to make something better; never settle for mediocrity striving to just reach the status quo. Never stop challenging yourself and each other. They encourage innovation , creativity, experimenting, and teamwork. Is it any wonder then that Pixar is highly regarded and respected among their peers and the public alike?

We can learn something from the philosophy and work ethics at Pixar. Life wasn’t meant to be approached with a casual approach in just trying to get by. This is counter-cultural to the way our society runs. We are told how to get rich fast, take shortcuts, and fit in with the crowd. Striving to survive and make it through another day is our motto. But God doesn’t want us just to live; He wants to give us life to the fullest. As Jesus told His disciples: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10b) Why is it then that the pursuit of a passionate, satisfying life is so hard? We’re caught in a constant battle of wanting to feel safe and secure versus the desire for something more. The song, Motions by Matthew West captures our struggle with mediocrity well: “This might hurt, it’s not safe, But I know that I’ve gotta make a change, I don’t care if I break, At least I’ll be feeling something, Cause just okay is not enough, Help me fight through the nothingness of life.” Before we look at how live a life of passion for God, let’s examine a few reasons why we’re in this predicament.

There are countless reasons why life makes us feel drained and depressed day after day, but one of the main reasons is our attitude. We approach life with the someday syndrome. Often we’re tempted to play it safe and settle for mediocrity. Countless people today at every stage in life say things like “Someday I’m going to go for all life as to offer.” “Someday when my schedule slows down, I’ll get involved at church.”Someday when there’s more time, I’ll focus on relationship with God.” Someday.If. One day. When are we going to wake up and come to the realization that this is life–right here, right now. When things do settle down ,we get more money, we find the right job; we realize it doesn’t fulfill us, and then we move on looking for the next big thing. It’s a mindset that is crippling to our lives and if we’re not careful it may come to define us.

Another reason why life leaves us disappointed is because we pursue the wrong things. Not necessarily bad things, just not the right things. Larry Crabb sums this up perfectly: “The core problem is not that we are too passionate about bad things, but that we are not passionate enough about good things.” We’re all unique and for each of us our personalities, dreams, desires are different. We’re so caught up in trying to please everyone else, do what they want, and then preceed to accept the position we’re in. God has given each of us a unique emotional heartbeat. We instinctively care about certain things and not about other things. The question we need to ask ourselves is simple: “What drives me? or What do I care about?” For each of us we may answer this question differently. There are five main areas we need to look at to fully answer this question.

What drives you? When you get up in the morning, what is it that excites you the most? At surface level this may seem hard for some of us. For some people their overriding factor of getting up is to go to work, take care of their kids, getting the to-do list done, and so on. Often to discover the deep cravings of our heart we have to look deeper into our spirit. Instead of focusing on your selfish pursuits and goals, we must look towards God and others in answering this question. How can I use my gifts and abilities to serve others? What dreams can I pursue to help other people? It’s only natural for us to ask “How does this purpose benefit me?” Our approach needs to change from seeing things from our eyes– to His eyes. God has placed in each of us passions that He wants us to bring into the world for His purpose. The first step is to discover what those passions are.

Next ask yourself: Who do I care about? What group of people are you most connected with? To who to who feel the most passionate about? This could be your own peer group, a certain demographic, the business world, orphans, the homeless, hungry, or the elderly. God has put certain people in our life for a reason and perhaps our best bet is to look to the people around us first. Whether it be our co-workers, our community, our church family, our friends, or our family–the answer to this question usually is right in front of us. Every moment of our lives as better equipped us to serve and minister others, we just have to be willing to look for the answer of who that may be.

Once we establish what we’re passionate about and who we’re passionate about, the next question that comes into play is this: What needs will you meet? First, keep in mind that you can’t possibly meet every need within your target group that you’re most passionate about. A good starting point is to focus on the needs that God and other people have met in your own life. As 2 Corinthians 1:4(NLT) states: “He comforts us in all out troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” Perhaps you’ve experienced something painful in your past like the divorce of your parents, physical abuse, or self-esteem issues. All our weaknesses, suffering, and failures all part of the masterpiece He is creating in our lives. When we discover how God has used our these painful experiences in our lives; it’s often that we want to share and help others see how they can experience the same transformation that we did. There are many different kinds of needs ranging from spiritual, physical, relational, emotional, and educational. We must narrow our focus down to what specific type of need we want to meet and then ask ourselves if it aligns with our God-given passions and spiritual gifts. The world then becomes a whole lot smaller.

Next, ask yourself: What cause will I help conquer? How will I make a lasting contribution and impact on people’s lives? The list of causes that need to be conquered are endless: poverty, alcoholism, AIDS, divorce, sanctity of life, drug abuse, spiritual apathy–the key is to find a cause your most passionate about and pursue it. Often times we look at the world’s problems and feel helpless because there’s so much hurt, pain, and suffering among us. Then we resolve to going right back to our comfortable self-centered lives because it seems too hard to overcome. The problem is simply that we have the wrong approach. Instead of looking at the world as a whole, we need to see what God has put in front of us and go from there. What cause am I most passionate about that is using my abilities and gifts? Never compare your cause to someone else either. Every cause is vitally important and valuable in God’s eyes. God has put a passion in your heart for a reason; it’s your responsibility to activate it!

Finally, ask what dream will I fulfill? In the book Wild at Heart, John Eldredge says” Our goal here is to recover that adventure God wrote on your heart when He made you. Your deepest desires reveal your deepest calling, the adventure God has for you. You must decide whether or not you’ll exchange a life of control born out of fear for a life of risk born out of faith.” Start making a list of things you deeply desire to do with your life, great and small. Never ask the question of “How?” How is not in God’s vocabulary. Instead ask “What?” What makes you come alive? What has God written on your heart? If you could do want you’ve always wanted to do, what would it be? Just remember that not every dream and desire is from God. If a dream is about personal success, comfort, and glory then you should reconsider it. A worthy dream is one in which you’ve using everything you’ve been given for God’s glory and His Kingdom. Dream big because no dream is too small for God to fulfill!

It all begins with your perspective. The world tells us, “Don’t be outrageous. Don’t stand out. Take no risks and play it safe. Comfort and security are the primary goals in life.” The band, Nevertheless, states this perspective  in their song, Live Like We’re Alive, ” They say stay inside the lines, We’ve drawn and you’ll be just fine, Don’t take chances with your life, … We’re here only for a second and then We’re gone, when we least expect it, So do more than survive, Let’s live like we’re alive.” God instead calls us to live a life of faith and passion for Him every day, every moment of every day. He has promised us an abundant life, the greatest adventure the human heart will ever know. Every day should be a “masterpiece” as coach John Wooden so eloquently put it.  When you connect with your God-given passions it transforms your everyday life. Work seems like play. Every moment we’re living is savored. Your perspective should be that every day, everything you do matters and God deserves your very best!

A person of passion and perspective doesn’t need extra motivation to get up in the morning. In fact, they can’t wait for the alarm clock to go off. They have clearly defined goals they go after in any given day. Boredom isn’t part of their schedule; even when they aren’t working on something. There is a purpose behind everything they do whether it be to further develop a relationship, work on a project, enjoying being part of a special event, or simply resting. They’re never completely satisfied, always striving to make things better and to reach their full potential. Every dream they have is being pursued with no fear; instead choosing to trust in God. Risks aren’t avoided, they’re welcomed. Nothing is taken for granted and everything they possess given to them is being used for God’s kingdom. At the end of the day, they go to bed eagerly anticipating what’s in store tomorrow. If you’re life was examined under the microscope would these picture resemble your life? It’s never too late to discover your passions and heart for God. As the people of Pixar illustrate through their work–it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it. Let your heart beat for God and give Him everything you have! This is our calling and the time to answer the call is now!!

**Next week we will conclude this 5 week series on Enriching Your Life to the Extraordinary, with Inspiring To Invest. We’ll look at investing in our time, relationships, and talents. Starting in September we’ll start a short two week series on Entering Your Future. God Bless.**

Sources:

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2350215/

Kerry and Chris Shook, One Month to Live. Waterbrook Press: Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2008.

Erik Rees, S.H.A.P.E. Zondervan Publishers: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2006.