Preferences or Convictions

I have spoken on the topic of leaving a legacy. For most of us this idea is as foreign as the south pole, we have seen movies, pictures and learned about it, but have never gone there. Often the difference here is your day to day living.  Is it a result of convictions or preferences?  Let me give you a few more pointers on how to live with the intensity of living with convictions.  Almost as if you only had 30 days left so that what is left over goes beyond you.

1) Say the words you are convicted to say.

Life is full of words we would love to take back and words we wished we had said. Never more apparent is this fact when a person is gone and passed. Use the moments you have now to say the words from your heart.  How do you know?  Simple it's something you feel you say from the bottom of your heart.  It's often driven by compassion, love or a desire to open up to another person.

If you only had 30 days to live, what would you say and to whom would you say it?  That is a good 5 minutes spent to live by convictions.

2) Do what your convictions drive you to do

I will put off today what I can do tomorrow one person said. In the end that person never got around to doing today. Each day brings new challenges to derail us from doing what keeps your life moving towards convictions.  Waiting tell tomorrow only bets on a game of chance and someday you will lose that bet and it’s going to hurt bad!

What is your unfinished assignment?

3) Live how your convictions want you to live

That is what it really comes down to, what is my living like. As a leader, father, husband I have watched my life in light of this statement.  I watch it in others.  I wish I could tell you that every person I have known lives as how their convictions would want them to, but too many don’t. If I was to sit with you for one month and observe your life what conclusion would I come to? Now try this observation on yourself and don’t forget what has got you to where you are.  Often that path of preferences or convictions is the sole source why you are at this point today.

If you could instantly change one thing about how you are living, what would it be?

There is a wise saying in an ancient book that expressed this perfectly... It says "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”

“The key to leaving a legacy is to live by one's convictions, not by our preferences.” Are you living by your preferences or your convictions?