On getting started
- At October 06, 2012
- By Nathan
- In Career & Life Planning
0
Many different things could prevent you from starting out on an important journey. And having absolutely no idea where you want to go is one obvious option. That’ll do it. Oh, yeah.
There you are standing, staring – stuck at the crossroads so to speak. Going nowhere fast. The clock is ticking. Feels like life is passing you by.
Meanwhile, people are zooming by every which way; moving on with their lives. Sailing away. All around you. Moment by moment, step by step, making progress in their lives. Or so it seems, anyway. The days have turned into weeks and years…and you are still standing still.
No, a journey isn’t much of a journey without a clear destination. It is hard to get excited about doing nothing in particular with your life. A ho-hum, humdrum existence isn’t much to write home about either.
But if you presently lack direction, there is no sense getting more depressed or discouraged about your situation than you already are. What good would that do? Nurturing a melancholic mental state could result in abandoning the whole journey idea altogether. And that would only accelerate your downward spiral or the tailspin you feel you are in. What’s the use? Life is more or less over anyway. Carry on for too long with that type of thinking and…and…and, well I don’t exactly what will happen – but it won’t likely be good.
You might wake up one morning and discover that you are part of the casual culture. At first glance, that might not seem like such a bad thing. Yet another equally legitimate way of dressing and living. Perhaps. But nobody casually does much of anything that matters. Life doesn’t work that way. A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to listen to a jazz band perform at a local university. It was an enjoyable evening. And yet, it seemed to me that some of the students put very little passion and care into the way they dressed or into the way they played. It almost seemed as if these people took pride in their mediocrity. Strange. Odd.
And yes, I am having second thoughts about my own sometimes too casual approach to life. If life on this planet really isn’t much to get excited about, then I suppose it would make sense to adopt a half-hearted approach to every experience and opportunity that comes your way. But you know, deep down you know your life is worth celebrating.
So you have got to find a way to get going, to get moving, to get started. Apathy may seem cool to some, while aimless wandering appeals to others. But is that how you want to go about living your life? Is it? There must be some way for you to know which direction to take. There must be a dream or destination that almost calls out to you as if to say, “You were made for this!”
But why does it appear to be so easy for some people to figure this out while it is incredibly difficult for others?
Perhaps a sense of dissatisfaction with all the obvious travel options is holding you back. No direction is appealing or inspiring for you. Is that it? They all feel second-rate and lame. Might as well stay home and play video games for the next thirty years or so. That’s the spirit. Have you ever felt that way? If you have, may I suggest that at one level this feeling is perfectly normal. And may I continue by saying that you may be expecting too much out of this life to begin with. That could be part of your problem.
If you are looking for something that will really thrill you and inspire you, etc. it is best to look beyond this life. That is where you will find the stellar inspiration. It is. Most things down here aren’t as wonderful as many people say they are. Try to milk too much meaning and purpose and joy merely out of a career, or even a compelling life calling, and you will end up feeling dry. Even people who are passionate about what they do for a living have down days. Some decades may be mostly dull Ask any Olympic athlete: they only have one brief media extravaganza to look forward to every four years.
So then, is this to say that you need to rush out and randomly pick one of the many unsatisfying options? Not exactly. Not quite. Begin, rather, by simply recognizing your discontent for what it is: a hint; a clue. And then, face up to the fact that while you were made for this life you were also made for something beyond this life.
It is okay to sometimes lower your expectations just a wee bit.
Then again, it could be that you also lacked the encouragement and careful guidance that you needed early on in life. Nobody was their to notice what you might have to offer. Nobody stepped forward to tell you what you could become. You were treated instead, quite casually. Human being number (whatever your number is) had arrived on the earth and it was no big deal. You may have been given the impression, over a long period of time, that your life doesn’t really count.
I sincerely hope that this has not happened to you. But this common tragic experience could be another part of the problem. It is easier to believe a lie if you hear it over and over and over again.
Try to determine what is holding you back. Figure it out. For you have a life to live. This world waits to receive your contribution. Maybe it is time to get started.
© Career & Life Direction 2012. All rights reserved.
The sacrificial side of life
- At September 19, 2012
- By Nathan
- In Career & Life Planning
- 0
Live free or die. That is what it says on the licence plates in New Hampshire in the USA. That is what you will read over and over again if you ever visit this particular place. Strong words to be sure. Or, to put it plainly: Them are fightin’ words!
This is, of course, only a slogan and likely one of many possible mottoes that could have been chosen. But it is a feisty slogan nonetheless. It caught my attention years ago for the very first time. And even now, I can’t get used to it. The shock won’t go away. Nothing about the lovely landscapes in the White Mountains. Nothing about the beauty of the trees or the hills or the Atlantic ocean. There is nothing subtle or soft in this message.
Live free or die. This simple phrase draws a line in the sand. It represents a stark choice and a firm decision. It suggests collective courage and conviction. It draws attention to hardship and sacrifice in the past and hints at more to come. It makes you wonder, though, what type of freedom is being talked about. It is easy to know when you are dead, but how do you determine when you are truly free?
“I feel so free!” That is what a young man I know had to say after making his way from Cuba to Canada. Much of life, I learned, is controlled by the communist government there. Choices are few and far between. Things that I assume and take for granted are unthinkable not very far away.
“It is very dangerous here and there is no freedom!” That is what a young man I read about had to say about living in the West Bank. Then again, it may have been Gaza. But it doesn’t really matter. The point is that while life is always hard in some respects, it is much more difficult in some places than it is in others.
Have to say that I enjoyed this world a whole lot more before I travelled and read a little history. Liked the lullabies about everybody believing whatever they liked, and living however they pleased, and always getting along, etc. quite a bit more. But when the music fades, and everyone is finished singing the final round of John Lennon’s classic song “imagine all the people…” it is still dangerous walking home. In some parts of the world, walking anywhere at night is a bad idea.
During story time up here in Canada, we were often led to believe that we Canadians were an especially nice group of people. You know…didn’t cause anybody any trouble, tried to help out and lend a hand, keep the peace when we could – that type of thing. And to be fair, it is arguably less crazy here than it is on many other parts of the planet. Yet I doubt if Canadians have paid a very large percentage of the price required to keep it that way.
If Canada had been parked next to Germany or Russia or Iran during the past century, Canadian culture would have looked much different. And life overall would have been much more difficult. My home country may not have survived.
Having your life or your country or your civilization threatened is not a small thing. While preparing this post, I learned about a person I know well who recently had their life threatened. I am very concerned. Having been on the receiving end of a couple of death threats myself, I know that it is not a pleasant experience. And I wouldn’t want to encourage anyone to embrace a harmful or hasty response to immediate danger.
Your life is something you should treasure and protect. Your life isn’t something you should quickly throw away.
And yet, freedom isn’t free.
In the future, you may be required to make a very costly contribution for the common good. Your role could turn out to be much larger than you think. You never know. Gotta die some time. Might as well go down doing something that makes a difference – something that could make people truly free.
© Career & Life Direction 2012. All rights reserved.
Problems and perspective
- At September 07, 2012
- By Nathan
- In Career & Life Planning
- 0
Consider the flowers
Try to identify which problems require your focused attention and which ones do not.
It doesn’t do much good, for example, to exert a large amount of personal energy on overwhelming global concerns. At the moment, there is talk of war between Israel and Iran and maybe a number of other nations. Not good. But what can you do about it? Not much.
This isn’t to suggest that praying is insignificant. But this is the issue: Where do you want to invest most of your limited time and energy? Stressing about a war that may or may not happen? I didn’t think so.
Anxiety is like a sponge: It soaks up everything around it. Turn your attention towards huge problems. Meditate on everything that is wrong in the world. Watch the news night after night and go to sleep nervous. One day you will wake up and realize that you have burned up an incredible amount of energy, and essentially wasted a large part of your life.
“So what did you do with all the energy you were given during your brief time on the earth?” Saint Peter might ask.
“Pete, things are really bad down there,” you reply, “Had to play it safe, you know. Got good and worried mostly.”
Is that how you want the conversation to play out when your time comes?
It is very important to regularly recognize that you are not God. And the last time I checked, is was quite obvious that neither am I. This world is filled with overwhelming problems from our perspective. It really is. Things are bad – in many ways. If you and I really knew all that was going on right now around the world we likely wouldn’t be able to sleep at all.
Consider one other example: At this very moment, America continues in its steadfast march towards economic Armageddon. Hey, what’s another trillion dollars when you are already 16 trillion in the red? And why would any politician even try to balance the budget now if it means political suicide? Whether you vote Democrat or Republican, nothing significant is going to change. Doom and gloom is definitely on the horizon in the not-too-distant future.
This is reality, my friend.
Are you worried? Are you concerned? Can you still sleep at night? At one level, you should be very concerned. But at the same, you shouldn’t let this catastrophic problem consume your energy. For this problem isn’t ultimately your concern or primarily your responsibility. It isn’t.
The idea is to focus your time and energy on what you are responsible for, and let God – and in this case the government – worry about the global economy and how to go about running the world.
© Career & Life Direction 2012. All rights reserved.
The planning book
- At August 20, 2012
- By Nathan
- In Career & Life Planning
- 0
Bought a thin black book the other day and labelled it “The planning book.” Such an exciting day it was, buying that book. Epic, indeed. Ranked right up there with other major world events (i.e. elections, economic problems, etc.). Should have been there to take it all in. It was quite something.
One newspaper headline captured the moment with this gripping title: “Man buys book at Walmart.” That about said it all. Such an exciting moment in world history. Truly amazing. An absolutely thrilling event to be sure that was now securely entrenched in our collective memory. Captivating. Compelling. How else could it be described? Children will be told this story for generations to come.
Yes, this book-buying expedition was really quite something.
People stopped talking and turned to stare as I marched towards that checkout line. It was awkward, to say the least. The silence was loud. Complete strangers reached out to shake my hand and pat me on the back as I passed by. More than a few people said it, loudly: “Bon chance mon ami!” And when I walked up to the counter and slapped that VISA card down, there was a spontaneous and enthusiastic round of applause. It went on and on.
Throughout the store, everyone was on their feet cheering wildly for a good ten minutes. It was like being at a big NFL football game. It was like the NHL playoffs or the NBA; like the closing ceremonies at the Olympics games in London. For I moment, I expected a classic British rock band to emerge from under the floor on a hydraulic stage. U2 would have been nice. Thankfully, the Spice Girls didn’t show up.
But then, when the fireworks started going off inside, thought it might be about time to take my brand new book and get out – and quickly head for the door. But I didn’t get far.
A dozen or so camera crews were crowded together outside blocking the way. Bright lights, microphones, jostling journalists, questions and more questions; it was quite a commotion. CNN, NBC, ABC, FOX, CBC, CTV, Global, etc…they all showed up to cover this incredible story and hit it from every possible angle. The colour of the book. The cost of the book. The size of the book. The reason for buying this book now. It seemed like the questions would never end.
A BBC reporter caught my attention with a crisp and delightful British accent. Said that he flew all night to get here and barely made it for this big day. But now that I was here with my book, and he was here in Canada with his crew, it would be brilliant, just brilliant, if I could tell people all around the world how I was feeling right now – at this very moment.
He talked so fast, like all the other reporters, that I barely had time to think.
“Well, I guess it has come down to this,” I said, slowly trying to gather my thoughts. “What I mean is that – it’s time. It’s time to move ahead in my life in a more clear and directed way. And this book…well, maybe this book will help.”
“So your feeling pretty good about your purchase? And you really think that this new book is going to help you find your way and possibly your place in this world?” he said. “That sounds like a lot to expect from one little book.”
He smiled as he talked, and seemed to hint that he already knew it was going to make a big difference by his tone of voice. There was a sense of anticipation hanging on each word he said.
“No, this book isn’t going to change everything,” I said, considering the unusually positive atmosphere around me. “But it is the planning-type people who tend to change the world.”
Driving home, the whole experience played over and over again in my mind. It was a day I will not soon forget.
And there it sits, even now: My new planning book
© Career & Life Direction 2012. All rights reserved.
Surviving and thriving
Having a safe place to live, food to eat, clothes to wear, clean water to drink, health care…all of these basic needs are obviously very important. And so are some basic beliefs.
Take the belief in God, for example. Turn your attention more specifically towards the gospel and Christ. What will you find? Whether you realize it or not, something significant that can meet your basic needs. Oh yeah, you can live without such a conviction. Many people and communities and cultures and countries do. But you can’t constantly think about what you believe and live very well for very long.
Cars break down if they do not receive the attention and care that they need, and so do people and relationships and entire cultures.
One of the often-repeated messages here at Career & Life Direction is simply this: Your life matters. Now, either this statement is true or it isn’t. I can’t say, “Your life matters because I say that it matters and will live like it matters and talk endlessly about how much it matters.” Blathering on like that won’t do much good. How would that help?
Don’t wait around for God to do everything for you while engaging in pious talk
Simon & Garfunkel wrote a beautiful and yet sad song many years ago. The title is worth mentioning at this point. It was called “The Sound of Silence.”
A shift towards a post-modern or atheistic worldview has the same effect as global warming: It makes solid-looking things melt away. Rational thought eventually melts when a Judeo-Christian worldview is rejected for too long, but that is another story. When the thinking ends, the chanting begins. It sounds something like this: “My life matters! My life matters! Don’t say it doesn’t! Don’t say it doesn’t! That is hateful! That is hateful! You are a hater! You are a hater!”
Exit: careful consideration. Enter: a mob mentality.
One positive aspect, though, about all the excessive chanting and noise, is that it suggests that most people have a deep conviction that their lives really do matter. They just don’t know why.
Don’t believe me? It is not so important whether or not you agree with everything I think or say. But you might want to ask yourself this question: “Who or what do I really believe?” Does your worldview imply that your life is anything much to get excited about? If it doesn’t, could it be that there is something wrong with what you presently believe?
Believing that your life matters, having this strong core conviction, will help you move ahead in your life. It will help you survive and even thrive.
If you do accept the gospel and a Christian worldview at some point, be sure to then avoid the problem of passivity. And yes, passivity is potentially a very large problem for Christian people. For the gospel is all about grace; it is all about a gift. At the core, the main message is about what Christ accomplished on our behalf by dying on the cross. It is all about choosing whether or not to accept this. There really isn’t much to do. And the implication is that your life and your future really, really, really, matters to God.
This message or story has been refered to as the gospel or “good news” for centuries. Have you ever wondered why?
Although the gospel is incredibly important, remember that it is part of a larger story. Yes, God has taken the responsibility to offer each human being who has ever lived a very valuable gift – something each person needs. But at the same time, it is very clear that God has no intention of doing absolutely everything for you or for me. In other words, you still have a lot of responsibility. You have a life to live. You have choices to make. You have gifts and talents that you need to find ways to develop and use. There are many things that you need to do.
So don’t wait around for God to do everything for you while engaging in pious talk. As a Christian, you need to learn to take responsibility for your own life under God. Please be sure to take this advice in the way that it is intended. It isn’t a random cutting remark. It is a strong word of encouragement.
For what it is worth, I have a graduate degree in Christian studies and I have lived long enough as a Christian to make more than a few mistakes. From my perspective, it is impossible to sort out exactly how my will and my choices relates to God’s. Christian theologians will be talking and arguing about this for years to come. What matters is that God has acted and will act in this world, and that you and I need to act too.
Don’t underestimate the measure of power and potential influence that you have been given. If a large and growing number of Christian people are taking strategic action daily throughout this world, it is going to make difference. A big difference.
Who knows? Maybe you have a large role to play right where you have been placed on the planet. Maybe you will help your community and culture and civilization survive and even thrive.
Taking the time to clarify your career and life direction is one way that you can act right now.
© Career & Life Direction 2012. All rights reserved.
Getting to the other side
- At August 13, 2012
- By Nathan
- In Career & Life Planning
- 0
Getting to the other sideQuestions to consider:
So, where are you at right now in your life?
Are you standing on the shore, standing still, when you should be out there on the sea?
Are you wondering where you should be sailing to in the first place?
Are you thinking that you don’t have much to offer, much to give?
Are you feeling like your journey doesn’t matter?
Where are you at right now in your life?
Are you pursuing your potential in every way?
Are you planning to make a difference, working to reach your destination?
Are you struggling simple to stay afloat?
Where are you at right now?
Wherever you are, I hope that this website will help you get to where you need to be, help you take the next step, help you make it – eventually – to the other side.
© Career & Life Direction 2012. All rights reserved.
Finding what you are looking for
- At August 09, 2012
- By Nathan
- In Career & Life Planning
- 0
Arriving at your destination
One advantage of the Internet is that an incredible amount of information is instantly available. One disadvantage of the Internet, and many websites for that matter, is that an incredible amount of information is instantly available.
Where do you begin? How do you find the specific information that you are looking for?
More to the point: How do you avoid having a nervous breakdown in the process of your exciting journey of discovery? Spend too much time on the Internet and before too long your brain starts to shut down.
Entering this website is like opening a book. You could spend the same amount of time reading here as it would take you to work through a 300 or so page book. If you want to do that, fine. But if not, here are a few questions to consider in order to determine where to begin:
1. Are you here because you are young and have no idea what to do with your life?
If so, may I suggest beginning by trying to gain an overview of the task that is ahead. In other words, identify the steps that you will need to take in order to move ahead in your life. Imagine that you are watching your life from very high up and from very far away. At the moment, you notice that you seem to be standing still. Would it concern you if you were still standing still, stuck, frozen in place, five years from now? If it would, you will need to take some time and work hard now to prevent that from happening.
From there, go to the “Discover” section and work your way through what you find. While it is all important, pay close attention to the part about identifying your personality type as you begin.
In the near future, a more complete online career-planning tool will be offered at Career & Life Direction for a small fee. This resource is something you may want to take advantage of when it arrives in September 2012.
2. Are you here because you are a little older and very frustrated with your situation in life?
What you may need right now is some encouragement at an emotional level more than anything else. If you are deeply discouraged, if you have been wounded to the core, words of affirmation and encouragement and perspective might benefit you the most. You will need more than words, but words can help. You will need time to heal and rest and recover before you can launch out again on an exciting new adventure.
You will also need other people. You will need people who understand you and who are interested in your life. Interested in your future. Interested in your dreams. Wanting to be alone during a difficult time is understandable; it is sometimes necessary. Be careful, however, not to stay in a solitary state for too long. Find ways to make meaningful connections with other people. The “Connect” section on this site can help you do just that.
3. Are you here because you need help making a specific career or life direction decision?
If that is your situation, if would be prudent to talk to somebody you can trust about the details of the various opportunities before you. One way to organize your thoughts before hand, is to take a sheet of paper, draw a line down the middle, and then write down possible positive and negative results. Do this for each individual option. Then, when you meet with your friend or mentor, you will be more prepared to talk about the decision that you will soon need to make.
Nobody to talk to? Sometimes confusion is present because you may not have a clear vision of where you are going or how you are going to get there. I have personally worked through a couple career-planning books which helped give me a better idea of what I wanted to do with my life. But this takes a long time. And not everyone enjoys sitting alone by themselves for hours on end reading and reflecting.
For now, try to separate your career and life planning into two separate categories: short-term and long-term. If you don’t have a fairly firm long-term plan at the moment, I would recommend that you avoid making any major decisions until you do. At the same time, be sure to make the best possible short-term decisions that you can.
© Career & Life Direction 2012. All rights reserved.
Relentless determination
- At August 03, 2012
- By Nathan
- In Career & Life Planning
- 0
The calm before the storm
Wisdom is required in order to know when to change directions in your life and when to keep pressing on and trying to make progress travelling in the same direction. There is no point attempting the same thing over and over and over and over again when it obviously isn’t working.
Having said that, there are many times in life when what you will need more than anything is a large dose of endurance. Perseverance. Grit. Determination. That is what you will need.
Life will be difficult in many ways. It will not be easy. Building anything of value takes work. Hard work. You will face apathy, criticism, and outright opposition. Get used to it. That is the way this world often works. Look for the support and encouragement you will need; search until you find it. But at the same time, brace yourself for the journey that lies ahead. Do what you need to do to make it to your destination.
As you prepare, be sure to carefully seek wise advice before you commit to a specific life direction for a long period of time. The importance of seeking wise counsel cannot be overestimated. In the end, you are responsible to make the decisions that impact your life the most. You cannot lay the blame on other people for the consequences. But still, if you are facing a very significant decision in your life right now, please do not make it alone. Get all the good advice you can. You are going to need it.
Build strategic relationships. Pick up the phone. Get on the Internet. Check out a book. Talk to people you respect who have relevant experience in the specific area of life or work that you are interested in or struggling with. Take the initiative. Take the time. Make it happen. So it feels a bit awkward talking to someone you don’t know very well. So what? Dealing with nervous feelings for a short period of time is much better than dealing with a bad decision for many years to come.
Once you have made the decision that needs to be made, stick with it. Do not constantly second-guess yourself. Bring the analyzing to an end and focus on the task that lies ahead. Focus on your future. Focus on your dreams. Picture the difference that your life is going to make. Imagine the impact that all of your planning and preparation – and now perseverance – is going to have. Fast forward fifty years or so and picture yourself standing before your Creator and saying these words: “As you know, I did everything I could with what I had.”
And when the going gets tough, remember these words. Remember the words of a famous speech given by Winston Churchill during World War II. Remember what this man said to a large group of people facing a crisis situation in their lives. Run it through your mind again and again. It wasn’t a speech that many people were expecting. But, here is what Winston had to say:
“Do not give up! Do not give up! Do not give up! Do not give up! Do not give up! Do not give up! Do not give up! Do not give up! Do not give up! Do not give up! Do not give up! Do not give up! Do not give up! Do not give up! Do not give up! Do not give up!”
You get the idea. Whatever you do…don’t give up now.
© Career & Life Direction 2012. All rights reserved.
What you have to offer
- At July 28, 2012
- By Nathan
- In Career & Life Planning
- 0
Launching from where you live
Rather than thinking initially about what specific type of career or life calling might be a good choice for you, begin by thinking about what you might have to offer this world. And yes, you do have something to offer. If it is too overwhelming picturing yourself next to everybody on a needy planet, go with your community, or family, or friends, etc.
Believe me: Somebody somewhere could benefit from what you have.
What have you got? What is your story? How do you feel you might fit even in the immediate environment you see around you?
Begin with basics: Are you a man or a woman? No, seriously. I am all for equality in terms of dignity and value but your gender does make a difference. A big difference. Women bring something to this world that men don’t and vice versa. You might not have read the book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, but you likely already recognized a number of important differences from daily life.
Men, for example, are known for their ability to focus their effort or energy on one specific thing for a long period of time. Women, on the other hand, are typically very good at taking many different things into consideration all at once. Men go shopping to buy something. Women go shopping to look at everything. Men tend to travel to reach a specific destination. Women usually want to experience everything along the way. What is a strength in some situations may be a weakness in another.
This is only one example. While men and women are similar in some ways they are also very different in many others. Be prepared: The differences are likely much larger than you think. Getting to know the usually characteristics of your own gender and the other gender will serve you well. It will open your eyes to the areas in which you might be the most effective.
Moving on. How would you describe your physical condition? Are you tall or short or somewhere in between? How is your level of fitness? Do you have any obvious physical limitations that might need to be considered? How is your eye sight? On a scale of one to ten, how high is your energy level? Do you struggle with any chronic conditions? These questions may seem to lead towards identifying limitations. But that is not the intent. The purpose is rather to develop a very clear view of what you have to offer.
Nations and individuals both need to identify their natural resources. Possibility thinking needs to be anchored to reality. Connected.
When Bethany Hamilton was thirteen years old she lost one of her arms in a shark attack. And yes, it is as painful for me to write this as it is for you to read this. It is horrible to even imagine something like this happening. For Bethany, the pain was experienced on another level. She almost died. The movie Soul Surfer tells her story.
Missing an arm is an important detail, to say the least, especially if you happen to be a competitive surfer like Bethany. It wasn’t easy but somehow she was able to carry on. So if you realize that all of your body parts are intact and working relatively well…give thanks. Consider also that a healthy body is a very significant asset that you can make good use of in the years to come.
Next, identify where you live. That shouldn’t take too long. Is your home on an island somewhere out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? Do you live in a small village in Africa? Are you part of one of the many mega-cities in China? Are you quite isolated or living in the heartland of your civilization? Is it blazing hot or freezing cold or somewhere in between? What immediate opportunities are there for you in your area? Location, location, location. It matters.
Find a globe and stick a brightly coloured pin in where you live. Go to Google Maps and more or less do the same. Ask yourself this question: What might somebody living where I am have to offer that somebody living somewhere else might not?
Growing up, as I did, on a farm in western Canada is quite a bit different from, say, growing up downtown in New York City. If you looking for space and solitude and silence, for example, rural Saskatchewan is one place where you can easily find it. And, in New York City? Not so much. As an introvert I have come to appreciate the importance of having a quiet setting to reflect. Perhaps sustained uncluttered thought can be of some benefit to others? You never know.
Finally, there is the issue of language. What language do you speak? And can you speak any additional languages? My present location on the planet makes this a very relevant question. If you live in Quebec, for example, there is a very good chance that you will naturally grow up being bilingual. Speaking French and English will be a natural part of daily life. And, if you recently immigrated to Canada from another country there is a very good chance that you will be trilingual. View each language you speak as an additional asset.
Growing up speaking English in a largely English-speaking world has given me one advantage that many other people do not have. This language skilll is part of what I personally have to offer. I am, of course, making use of it right now. But it would be even better if I was able to function freely in French, German, Russian, or any of the many other languages which are frequently used around the world. Learning another language would add to what I presently have to offer.
So, as you reflect on a few of your basic background details, what is it that you have to offer? Have you considered that you likely have a lot more to offer than you presently think?
© Career & Life Direction 2012. All rights reserved.
Going to good extremes
- At July 27, 2012
- By Nathan
- In Career & Life Planning
- 0
The Apostle Paul prayed night and day and worked night and day. That is what it says. He was not slack in either area of life. Had to sleep sometime, to be sure. But he didn’t neglect the importance of communicating with the most powerful person in the universe, and he didn’t neglect his own power to make a difference in his world.
What do you think of that?
Everything in the Bible is not there, of course, as an example to be followed. And different people had different ways of going about their callings or vocations in life. At the same time, personal and human limits need to be kept in mind. We are not praying machines or working machines, etc. People need to do other things with their time as well. For example, people also need to stop, slow down, rest, and simply focus on God and God’s creation much more than they presently do.
But do you think that things might be better in your community or country if more people talked to God constantly and made good use of the time and energy they have been given? I do.
Things did not look promising at all for the early Christians when the Apostle Paul was around. It was a dangerous time. It was a very difficult time. The situation often looked bleak. But, consider how things were different because of the life that Paul and many others like him lived.
There is no doubt that this man played an important role in terms of starting a movement that has changed this world. Did he know how things would turn out? Not likely.
Here is the point: It is always a good idea to do what you can with what you have. And it is also a good idea to constantly communicate with Someone who can accomplish much, much more than you can.
Pray and work. Work and Pray. Both things require your attention today.
© Career & Life Direction 2012. All rights reserved.
On taking chances
- At July 26, 2012
- By Nathan
- In Career & Life Planning
- 0
You will need to be willing to take some risks in order to move ahead in your life. Be careful, though, about the type of risks you take – particularly when they involve other people.
Here is a little song to play in the back of your mind if you are about to impulsively embark on an incredibly risky venture. Get “Take a Chance on Me” by ABBA playing in the back of your mind. Then, imagine that you are driving with a friend in your car, that a gas station is just up ahead, and that the gas gauge is getting really low.
Take a chance, take a chance, take a chance…
Take a Chance with Me
I won’t change my mind, we can’t wait in line
Hey, gas ain’t free
Take a chance with me
And you need me, really, cuz this is my car
We’re going that way, and we’re going far
You’d like to fly, fly far away
Still here I see
Take a chance with me
Gonna keep on driving, till the tank is almost dry
Push the pedal down, drive right on by
Take a chance with me
(The gauge is getting lower)
Take a chance with me
We could get stranded, we could be walking, many miles together
Listen to your yelling, very little talking, things could better
Oh, I know you’ve got
So much that you wanna do, when you catch up with me
It’s tragic
We didn’t make it there, okay it isn’t fair
You told me so
But I had to go
No, I won’t change my mind, we can’t wait in line
Hey, gas ain’t free
Take a chance with me
And you need me, really, cuz this is my car
We’re going that way, and we’re going far
You’d like to fly, fly far away
Still stuck here I see
Take a chance with me
Gonna keep on driving, till the tank is almost dry
Push the pedal down, drive right on by
Take a chance with me
(Maybe I should have driven slower)
Take a chance with me
Oh, you should take a pill, not be in such a fury, no you won’t catch up with me
You might wanna really hurt me, but buddy don’t worry, I ain’t gonna let you
Let me take a bow
My feet are fast enough to flee when things get rough
Or it’s tragic
You say you’ll take your time, can’t get this off your mind
You can’t let it go
Yes, you told me so
I won’t change my mind, we can’t wait in line
Hey, gas ain’t free
Take a chance with me
And you need me, really, cuz this is my car
We’re going that way and we’re going far
You’d like to fly, fly far away
Still here with I see
Take a chance with me
Gonna run my very best, quickly flee
Put this old car to the test, took a chance with me
Ah ah ah ah aaaah, ah ah ah ah aaaah!
Hey, gas ain’t free
You took a chance with me
Gonna run my very best, quickly flee
Put this old car to the test, took a chance with me
(Took a chance, took a chance, took a chance with me)
Ah ah ah ah aaah, ah ah ah ah aaah!
Hey, gas ain’t free
You took a chance with me
{Repeat and fade}
“Hello…911? Yeah, I have a little problem”
© Career & Life Direction 2012. All rights reserved.
