Driftwood Or Bust - The "It" Factor

Time has passed so quickly the past few weeks. Just when you think things are under control and life is slowing down, if only for a moment, IT hits. You probably know what I am talking about - the IT factor. Some might add a few consonants in front of that word, but the "it" factor is when anything and everything seems to happen on a given day. That might mean some potentially good things, but for the most part, when "it" strikes, you can expect a day of chaos, unexpected interruptions, and circumstances outside of your control.

That's what seemed to happen to me...not just a day, but an entire week of the "it" factor. Needless to say, that week is over and I am trying to awaken from a dormant cycle to regain some focus and direction. That's not always an easy thing to do - the human temptation is to coast, wander, drift, etc. I've never really fallen into that category before, and I certainly don't want to start now. You probably have known a drifter or two in your life. Here's a typical scenario: up for work (not willingly, and usually late), passionless while at work (struggling to focus, or even staying awake), comes home from work, hits the couch, turns the tv on, and finally, vegetation. This happens day after day until the weekend hits, when suddenly the drifter finds a wild passion that makes absolutely no sense, and lives life with abandon for 48 hours. But then Monday hits, and the drifting captures their heart, and a complacent and visionless life is born. What's worse is when the drifter gets married and sucks the family right into the same game. How many families do you know that eat t.v. dinners while staring at the tellie throughout the evening, only to get up and do it all again the next day?

I think we've all been tempted to be a drifter. It might possibly be grafted into our genes at some minute level. So how do you get from the town of "Driftwood" to a new city of hope and purpose? I think the Life Plan attempted to answer that question:

(1) You have to WANT something more than your own selfish desires. This is really the first step, and ultimately the most difficult.
(2) Determine WHERE you want to go. In other words, develop a mission/plan for your life. Everyone ends up somewhere, but few people end up somewhere on purpose. Intentional living can be a powerful tool.
(3) Identify WHO you are. What are your values? If you could identify some specific characteristics about yourself, what would those be?
(4) Clarify WHAT you want to accomplish with your life. Set realistic and short term goals for yourself. This would be a great thing to do with your family as well.

Now this might seem all nice and tidy (and of course there are four "W's" for you to easily remember!) but the key is to turn these thoughts into action. I have really struggled with this for most of my life. I have a lot of ideas, thoughts, dreams, visions, etc. rolling around in my gray matter, but ultimately if I don't "DO" then they will only sit there and rot and mold in my brain. It reminds me of Mr. H's saying, "Success comes in cans, failures come in cant's..." That's a great motto for life. Or as Jesus might say to you, "all things are possible through me."

There are so many colloquial phrases we could throw in the hat here, but I'm afraid we'd be here all day long. I'll leave those to your imagination. But for today, I'm going to travel some...not towards the dreaded city of "Driftwood," but to a world full of hope and possibilty...I "can" do it!!