Tag Archives: purpose

Turning What You Love Doing Into More

Leave a reply

The past couple of weeks have been something incredible to watch.  My beautiful wife, Amber, started up her new venture called Amber Clinton Photography.  I wrote about it some last week.  In just the two weeks since she decided to make this move from a hobby to a business, the response has been phenomenal.  Inquiries from all over and her first official photo session this past weekend.  Amber is quite an amazing woman.  She has sacrificed to be at home and raise our three wonderful children.  She has an amazing heart and when it comes to photography, she has some serious skills.  I could go on and on.  I am so thrilled that she has decided to take advantage of this natural ability and work to do something incredible with it.  This story with Amber will continue to evolve over time and I look forward to what she will be able to do in the future as she grows this business and her knowledge and experience to add onto her already talented artistic eye.

How about any of you out there.  Is there something that you love to do, maybe as just a hobby or something?  Have you ever thought about maybe taking that hobby and doing something more.  Maybe you’ve thought about it, but either just out of fear, naysayers, or time passing by you just never capitalized and tried it out.  If you look back in my blogs, I’ve written about those naysayers and fears.

While choosing to move down uncharted territory to something new can be scary and there is never a reason for you to not try.  There is nothing ever easy about it.   What keeps you from taking advantage of those opportunities and trying something different?  Why let anything keep you from pursuing what it is is you love to do.  If it something that calls to you, then God is likely calling you to it.  Why ignore it?  I have a sign hanging in the foyer of my house that reads, “The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God not protect you.”  If you are letting fear or something else keep you from pursuing your real calling, take heart in knowing that God is there to guide you through it all.

Richard Bach is quoted as saying “You are always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past.”  Why not take advantage of that freedom that we all have and build something more. Build something that you define and nobody else. It is a part of realizing your God given purpose.  It does not matter if you are in a career that you have in for years and years or if it has been your education track.  If something else calls you that really speaks to you, then go for it.  It will open your perspective on life and will help you to further come alive and get away from where everyone else thinks you should be you be.  Don’t let other define that for you.

Time to Unleash Our Potential

2 Replies

Greetings to everyone!  I hope everyone has had a great summer as we get to that time of year where the kiddos starting heading back to school.  It’s amazing to me how early that starts.  Two of mine already started last week and my oldest later this week.  It’s been quite a summer for me.  A time where I have been very busy with family and work, but also had the opportunity to get away and spend some time relaxing at the beach.

With everything going on, I have not spent much time on my writing as I would have liked to.  The blog has been very quite since early June.  I found myself steering away from my own writing at times.  It gets easy for life to get in the way and not focus on things the way they need to be.  The last two months, 4 Pillars has been in the back of my mind, but has not taken the focus it needs.  I still very much believe in what I have written.  I think there is a way that each of us can focus on all areas of our life in order to really come alive and become the person that God has called  to become.

My wonderful bride took an awesome step this week and started work on a business venture of her in photography.  The start-up of Amber Clinton Photography has begun and I could not be more proud of her to be going after something that she truly loves to do and make it her own.  The response has already been great because of the great work she has done with this as a hobby.  I’m excited to see where she is able to take it over time.

Her push to make this happen has had me reflecting a great deal on myself and the work I started here at 4 Pillar Living toward the end of last year and the first half of 2012.  I truly be believe that God has called me to do something big hear as well through sharing my own testimony to life and what I believe is what we all need in order to come alive.  I’ve put all o this aside for too long now and it is time to get myself back on track through my writing and bring 4 Pillar Living a step further.  I can’t go backwards any more.  Charles Simmons said, “Never go backward. Attempt, and do it with all your might. Determination is power.”

I plan to take that determination further and keep up my writing.  I still have a book a book in progress also.  I had hoped to be further along in it by now, but now is the time to get it back in focus.  I hope that it is something you all will support me on.  I have a lot to say and I plan to get it all out over time.  The first half of 2013 was an amazing ride with this venture moving and now I look forward to the next steps that it will bring to everyone

Let’s all unleash our full God given potential.  We were created for a purpose and it now time to realize that purpose!

Don’t Jump!!!!

Leave a reply

Last week, I wrote about the idea of settling into a complacent life versus going after what it is you were placed here to do.  Often times, life can take us on a journey that brings us opportunities and obstacles and then we have to decide how best to navigate through each one.  With so many circumstances molding our path through life, many times we find ourselves settling.  Settling into a life and/or career that is safe but at the same time sucks away every aspect of who we are.   Something comes along that looks like opportunity and what do we do?  We jump right on in not thinking of where it may lead us.

All I have to say to that is, Don’t Jump!!!  Don’t let the circumstances of your life dictate your path and force you into things are not you.  I have learned this from my own experiences in life.  If you choose to jump right on in all that happens is you become trapped.  You become trapped by a career that you do not love.  You get trapped in a life that does not have meaning and purpose.  You lose track of who you are spiritually.  You lose connection with those that you love.

In essence, you get pulled away from being who you truly are.  Just say you are a job that you just do not enjoy anymore, but do not get out of.  What that will start to do is pull at every aspect of your being.  You may become frustrated and without even meaning to, that frustration starts to carry over to other parts of your life.  This is no way to live.  Believe me, I have been there.

So what do you?  First, it begins with your own mental attitude.  You have the ability to let those circumstances control you and make your life miserable or chose not to.  Dale Carnegie said, “Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.”  You have that ability to create your happiness and change your circumstance.  Don’t just jump in blindly and let your circumstances control you.  You control it.  None of us are going to glide through life without making mistakes or the wrong choices.  How we react and learn from from those choices and mistakes helps to define who we are and where we end up.

God granted each of us with the free will to make decisions about our life and circumstances.  He is always there to guide us through it all if we trust in Him, but we have to make those choices ourselves.  Leo Buscaglia said, “Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.”  When you are trying to determine what it is you really want to do with your life, take an inventory of your talents and also of your passions. Once you figure that out, go out and do what it you are passionate about using the talents you have.  You also glorify God in this way.

If you are at the crossroads of decision, Don’t Jump!  Don’t settle for complacency.  You were created for much more than a complacent life.  Take advantage of the talents God blessed you with.  Get out there and do what brings you passion and what truly has purpose and meaning to you.  Don’t jump into a life or career that contradicts who you are. You can never come alive this way.

I’m Fine, How About You?

Leave a reply

Each and every one of us encounter those daily greetings, whether in the office or passing by folks you know or may not know in any setting.  “How are you today?” and the reply usually, “I’m fine, and you?”   We encounter that on a daily basis, but I often wonder, how many of those people are truly “fine.”  How many instead, get up each day dreading what is to come.  Dreading the work day and that commute into to earn that next paycheck.  Dreading to just to get out and encounter others and meet that days challenges.  This may seem like such a simple thing, but I often wonder how much of it is just politeness and courtesy versus a true and genuine look into how someone is doing.

Thinking of this, I start reflecting on a short movie/documentary that my brother, Rob, introduced me two a few month’s back.  This film is called, “I’m Fine Thanks.”  The film is narrated and directed by a gentleman named Grant Peele.  Grant and his crew set out on a journey across the United States to meet people to meet people and discover how these people stepped away from their ordinary lives, lives that they once thought were the right and proper way to live and now most of them live a life that they are truly happy with as they stepped away and found a calling away from the norm.  Even Grant, who had been in Real Estate for years, because he thought is was the right path finally stepped away to do something that he has always dreamed of doing, which is to make films.

The ultimate goal of this film was to document people that had settled into complacency, but ultimately, found that many of those people stepped back and found a way back to living the life they love.  I’m not talking about a life of riches.  I’m talking about loving what they do or moving to simplistic living or setting off for adventures that they once thought were just far fetched dreams.  What’s so remarkable is that many of their stories sound so much like people we all encounter day after day and even ourselves.  Have you ever questioned your direction in life or if you have made for yourself a life of complacency versus truly going for what lights a fire in you and what it is you were meant to do?  I certainly have.

Our lives take so many different directions and often times we settle into a life of complacency and settle for that “normal” career.  Often times, even when we find that we have a fears of making those life changes toward a life we truly dream to live.  There may be negative connotations from others who say you can’t do that.  My answer to all of those people is to give me one good reason why not.  Who says that your life has to follow the script that others set for you.  Trust me, I have and am down this path but I know now that I and we all have to take the steps and have the courage to step away change our lives.

When I think about this more, I look at my kids.  Often times we ask our children what they want to be when they grow-up. When we were kids, we all faced those same questions and our answers were so huge.  As kids, we have great dreams and passions, but often times, not all the time, people lose site of that.  Many people love what they do, don’t get me wrong.  But all too often there are many of us that question if there is more.  My wife and I always tell our kids to purse the life that they want and work their tales off to reach their dreams.   Why can’t we do that even as adults?  Why can’t we pursue those real dreams.

The fact of the matter is that, we all can.  We do not ever have to settle for the complacent life that may have crept up on us.  We can ALL change to live a life that makes us happy that drives a fire in us and makes us light up when we get up in the morning.  So we all have choice.  Choose to continue down this path we have or make the changes that are needed to live life.  This is a huge step to coming alive.  When you reach that point, that is when that greeting can become truly genuine.  You can answer that you are in fact doing great.  Not just fine, but great!  If there is something burning within you that says this is not the life I wanted, this is not the career I was meant to have, I feel like I am not alive, and I am not fine, then you have a choice to make.  Stay complacent, or change and come alive!

Is Today The Day That You’ve Waited For?!?!?

Leave a reply

Every morning that I drive to the office, I spend the first part of my drive listening to Bible chapters for that day through my phone and then depending on the day, I will turn on music.  I will either flip through radio stations, turn on a CD, or key up the music on my phone.  It can either be some uplifting praise and worship music, country, rock, or just a variety.  This morning, I through my phone on shuffle and let it play at random. The first song that came up, is one I love that is by Rascal Flatts, called “Feels Like Today.”  You may know this song.  It’s been around for some time.

As I listened to this song it gave me a great uplift and I started thinking about the message in the song about being patient and persistent with going after your goals in life and eventually waking up and realizing that, maybe today is the day that I realize those goals.  I’m sure many of you, as I have, has had those days where you get up and feel like nothing good can come from that day, and then other days where you just want to pop out of bed and think, now this is the day I’ve been waiting for.  While we will always have those days that just are not motivating, I for one, would much rather have those days where I am up, pumped up and ready to role to get toward my goals.  What about you?

Too often, people get caught up in life and a routine that fosters continuous inaction and complacency. This complacency can impact their life, their family, their work, and their spiritual growth.  Dale Carnegie said, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”  I wrote last week about the fears that we have in life.  What we need in our lives is action.  This build us up to know that we can accomplish anything.  If we stay persistent, we can accomplish our goals and not be sucked by fear and doubt.

So, is today that day you are waiting for, or do you see a particular goal that you know you want to shoot for?  You can’t stand around and wait for it to happen.  If you do, that train will pass you by.  In the song, “Feels Like Today,” the second verse says:

“You treat life like a picture
But its not a moment frozen in time
It’s not gonna wait
Til you make up your mind, at all…”

This verse says a lot.  Life does not freeze and wait for you to decide what you want to do.  You have to make that choice to get up and move forward and pursue your goals and allow yourself to come alive.  In another Dale Carnegie quote, he said, “Today is life-the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.”

You have to choose to live for today.  Don’t stand to the side and let life pass by and then find yourself wondering, what in the world happened to my life.  We all have a purpose in life, but we have to choose to get off of our tails and achieve that purpose.  Learn from the past and apply that knowledge to the future, but always live for today.  Don’t waste the gift of life that God has blessed each and everyone of us with.  Make the most of it to make an impact and on this life and even to serve others.  Make today that day that you decide I’m going to do what I am called here to do.  I am not going to wait for life to pass by and wait for something to fall in my lap.  I am going to make things happen.  Begin today!!!

It’s Time to Really Get in Gear

Leave a reply

These past couple of months, I have kept myself in place in life where I have not been able to live out what I’ve been writing about.  This is a challenge that we all can face as we struggle with understanding what may be the “right” path to take and what may be the path you were meant to take and that God place you here for.  I let myself get so bogged down with other things that it took away from me focusing on things that really mean something to me and that can have meaningful impacts on those around me.  I’ve been fortunate that in these last few months, the things that have kept me going are my family and my faith.  I enjoy every waking moment I have with my wife and children.  Yes, spring time is hectic as our children are filled with their activities, but I love every part of it.  It has been a great part of their growth and it has bonded us all closer together.  I also have latched on to my faith as my daily walk with God through His word has been a continued uplift for me in times where mentally and emotionally I was struggling with keeping myself afloat with the demands of my work and school.

I have learned that in my life and in all our lives, there will be times where we just struggle with our purpose and figuring out what it is we should be doing with this tremendous gift of life the Lord has granted us.  Last week, I first decided to take some leave from my doctoral work just for my own sanity.  Then I took a couple of vacation days to spend with my family.  On the first day, we packed up a picnic lunch and fishing gear and went out to the lake for a day of fishing.  It was a great time just spending with my family and relaxing at the same time.  Throughout the time of baiting hooks and getting my kids lines out of trees and other snags, it dawned on me again that this is what really matters in life.  The time and energy I get to spend with my family to teach them, to have fun with them, and just enjoy the company of each other.  The same holds true for my wife and the amount of time I get to spend with her and focusing on us.

So there it is for me.  I was back to 3 of the 4 Pillars.  Then I had to rethink Pillar 4 which focuses on Work.  I realized that I had really let 4 Pillar Living get away from me.  I let so much else detract from me working on something that really mattered to me and what seems to matter to others as well.  I am not the worlds foremost expert in how to live by any means, but I am certainly here in position to help guide people into making sure they focus on the important aspects of living not let unimportant things get in the way of you enjoying life and coming alive through all areas of life.

Now is the time for me and for us all to really figure out how to unleash our own God given potential and live out the lives we were meant to live.  We all have a purpose and if we listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying through us, we will be able to find that purpose and then take the steps to live it out.  My call to service is help others unleash who they are meant to be.  It is a struggle that we all have and that I have and continue to have.  I have learned a lot along the way and I plan to use my writing and communication abilities to share that with you all more and more.  You will once again begin to see more consistent content on 4PillarLiving.com.  My work on my book “4 Pillars to Coming Alive” is kicking back into high gear again and I will also be developing strong focal points on each  of the Pillars.   One of the first will be focused on Marriage and relationships.  Be on the lookout for more this summer.  In addition, 4 Pillar Radio will be coming online soon.  I will be working to get that going once again.

It’s going to be a fun ride and I hope you will join me through it.   4 Pillar Living is getting back in gear and this train is stopping.  Enjoy the Ride!!!

Believe In Yourself and Your Direction

2 Replies

Have you ever had a moment in life where you have set your eyes on something only to lose the motivation to keep going for one reason or another?  Have you had those moments where you come up with what seems like a great idea only to have someone bring you back down to “reality” that it could not be done?  Finally, have you ever just given up on a dream and idea just because it seemed like too difficult a goal?  These are questions that I think we can all answer a big fat “YES” to.  Life can bring all kinds of directional changes to you.  It is all a part of your continue growth as an individual in search of God’s path.  Often times we come up with some big plans or ideas of something new to work toward only to have something pull us away from that goal.  This could  be any number of circumstances.

A few years back, I went on this adventure to start my own politically based internet talk radio show.  It was a weekly venture, where I recapped various issues going on in Washington or other things around the country or the world.  It was slowly gaining traction and I had a small following.  After about 6 months, I lost my Dad tragically in a car accident.  This event in my life completely took the wind out of my sails and the motivation to do anything let alone this talk show.  I tried to keep going after a couple of months off and then gave up completely.  I don’t know if that show would have amounted to anything, but who knows where it would be by this point had I not lost that motivation.

Obviously, that is something huge, tragic, and unforeseen, but it is certainly a prime example of how we cant lose motivation and belief in our own abilities.  When I began this idea of 4 Pillar Living a few months back, I was on fire for it.  I still am.  There have been days, with so much else going on in life, including my doctoral work, where I have almost felt it slip away.  I am determined, however, that this will not slip away, as I firmly believe in the direction this is headed and the message that I am out share with everyone in my writing and talking.

Norman Vicent Peale said “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”  Throughout our life we are faced with obstacles that try to pull us away from things that matter or that we have passion for.  You have to be able to have faith that you can do whatever it is you set your mind to do.  Have the belief in yourself that nothing can stop you from achieving your goals.  If you do so, then you WILL eventually reach the goals you set out for yourself.  Having humble, but reasonable confidence in your own powers….That also speaks very loudly.  Some people get too big for their britches and think they are absolutely unstoppable in pursuit of any goals.  While you may gain success, happiness, will be hard to come by.  Always strive to remain humble.  Remember all the work that you have to put forth to reach your goals.  Remember where you started, when it was just an idea.

Many of you saw the Kid President “Pep Talk” video I posted recently, or may have seen it on your own.  He said, “This is life people…We go air coming through your nose…We got heartbeat.  That means it’s time to do something.”  This little guy speaks so many truths about life.  You have to stand up and believe in yourself and the direction you have set on.  Don’t let the naysayers get in the way and stop you.  Try not to let circumstances pull you way by getting you distracted.  If you believe in yourself that you can meet your goals, then you will have it.

I was watching Courageous this morning with my kids before they went to school.  A great movie by the way, if you have not seen it, especially for you fathers out there.  When Adam Mitchell is giving the speech at the end, he talks about those naysayers when it comes to the resolution, which I have proudly hanging on my wall.  You will always encounter those naysayers, but you have to have enough belief in yourself to stick with what you have resolved to do.  Never let anyone tell you you’r not good enough or that you cannot achieve something.  Those are likely the very same people that would never in a million years, have the courage to do what you are striving for.  Have faith and believe and as the Lord said many time, Be strong and courageous!

Gotta Keep Swinging!

Leave a reply

I love baseball!  As a dad, I have had the pleasure of watching my boy play baseball and my daughter now plays softball.  Over the past 8 years I have also been able to coach each of my kids either as an assistant or head coach.  I was thrown into that mix my boys first year of playing and it just stayed with me til now.  This is the first year, I am not coaching in some time, which is awesome.  I actually get to sit back and enjoy the games.  My oldest, no longer plays baseball, but rather is now into archery.  My other son, competes at a high level in travel, with hopes of playing professionally and my daughter, now plays competitively in travel softball, and also hopes to play professionally.  It is a true joy to see all of my kids do things they enjoy and excel at what they do.

Aside from my kids playing I still love the game of baseball and love to watch the Braves play each year.  Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training next week and they’ll be underway for another season.  Baseball is one of those games where each day and each game can bring you something completely different.  You may have a phenomenal game one day and the very next, nothing seems to right.  It’s a lot like life in that sense.  Each day brings you new challenges that are often completely different from the day prior.  For any ball player, the challenge can be how to deal with those games that seem to not go your.  With my kids, I know they have had plenty of those.  But what they learned is that, they just have to push those tough games aside and keep right on going.

Hank Aaron, the real Home Run King, said, “My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.”  This is the approach that we should all take.  You have to keep swinging.  You cannot let a down day keep you back.  You have to keep right on and keep moving.  In baseball, or softball for that matter, gotta be fair to my daughter, if you strikeout, you cannot let that keep you down.  Get back up and go again the next time around.  When coaching my kids, I always told them that even the best players strikeout.  In life, even the best and most successful fall from time to time or have those down times and believe me, for most of them, they had to earn their way there through trials and difficulties.

Gotta keep swinging.  It’s so simple, but such a real part of life.  There are so many sports analogies that could be used I guess, but I love this one.  There’s always another opportunity to do better and to hit that line drive in the gap or blast one out.  There also, always another opportunity to reach your goals.  Set your mind toward it, keep swinging and until you drive it out of the park.  If you fall, get back up and do it again.  Now play ball and keep shooting for those dreams.

 

What Will You Create to Make the World AWESOME?!?!?!

1 Reply

I know many of you probably have seen this, but I just had to share this video.  This kid is such a trip, but the message he delivers is so real.  It speaks right to the reality of life in the need for us to get out there and create.  By creating we drive forward with making the world awesome.  We all have something to contribute somewhere by our own God given talents and abilities.  The thing is whether we choose to stand back do nothing or we choose to take advantage of those abilities and do something meaningful, purposeful, and awesome.

“It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

It’s not always easy, but if we let ourselves go forward and pursue that greatness and unleash our talents to create, then my friends,we have come alive.  I choose to live and I choose to create.  What will do you?

Answering the Call

Leave a reply

Throughout life we encounter times where we begin to question the path we have taken.  Our jobs may make us miserable, we may have lost someone close to us, or tensions and bickering with family and friends may lead you to shut yourself off from people.  It could be anything in life.  Something negative infiltrates and it takes a toll on the path you continue to make.  These negative circumstances may have dictated you to think that life is more or less pointless and that our choices and decisions are meaningless.  Through my own life, I have had my times where things seemed to not be going as I had planned and even times where I thought it did not matter what kind of effort I put into my life, because it was pointless.

Life takes us on whirlwind journey where our experiences along the way can have a significant impact on the type of person we become.  I firmly believe that God has a calling for each of us.  If we are engaged in Him, then we can begin to hear where He is calling us.  We have to choose whether we, ourselves are drawn in to what He is calling us to do or if we choose to be indifferent.  In a sermon yesterday, the message was that God’s purpose for us all hangs in the balance of whether we are drawn in or indifferent to Him.  Far too many of us are indifferent to this call even if we don’t realize it.  This indifference goes a long way to prevent us from hearing the call to serve and do what it is God called us to do.

Jesus said in John 15:16 “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”  Jesus is telling us that we have been called by Him.  We were not placed here by our own choice, but rather because it was God’s will.  He placed each of us here for a purpose.  Each of us, as His children is called to move down a path that is meant for the purpose of God’s glory.  Psalm 39:7 says “And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.”  We must learn to place our hope in God as He is the one who will help us find out what our path is meant to be here during our time on Earth.

With this said, we have a significant duty before us.  In order to come alive, we have to choose to answer the call by being drawn in and not being indifferent to the call.  I have been building to this point to answer my call to service of others and helping people learn to unleash themselves through the 4 Pillars of life.  Seeking God’s call for us through our faith is of the utmost importance for all of us.  All of our calls our different.  We are each meant to glorify God in different ways.  Learning to recognize this as God unveils it is very powerful.  My challenge to every one this week and going forward to open yourself to hear the calling that is before you.  Immerse yourself in the Word and in prayer and God will reveal this path to your full purpose.  Doing this will place you on that path to come alive.

I know there may be some hesitancy when you realize that calling.  Especially if it is something that is completely different from what it is you have been used to.  My path to 4 Pillar Living is so different from my years of work and educational experience.  You may also encounter those naysayers that say you are barking up the wrong tree and wasting your time.  Let me tell you something.  There is absolutely nothing wasteful about answering the call, no matter how different it may be.  You will have critics and you will have those moments where it may not seem worthwhile.  That’s when you know you are on the right path.  You are getting push back because the adversary does not want your to succeed.  That’s when it is time to dig in further, remember, Always Forward, and continue that pursuit.  Answer the Call and don’t relent.