When its all said and done, what will your life reveal about your intentions? Will you have lived them out with fierce abandon or will you have built a track record for consistently falling short? Your life will be rewarding or regretful, and its up to you to decide. The sooner you find your purpose, the quicker you can get on with leaving the world better than when you entered it.
What does the term “fierce abandon” mean to you? A few weeks ago I listened as my pastor delivered a sermon on living a life of no regrets. He referenced this term many times throughout the lesson and I couldn’t help but lose myself in the message. Living a life of no regrets is a grand goal for most all of us. We visualize what we want often painting elaborate pictures of desire in our minds. As great as the scene may look in our minds, we often fail to take the steps necessary to turn the dreams into a reality. Can you relate?
photo credit: carvemaker.net
One of the most sobering aspects of life is that we have only one to live. We do not have the luxury of waiting to pursue the dreams we’ve so masterfully created in our minds. Living with no regrets requires that you take big, bold, daring risks and that you take them regularly. Even if the risk you take ends in failure at least you learned something about life and more importantly about yourself. How are you going to learn anything new if you never do anything different?
Fame, fortune, money, prosperity….they are all good things but they will never provide the “no regrets” mentality that is your primary driver. These are the results of short-lived success that is more often than not unsustainable. These are things that you can achieve in a relatively short period of time without much effort. I know this sounds a bit crazy but let me challenge your current line of thinking with one simple illustration:
photo credit: halloweenforum.com
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A HERSE WITH A LUGGAGE RACK??? (need I say more….)
A life lived with fierce abandon has nothing do with possessions but rather with PEOPLE! Relationships pursued to the the highest level will lead you to fulfillment and satisfaction. We were created as social beings with a desire for belonging and acceptance. The best way to make a friend is to first be a friend. Life change occurs in community. The life you desire most is a life worthy of being shared. You are not your own, you were created on purpose and for a purpose. Your purpose is for the well-being of not just YOU, YOURSELF and YOURS ALONE. You were created to be in community and community is where you will find your life with no regrets!