From Can To Must

 

It’s a new year. That means New Years Resolutions. As some have said, “New Years Solutions.” Think about the word Resolution. The root is resolve. Resolve means “to decide firmly on a course of action.”

Studies tell us that most people give up on their resolutions within six weeks. That doesn’t sound like these resolutions are “firm decisions”.

This is a list of common resolutions that were compiled by a study looking at Google searches. They are taken from an excerpt from my new book on Passion, Power and Purpose.

“Making a New Year’s resolution is a great way to make a positive change in your life, whether it’s going to the gym, waking up earlier, or saving your money. But, it’s very rare to keep your resolutions for the whole year. According to U.S. News, approximately 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February, so the odds are against you.”

This tells us that a huge majority of people are giving up on their resolutions, WITHIN SIX WEEKS. That means no perseverance, determination, focus or resilience. Those are only four elements characteristic of our unique, innate, God given passion. When we are looking at energy, power and purpose, the source of our energy is passion. Everyone has a passion for something.

There are going to be critics who say, “yeah, but New Year’s resolutions have mostly to do with losing weight. Everyone knows how hard that can be.” I’m going to leave the weight loss idea alone for right now, because that is something I have studied and have experience with. Let’s look a little closer and focus on passion, purpose and energy.

Let’s look at what are the most common New Year’s Resolutions and see if we can decipher an explanation as to why there is so much failure.

This is from an NBC news report. These numbers are derived from Google searches so there is power in this data. These are the most common things people are looking to do to improve their lives.

According to the data pulled from Google by iQuanti, these are the most popular New Year’s resolutions:

1. Get Healthy: 62,776,640 searches,

2. Get Organized: 33,230,420 searches,

3. Live Life to the Fullest: 18,970,210,

4. Learn New Hobbies: 17,438,670 searches,

5. Spend Less/Save More: 15,905,290 searches,

6. Travel More: 5,964,130 searches,

7. Read More: 4,746,560 searches,

Grand Total: 159,031,920,

If we are to examine these resolutions carefully, are they things that people “must” do? If you can come up with one resolution right now that you knew you were guaranteed to reach, what would that be? Looking at that resolution or idea in your mind closely will help you realize that it really isn’t a resolution, it’s a wish. Just like the resolutions listed above. You could put “I wish I could..get healthy, get organized, lose weight, eat healthily etc.”

From Can To Must

When we are focused on our own innate God given passion, it moves from the “I wish” category to the “can’t not” category. It moves from  “I can” to  “I must.”   This transition releases real power.

Is there anything in your life that you “can’t not” do? Is there anything in your life that you “must” do and if you don’t, it affects your own sense of well-being? That is passion.

There are several examples of people who lived their lives engaged in their passion every day. They had to. There was no choice involved. Pablo Picasso created art and was constantly working on something. Stephen King writes every day, including holidays such as Christmas. Virtuoso violinist Itzak Perlman practices the violin every day, eight hours a day. These are examples of people engaging in their passion. They have no choice. It has moved from a can activity to a must activity.

When it comes to writing books or attempting to write fiction or non-fiction, the best advice I’ve heard is “only do it if it has moved into the realm of the “can’t not”. Kind of like breathing. You can’t not breath and live.”

That is what is incumbent on each of us as we are going about the business of our lives. Finding our passion and our purpose. We all have both.

If you feel sluggish or listless, are you engaging in any passion at all? Is there anything that you are involved in that brings excitement and energy into your life? As a practicing physician, that is one of the complaints that is common to many people. “Doc, I just don’t have any energy. I’m weak and tired all the time.”

My Job Is To Dream, But I Am Not In My Dream Job

We know that only fourteen percent of the population are actually working in what they consider to be their “dream job”.

“So much for a dream job. Only 14 percent of U.S. workers believe they have the perfect job and more than half want to change careers, according to a new poll released on Monday.”

If we are in the majority, and we are not in our “dream job” and our career is not bringing the kind of fulfillment or joy that we are seeking, then we should make a resolution. “I am going to find my passion. I am going to find my purpose. I am going to decide firmly on this course of action.”

This is consistent with the idea of the authentic self. When we are pursuing passion and purpose, we are moving toward what God had in mind for us when he created us. If we believe that he loves us, why would he create us to live without joy and passion? Why would he create us to be sluggish and miserable?

He wouldn’t. We were created and gifted with a unique passion. As unique as our fingerprint. That passion is the energy that will drive us toward our purpose. We know that we are on the right track when we experience, joy, love, peace and fulfillment.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Discover and develop your passion. Seek your purpose. You won’t regret it.

You can listen to Dr. Cavazos on the brand new Discover Your Authentic Self Podcast!

https://www.realmenconnect.com/podcast/episode/c5a4abaf/422-how-to-discover-your-authentic-self