O
r have you? My father once told me to attach you life to something bigger than yourself and you will never have to worry about the value of your life? At first I migrated that to the concept that if you deliver more that you are being paid for you will never have to worry about a job nor will you have to worry about what you are being paid. The latter has served me well in going the extra mile and the path before you will open up.
As I look at these two statements I confirm that both are valuable but both are different in their effect. One is about value and one is about work. For delivering more than expected on a task that has no deep purpose has no intrinsic value in the scheme of things. It is like being really good at something versus being really good at something that makes a difference.
Being a really good speaker on how to compete in the marketplace versus being a really good speaker on how organizations can become leaders at making the world a better place. Think about being relevant not just vibrant. Is your life about being busy, getting a lot of things done or is it about making things better? Are you a soccer coach trying to make you team a league winner or are you coaching the team to having character whether they win or loose?
You ask, "How do I move from vibrant to relevant? How do I move from being a worker to being a contributor?" This truth is well stated that there is more meaning to life when giving that when getting but remember the best givers are also the best receivers, they are the one's who are so very thankful for everything they get. Begin to focus on relevancy by defining the highest value gained by what you do. Are you teaching kids or preparing them for life; vibrant or relevant? Which does the real meaning come from? Are you speaker trying to entertain an audience or engage others in what they can do to change the world? Are you a manager trying to correct the mistakes of the staff or are you helping people understand their gifts to that they come to know the true value of purpose of their work?
It is all about the why not the what. Quite telling me what you do and tell me why you do it. What is its highest purpose? For those who discover that higher purpose will have passion, meaning, energy, and sustainability life long fulfillment.
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (purpose)...It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out (Matt. 5:13).
