“People’s strengths and their individual purposes are always connected.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2015-10-06) from his book, Intentional Living: Choosing a Life That Matters (p. 83). Center Street. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Why am I here?  What am I supposed to do with my life?  What is my purpose?  All of those are important questions that will make a difference in how we look at our strengths.

John says, “People’s strengths and their individual purposes are always connected. I embrace that truth because I believe God has gifted everyone with the ability to be great at what they are supposed to do.” 

He then says, “Your why is fuel for your strengths. And your strengths are the way to fulfill your why. Every time you use your strengths to live out your why, you build on your strength and increase your why. Living this way adds layers of ability, purpose, credibility, and significance to your life. The more you do, the more you learn, because you are layering each experience into your life.”

He then explains, “Think about it like this. When you start off doing something, you are usually not very good at it. But with time and practice, you get better. After a while, you create layers of success that you can build on, and you also build up tremendous confidence as a result. That’s what great athletes do. They don’t start off playing their sport at a professional level. It takes years of practice to get to the highest level. How do they do it? They layer wins, losses, pain, and gain.”

He then finishes this section by saying, “When you know your why, you know the history and purpose of each experience in your life.”

That is how God works it all together.

Do you see the importance of knowing your why?