Last week, I was thinking about those that “Just Do It” … those that move an inspiration into an action. I was particularly moved when thinking about those that have and are reaching out to us in our grief. I was also thinking about what our life would be like if all of us on this planet chose to begin THRIVING here, NOW. What if we lived in a community of “thrivers”? Wow!
We know, if we are to thrive, we must “choose” to perform acts that move us forward, then, we must actually “do” them. Another component to thriving, I believe, requires us to have others in mind. Yes, we can make more money, have better jobs, and look better, but this does not necessarily mean we are “thriving”. Thriving encompasses our entire being (mind, body, and spirit) with motives that are pure and in line with God. This is where “having others in mind” comes into play.
This leads me to my line of thinking this week. “Motive” and “initiative” are two words I have been considering this week. I think that these two words fall in line with the “Just Do It” mentality. Yes, we must become inspired, then move forward (“Just Do It”). However, I think two steps in between the inspiration and the action must be considered. We must (1.) determine the first step, “our initiative and (2.) “check the reason we want to do something, “our motive”.
Once we have an inspiration (an idea that will move us forward), we need to determine how to go about it. Merriam – Webster defines initiative as “the power of opportunity to do something before others do”, “an introductory step”, and “a first step or movement”. The Book of Stephanie (if it were an actual book) would say, “Initiative is determining the “HOW we are going to start accomplishing our inspiration”. What will our first step be and how will we go about it?
After establishing how we are to move our inspiration forward, we need to conduct a “self-check”, an evaluation, per se. Why are we doing this? What is our motive? Motive is defined as “something (as a need or desire) that causes a person to act” and “a reason for doing something”. When looking up what the Book of Stephanie says about motive, one would find it says, “motive is the “WHY” you are doing what you do”.
From my experience, motive is just as important, (if not MORE important) than the “how” you’re going to go about it. When motives are pure and in line with God (through the Holy Spirit’s guidance) double blessings occur … not only are you blessed through your action, but the recipient of your action will be blessed. If your motives are not pure, genuineness suffers (it doesn’t matter how good you think you are at fooling people, they will know something doesn’t add up). The recipient may question your “why”. In other words, your words or actions may not line up with your intent, thus, causing the recipient to question your motives and how genuine you were in your action. You may also find yourself disappointed in their reaction. Maybe they didn’t thank you in the manner you thought would best be appropriate or worthy of your action … or even worse, maybe they didn’t thank you AT ALL!
When motives are pure and in line with the Holy Spirit, the focus is solely on the recipient. You are not worried about the “thank you”. You are not disappointed in the reaction. You will have a feeling of accomplishment knowing you have followed the Holy Spirit’s guidance in the hopes to bless someone. You will know you have just had a “THRIVE MOMENT”. You will also be more in tune with and available for the Holy Spirit to move you the next time a “THRIVE MOMENT” is available. My family has been flooded with thriving individuals seeking to bless us while following the Holy Spirit’s guidance! No words can describe what a recipient of that feels! No WORDS!
For those of us who are Christians, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us … a GIFT from God. It is up to us to follow the Guidance. We can allow ourselves to be distracted and question His guidance … the result is NO activity. We do nothing. Therefore, no one is blessed and we have interrupted our quest in thriving. (Now, I do believe we have robbed ourselves of the blessing. God will find someone who is open to His guidance to bless that person.) The Holy Spirit is “all-knowing” (1 Corinthians 2:10) and “all-powerful” (Micah 3:8). “Your body becomes the temple where God dwells by His Holy Spirit.” (For easy-to-read info on the Holy Spirit, see https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/may-2009/does-the-holy-spirit-live-in-you/). You are His instrument of His blessing.
For those who are not Christians (although the Holy Spirit does not dwell in you, at this time), you do have a conscience. However, we must be “conscious of our conscience”. Our conscience, oftentimes, has OUR best interest at heart, and not others. If we solely listen to our conscience, our motives may become self-serving. One way to keep our conscience in check, is to evaluate the recipient’s gain or blessing from your action. What (action) will benefit someone else more than me? If the recipient’s gain is greater than your recognition, then, you have kept their best interest at the forefront. If you will receive notoriety or praise (more than the recipient’s blessing), you may need to check your motives.
I believe that Spirit ministers to Spirit, especially for us Christians. The Holy Spirit knows what I need at all times. Although it may feel weird or even crazy to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, go ahead and follow through. God is all-knowing and we are not. He knows what we ALL need, we do not. Although you may not know what to say or what to do for someone in need, hurting or grieving, if you feel the leading … SAY or DO SOMETHING.
I found these quotes and I could not just choose one or two. Gnaw on these and consider thriving by loving, encouraging, and reaching out to others. Hebrews 10:24 says, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”
“It’s not enough to have lived.
We should be determined to live for something.
May I suggest that it be creating joy for others,
sharing what we have for the betterment of personkind,
bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely.”
― Leo Buscaglia
“Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves.”
― Horace Mann
“I don’t want to live in the kind of world where we don’t look out for each other. Not just the people that are close to us, but anybody who needs a helping hand. I can’t change the way anybody else thinks, or what they choose to do, but I can do my bit.”
― Charles de Lint
“A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
“The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired. One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.”
― Gordon B. Hinckley, Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes
“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”
― Maya Angelou
Remember the:
WHAT – our inspiration or idea to move forward
HOW – our initiative or first step
WHY – our motive or ways to bless others
NOW – JUST DO IT!
May your pursuit of a thriving life be full of wonderful surprises, immense blessings for others, and an abundance of joy!
Stephanie