Why (heart, inspiration)

Knowing your true internal motivation(s) for the life you’re trying to build empowers self-awareness (knowing who you are), as well as self-leadership (knowing how to move forward with faithfulness).

Here are a few things you need to know about “the why,” that is, the third rung of the ladder in the Advance framework.

💙 The HEART is never neutral (it may be numb, such that you don’t hear what it’s saying, but it’s always expressing its opinion about things).

Learn to listen to your heart, because one of two things will dictate the steps you make to move forwards towards your dreams:

❌ REASONS (read: excuses) you give not to pursue your call

✅ REALITY that God has called you to something more— and that those desires are placed in your heart by Him.

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Note: at this point it’s important that we understand our true identity.

⭐️ Your IDENTITY is based on what you think the most importance person or voice in your life says about you. ⭐️

This understanding of identity flows into our next point about HUSTLE. You won’t get that one right without a healthy view of your identity.

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💙 HUSTLE… but do so in the right way.

Jesus tells us not to “seek” over the things that the “gentiles” (read: pagans) seek after. He says they worry about the things they’ll eat, what they’ll wear, and the normal routine of life (see Matthew 6:32).

He then tells us, in the Sermon on the Mount, to “seek first His kingdom” (Matthew 6:33).

He promises that “all of these things” (read: what we’ll eat, what we’ll wear, etc.) “will be added to us as well.”

Notably, it’s not just the object of WHAT we seek that Jesus contrast here (i.e., “They seek lesser things, but if you’ll see the greater things those lesser things will seek after you such that you don’t have to chase them…”). Rather, He contrasts the MODE of seeking.

In the original Greek language, He uses two different words in this passage:

❌ The gentiles seek as a “striving and a desperate chase” (which sounds a lot like the hustle culture of today).

✅ You should seek as a hunger, as a desire… that is, as a yearning for God’s presence and power in your life.

This leads us to a position, first of all, of humble confidence, because the driving “why” is that THIS is what my Father has called me to…

💙 HOLD FAST to your call…

We used to talk about our career as a “vocation.” Notice the root word of “vocal,” that is, “calling.” The original way we viewed the work we do each day was that a VOICE actually chose us to do the work— and then directed us…

… and, this can affect every area of life…

Notice, when we see ourselves as sons (of the King) we realize that this affects EVERY dream we have. Those can ALL be ordained by God, with His voice directing each of them.

(And, as we discuss in this episode, we may have a different “why” (or inspiration) for each of our dreams. Furthermore, the reasons may change over time.)

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🛠 Free PDF, How to build a bridge from where you are to where you’re designed to be = https://www.eatsleepadvance.com/bridge 

🆔 Identity course, mentioned in the talk = https://www.eatsleepadvance.com/identity 

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