We all have things we want and strive to achieve; we all have things that we love with a passion that leaves us so immersed we lose track of time. So, think about the possibilities of actually getting what we want if we used what we love?
To start, you have to know what you really want. For me, I want to make money while still staying home with my kids. I want to be a lot more involved in my church. I want to make wonderful meals for my husband more consistently. I want to get into better shape. I want a cleaner house. I want to homeschool.
Find the things in your life that you want. Not really need, but want. That trip to Disney. A better car. A better education. Write them down and then think of ways you can achieve them that maybe aren't the normal ways.
Ask yourself “how can I LOVE doing all those things?” Getting to the finish line is usually time consuming, sometimes tedious, often tiring, sometimes unfulfilling. So how can I love striving to achieve what I want? By being intentional.
Figure out what you truly love. Then turn what you love into ways of getting what you want. Take some risks. Be creative. What really makes you tick? What were you doing the last time you got so lost in something you completely lost track of time for several hours? How can you recreate that feeling while achieving something you want?
If need be, hire a babysitter or set aside a few hours so that you can sit down and write out what you really want. Don't get stuck on the little things. Rather, think bigger. A LOT bigger. Because what you want isn't to drink 8 glasses of water, it's to improve your total health. You don't want to spend 30 minutes a day in the Bible, but to have a more intimate relationship with your Heavenly Father.
Now, how can you really love the process of achieving those things? Do you love lemonade more than water? Drink 8 glasses of lemonade per day. How about tea? I love iced tea and could easily drink 8 glasses a day. Or go crazy and have 8 Arnold Palmers every day (for those unfamiliar, it's half lemonade, half iced tea). All the while you're doing something you love and getting something you want.
Do you want to spend more time with God? Do you love seeing God in nature? Instead of feeling guilty you forgot your devotional again, spend 30 minutes praying and reading your Bible while sitting by your favorite tree or feeling the grass between your toes. Or sit at your window and watch the snow fall and really appreciate all the beautiful things God puts on this earth purely for our enjoyment. Or start a garden so you can spend time in nature appreciating God's gifts to us while also improving your total health.
You will find that by intentionally putting yourself in situations of doing something you love, rather than doing what you’ve been told should be done to get what you want, you will wake up with a sense of eagerness and desire. You will intentionally fill your life with achieving what you want and loving it all the way to the finish line.
Of course, if we are to be realistic, then there are some things we want which must be set aside in order to get the things that are most important. We are finite beings and cannot do everything. You will have to let some of your wants go. So, give those wants to God and He can keep them for you for later.
What are the things you want? How can you love doing them?
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