“The journey of excellence begins with a want. A want is a desired destination, a longing for something that I don’t currently possess, or feel that I don’t possess (I may think I don't possess it when I actually do). The dictionary states that a want is a deficiency or lack of something, or a desire for something. I believe a want is a signal telling me that there is something about my life that is not yet excellent.” - that quote is from a blog post I wrote earlier.

Religion Is Holding You Back

I was talking with a client about this concept of wanting. His reaction was, “I want what God wants.” To which I said, “Of course you do. We all do.”

But I believe that mindset is actually holding you back because you don’t really know what God wants. Oh, you know what your religion tells you. You have your traditions and your spiritual disciplines. But they can actually be holding you back. The best way for you to know this is to start with the design he’s already given you.

I understand that asking, “What do I want?” can sound selfish on the surface. After all, it’s the watchword of the “me-first” culture. But unless we start there, we will never fully become the expression of our unique, God-given design. Unless we start with our own unique design, we will ultimately live a life that religion (others) wanted us to live.

But when you start with a want, you get the car rolling. As they say, you can't steer a car unless it's moving. So here's how you include God in your personal journey of excellence.

Start pursuing a want. This is like putting your foot on the gas pedal of the moving car. But you keep your hands off the steering wheel. That's your Designer's (God's Spirit's) role - to guide you as you pursue your want. Listen for the play in the steering wheel. Play in the steering is the continuum of peace to unsettledness. When you sense peace, keep going. When you sense unsettledness, pause and reflect some more.

It's a partnership between you and The Spirit. You are going with what you understand at the moment (the gas pedal) while The Spirit is providing counsel and guidance (the steering wheel). And I would point out here how important it is to be in the Word of God and fellowship with others who are pursuing Him as well. We can be way off when we think we're right on. There is the danger of false peace.

Classification Of Wants

As you go through your process of wants, it will help to understand that there are 3 types of wants that you will uncover: Illegitimate, Representative, and Legitimate

• Illegitimate wants (or “trash wants”) are culturally-instilled in you. They aren’t healthy. They are only a reflection of the loudest marketing mouths. These wants are the most deceptive. You have to separate these from the other wants because they will get you nowhere.

• Representative wants (or “rocket booster wants”) are good, but they aren’t the real you. They are just representative of who you are. Think of representative wants like rocket boosters on the space shuttle. Their design is to get the astronauts into orbit and then they fall off and back into the sea. They serve their purpose and then get abandoned. For example, you may want the latest iPhone. But what you really want is a form of organizing everything. It’s not that you were designed to like technology but to be organized.

• Legitimate wants (or “design wants”) are straight-up wants that tell you what your design is. If you want your child to be healthy, you are legitimately expressing the unique design of your role as a parent.

ACTION STEP

• First, ask yourself, “What do I want?” and then journal. Write until your wrist is sore. Write everything down you can think of that you want.

• Next, sift through the rubble. Look at all you’ve written and group them by affinity. What are you starting to see? 

• Lastly, take a deeper look at the affinity groupings. Open the hood on each grouping and consider what those wants are telling you about you. 

 photo cred