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Living with purpose is the best way you can live your life. Purposeful people set goals, write them down, and do everything in their power to reach their dreams. People living with purpose realize that building character is just as important as any other type of success (having money, toys, or success). Purposeful people live life with intensity; a boldness that is attractive and hard working.
- Does your life have purpose?
- Have you intentionally set priorities for your life?
- Do you actively pursue these priorities with passion and intensity?
These are difficult questions. It is easy to become so busy with all the aspects of your life (sports, school, activities, etc.) that you forget the life purposes you need to devote intensity to. Examples of these purposes could be developing gratitude in your life, becoming a better daughter/son/brother/sister, or reaching out to help others who are going through a difficult time.
Examine yourself. Determine the purposes you feel called to live for at this point in your life. Live intensely each day to fulfill this purpose. Read the lesson below to see how a great historical figure lived his life with relentless purpose, passion, and intensity.
A Lesson on Purpose and Intensity from the Life of John Bunyan
John Bunyan lived in seventeenth century England. From a young age, John Bunyan felt called to preach the Christian message. This was his purpose. Nothing could stop him from living his purpose with intensity. The son of a tinker, many would say that John did not have the background required to be a successful preacher. But he began to preach and large crowds came in response to his passion and purposeful living.
The English government did not support John’s message. They threatened to put John in jail if he did not stop preaching. John continued to follow his purpose and was put in jail. Even in jail, John did not lose his purpose or intensity. He wrote letters to his church and family to continue his work with them. John came to value his time in prison; it was a time of unparalleled personal growth for him. John also wrote a book during his time in prison: Pilgrim’s Progress. This book is considered to be one of the greatest classics of literature and has been translated into more than 100 languages.
Nothing could stop John Bunyan from living with purpose and intensity. He had many difficulties, to be sure, but in the end his purposeful living was rewarded with a solid impact on the world and the achievement of his purpose.
This I promise you, if you live with purpose and intensity to develop character and accomplish goals, you will not be disappointed with the results.
Three Ways to Develop Purpose and Intensity:
- Examine yourself. What are your priorities? What is one priority that you do not work for with intense purpose? Write a plan of attack to begin to work with this partner on developing intense purpose in this area.
- Find an accountability partner (a parent, a friend, etc.) who you can meet with regularly to hold you accountable to purposeful living.
- Take a look at the way you spend your time. Do you try to do too much? Try to limit your time to the activities that will best help you achieve your goals and life purposes.
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