Day 3 - What drives your life?

Today seemed to have a theme centering around the question of - what drives your life? Every morning I like to have what I call "focus time" and starting January 1st, I decided to go through the book, The Purpose Driven Life. I've read this book twice now, but one of my goals for this year, more than ever, is to live my life with true purpose. This book contains 40 chapters (one for each day) and I believe it's a great way to help start my year on the right track. Today's chapter talked about what drives your life. It stated how many people are driven by guilt, resentment, anger, fear, materialism, or the need for approval. Although in the past, these may have driven various moments in my life, I know these are not factors that drive my life now. However, we all know people where this is true. It definitely gives way to a very unfulfilled life and one that constantly goes in circles. The book went on to say that when we know what drives our life - what gives us purpose - then we have meaning in life, it simplifies our life, gives us focus, motivation, and peace about what is eternal.

There is a new series on OWN called Master Class. It gives an in-depth look at someone who has mastered their craft, learned valuable lessons from life, and can inspire us to live better lives. It's an amazing series so far, and this morning I watched the one featuring Diane Sawyer. It was very inspiring to hear her take on life, her curiosity to hear people's stories, and her philosophy on what drives her life. It made me want to do better and to pursue excellence in my own life. If you get the OWN channel, I encourage you to watch Master Class - it will definitely make you think.

I also was able to spend time today with my sister, Christy and my niece, Martha Ann (almost 2 years old) and my nephew, Wylie (2 weeks old). It was my first time to keep the both of them by myself while Christy went to the store. It went great and while we hung out, I was reminded of another driving force in my life: family. I love seeing Martha Ann's love for life, her curiosity about things, and how any kind of music compels her to get up and dance (seriously, she can't hear a song playing without bustin a move)! I also love knowing that the world is brand new to Wylie and that his story is only beginning.

So what drives my life? My faith is definitely a strong driving force in my life. One thing I know for sure is that true purpose and joy in life comes from knowing God. I also have a strong desire to make a positive difference in the world and this drives what I do in life. Some of my goals for this year - which I will talk about later - definitely come from this motivation to use my life for even bigger things. Last but not least, the love of family drives my life. I want to be the very best son, brother, and uncle that I can be. I constantly want my family's lives to be better because of what I do with my own life.

So what drives your life?

Today I am grateful for: 1. Starting my day with such a great focus time 2. Being inspired and motivated watching Master Class 3. Spending time with Christy, Martha Ann, & Wylie 4. Martha Ann's smiles, hugs, laughter, and dance moves. 5. The new spicy chicken biscuit from Chick fil A :)