How To Start Your Own Personal Growth Journey Pt. 2
by Brad Spangler
What is my purpose in life? Why am I here on this earth? These were questions that I vividly remember asking myself during my last year of high school. As most of my peers seemed to be advancing through their senior year and taking their ACT tests, I was left wondering, “What am I going to do with the rest of my life?” At one point, my mom even purchased “The Purpose Driven Life” book by Pastor Rick Warren for me to read, and honestly, I walked away from that book feeling a little disappointed. I guess I was expecting that book to spell it out very plainly for me, “Brad, you are on this earth to do….” You know, kind of like the textbooks we had as a kid that usually had the answer to your homework question in bold print. Unfortunately, that type of clarity is not what I found. At least not in that season of my life.
If you were to ask me what my purpose in life is now, my answer would be as follows, “My purpose is to inspire others to follow Jesus, and to help them fulfill their God-given potential.” This is just a modern way of echoing what Jesus said in Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” I realize at this point you might be wondering to yourself, “That’s great and all, Brad, but what does this have to do with personal growth?” Well, I’m glad you asked that question because your purpose has everything to do with your growth plan. In fact, it needs to be the first component of your growth plan. Your personal growth should always tie into your purpose.
With the internet and devices, we have access to more information than at any other time in human history. On the one hand, that is amazing, but on the other hand, it can also be overwhelming. When you determine what your purpose is, your growth can become more focused and intentional. I understand that for many people reading this article, the philosophical question of, “What is my purpose in life?” can seem a bit overwhelming. So instead, I recommend asking yourself, “What is my purpose for this season of life?” That question doesn’t seem as scary, does it? If you are still having a hard time coming up with an answer, then you can ask yourself, “How do I want to serve other people?”. Jesus said, “The son of man came not to be served but to serve.” If that was true for Him, then it’s true for you and me.
Once you’ve taken time to reflect and prayerfully answer this question, I would also recommend asking God to give you a word during this season of life. This word could be one word, it could be a phrase, or it could even be a scripture. I have found that having a word or phrase to hold onto can act as an anchor for your soul. It can also give you direction for the upcoming year. My phrase for 2023 is “go low and slow”, which means stay humble and healthy. I have a tendency to want to go fast, but fast doesn’t always equal healthy. To stay low, is a simple reminder to stay humble.
So how about you? Will you take the time to discover your purpose? It will probably not be a microwave TV dinner process. More than likely, it will be a marinating, slow cooking process. But the time and effort will be so worth it. Once you have determined both your purpose and word for this season, it will bring so much clarity to your own personal growth process. John Maxwell says, “Getting older is automatic, but personal growth is a choice.” So the choice is yours; choose growth.