“And once you live a good story, you get a taste for a kind of meaning in life, and you can't go back to being normal; you can't go back to meaningless scenes stitched together by the forgettable thread of wasted time.”
- Donald Miller
This quote, from Donald Miller’s book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years was a revolution in my life. It was the headwaters of the river that took me from…
not being aware that I was living a life so unfulfilling
to awakening a deeper desire
to a pivotal and catalyzing LifePlan experience
to uncovering calling, purpose, and mission
to a career and lifestyle change
to living fully alive with a life and vocation that are invigorating and allowing me to make my greatest contribution.
I was so disrupted by this book that I have given many copies of this book away…86 so far. How do I know? I gave 24 away to family and friends, then I won a contest for giving them away and was given a prize of another case of 24 of them. I ordered another 14 to give away to clients and one of the people I gave one to gave me money and asked me to buy more with the proceeds and give those away. All 24 of that set are now gone as well.
I also gave away several cases of a book called Wild at Heart after I read it 15 years ago.
Did I mention I am unusually passionate about the things I am passionate about?
Donald was being interviewed recently and he was asked about that quote at the top of this post. They asked him to define what a “good story” meant to him. He said it has these elements:
Investing in a passion project that you love…
that requires uniquely you and your contribution…
that makes the world a better place.
It is about having a reason to get out of bed in the morning that transcends you and your needs. If it is truly meaningful, it will likely require overcoming obstacles and facing opposition. It will also be something that you cannot accomplish alone and will require the context of a community.
Working alongside others in a mission you are passionate about that utilizes your unique contribution and is making the world a better place?
Who would desire such a thing?
How about…EVERYBODY!
Turns out, we are hard-wired for this. It is in our DNA. It is the reason we were placed here on this earth. Oswald Chambers says that we were created to offer one aspect of the Divine’s glory that no other creature can. Jesus says that we are to be his hands and feet and that we have been granted the same authority God granted him and that we will accomplish even greater things in Him than he did.
The reason our team is so passionate about Lifeplan is that it was the catalyst for us living into a “better story”, the one predetermined for us and just waiting for us to find. The Group Lifeplan retreat excavates, awakens, introduces, and catalyzes the deepest and truest things about you into action.
The things people say as a result of that life-altering 24 hours is pretty staggering.
Maybe it is time for you to think about co-authoring a different story with your life, too.
Consider
Do you know what you uniquely have to offer that no other creature can?
Are you living a “good story”?
Do you have the temerity of spirit to go after finding a “good story” to live?
Go to our LIFEPLAN site, read what others have had to say, and get signed up for our next event.