The Drifters

99% OF PEOPLE, WHETHER CHRISTIAN OR SECULAR, DRIFT THROUGH LIFE WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN — THE OTHER ONE PERCENT MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Do you want to say anything?

Of course

Fire away then.

That was me speaking through your friend today.

Ok, you want to lay it out for me?

He hit the nail on the head — you need a definite major purpose. ‘This one thing I do’. But you already know that, we’ve been discussing this for a long time now.

Yes, but the discussion constantly frustrates me because I have two major purposes, and it seems you’ve given them both to me.

I have.

Well? How can I have one when you’ve given me two??

This is not a discussion about numbers.

Yes, it is!

Had you considered that one purpose might have more than one prong to it?

How does that work?? Too many ‘prongs’ has been my problem. The need to achieve has driven me all my life, but I’ve never been completely clear about which purpose to achieve, and the two major purposes that drive me are always competing with each other, so neither wins.

I’ve had some notable successes and people tell me I should be content, but I’m not! I haven’t achieved anywhere near what I wanted in either of those purposes.

Aaah, now we come to it. ‘What’ to achieve.

Yes! That’s what we’re talking about. I’m guessing that if I’ve not achieved to the level I dreamed of, that the problem is I don’t know ‘what’ I want to achieve?

Yes, exactly, you need a definite major purpose!

We’re going around in circles here, God. We both agree on this, I need one purpose, something I can really focus on, so give me some help figuring out what it should be.

Why? So you can be focused?

No! Focus is just the journey, not the objective, not for me anyway. I want a single thing I can focus on so that I can achieve, and know I have achieved, and be satisfied that I’ve achieved. It’s like that old saying, I don’t want to go to my grave with my music still in me, and right now mine is still in me! I haven’t run my best race or broken the tape and it’s driving me mental.

What if I suggested a purpose that wasn’t something that you found very appealing?

Well, as you know, I find such an idea a very boring and sickeningly ‘Christian’ concept, and particularly unlike you — but, sure, if you want to play that game, fine, that would be better than trying to achieve something and never getting there cos it was the wrong thing.

You sure about that?

Yes! But if you’re asking whether I would embrace such an idea, a major purpose that isn’t something that appeals to me — would I embrace it with joy and submitted heart (another boringly Religious concept that the do-gooders give lip-service to but never achieve) then no, I probably wouldn’t ever enjoy it, and would always miss doing what you actually created me to do, but hey, whatever, if that’s your game then let’s get on with it.

Does it sound like my game?

Not anymore, I was taught you’re like that, ‘the eternal spoilsport’, but it’s certainly not the side of you I’ve met through these conversations.

Good.

God, look, the major purposes that appeal to me are finishing my business life with an impressive amount of financial wealth — otherwise what was the point of all the stress and strain I put my family through over the last 40 years — all the risks, long hours etc etc. Surely the purpose of a business is to deliver services or products that improve the lives of others in return for the accumulation of wealth.

Good so far.

Ok, and the other purpose, the thing that has always driven me, is setting people free from organised Religion.

Yes.

So I have that right? Those are the two purposes most likely to fulfil me?

Definitely.

But which one?? I’ve got to stop this constant contest between the two.

Why not a combination of the two, something like your friend suggested, something like ‘coaching people’? Would that work?

Well it is what I do in both situations — in my businesses, and in my drive to set people free from Religion so they can start hearing your voice.

Alright, but ‘coaching people’ to what end, and just coaching, or is inspiring part of it too?

Maybe, yes, coaching and inspiring them to greatness in their chosen field, or to choose a better field and then be great in it.

That’s obvious in your businesses, but how do you see that working in your attempts to set people free from Religion??

It just seems to happen. Religion’s rules tell people they must drop their drive to achieve their dreams and instead ‘serve God’. Religion tricks people into thinking there’s a difference between serving you and doing the things they know in their heart you created them to do.

Not everyone falls for the lie though — Olympic Gold medal winner and missionary Eric Liddel said, “He made me for China, but he also made me fast and when I run I feel his pleasure upon me.”

Religion fools people into thinking that to pursue greatness in anything — music, art, business, sport, farming, raising a family, and so on, is somehow a lesser calling than what Religion has determined the person should do.

And what does Religion say people should do?

Well, essentially, some version of ‘serve the church’, or ‘serve the mission field’, which is fine for the few whose calling that is, but not for the millions of churched people whose lives should not revolve around church — they’re hiding their light under a bushel — it prevents them from improving the world around them.

Too many churches steal people’s ability to think, convince them that you’re a disciplinarian looking to see how ‘obedient’ we are, how much we’re willing to give up, their message makes you into a tyrant. You weren’t one when you walked the earth, so why do they make you out to be one now…?

So, coaching and inspiring, how could that help solve the problem?

Well… if done properly, it helps people to believe in themselves and what they’re capable of. And, from what I’ve seen, when people believe in themselves and become comfortable with and organised in their drive to achieve great things, they drop this evil concept that they ‘don’t deserve’ success.

And?

And the natural consequence seems that they start to become aware that you like secular success — that God is applauding them not condemning them in their efforts to achieve.

Coaching, inspiring, whatever… it seems to release them from the feeling that they don’t deserve to succeed — and it sets them free from what organised Religion has taught them they are supposed to want.

Ok, and what about the wealth thing?

Well, I feel like apologising for this, but I love seeing people achieve it, love inspiring and coaching others to pursue it. But, to be honest, it’s not really just wealth, it’s success in one’s talent — sales, art, music, sport, finance, raising a family, etc etc.

I love seeing human achievement in any field — I mean Pavorotti and Clapton in concert together, I want to weep when I hear the explosion of those two great talents, — Clapton’s iconic guitar-break sailing out over the heads of the audience while Pavorotti’s voice pours like liquid into the arena — those men haven’t buried their talents, they’ve given their whole lives to perfecting them.

Imagine if they had belonged to some church — and a pastor, or do-good elder had cornered them and trotted out the typical, boring, time-worn Christian lines, “but, brother, what about your service to God”. That’s the Religion I want to set people free from!

Thank God those two were never tangled in Religion, pursuing their talent has shown the world far more of your smile on humanity than ‘serving the church’ would have ever done.

So, how would you combine those two drives, business and setting people free from Religion into one definite purpose and do you think that’s even possible?

Is it?

It is. Yes, very much so. Think about it.

( AT THAT POINT I STOPPED THE CONVERSATION TO GO AND PICK UP MY GRANDCHILDREN FROM THEIR OTHER GRANDDAD. )

AN HOUR LATER…

Ok, so while I was out, it occurred to me that if I had focused with a never-give-up passion on the one thing I really wanted to do for the last forty years, ( building great wealth through business), I would have accumulated wealth, and have businesses and properties that paid me handsomely, which would enable to me to pursue my other passion…

Aaah, very good, and?

It would mean I had the funds to focus on setting people free from Religion… Time to write more books, time for more speaking engagements and time to market the messages of a conversation with God and pursuing one’s secular dreams.

Ok, good, and how would you set about that?

A lot more communication! More books and blogs and speaking engagements, and workshops to encourage them in their given callings and, where appropriate, but only where appropriate, teaching them a conversation with the real God, not that warped angry-disciplinarian God that Religion has dreamed up.

So far so good. Now, what do you think is the reason you didn’t put enough focus on building that wealth until now?

Well I sort of did. I have been in business for myself all my adult life.

Hmmm, ‘sort of’. Why have I told you that you don’t have what you want?

Because I don’t really want it? You’re right of course, I wish for it like everyone does, but don’t want it with enough passion, and I can’t decide which of my two drives to focus on - consequently, I don’t give either 100% white-hot focus like a gold medal athlete does.

Yes, exactly. So why, what happened, did you ever really want it?

Well, yes, I think I did. In my 20s I built an impressive income and an exceptional business and was investing in commercial property.

So, what went wrong?

I had a business failure, went broke.

And what? Plenty of people go broke, in fact most of the greats in business have had some sort of commercial failure, so what happened to you?

Well, I’ve only just realised this recently, but I guess I gave up.

Why?

I think I was scared of failing again, but also I fooled myself that maybe the reason I had failed was that you didn’t like business success, I mean real business success, serious wealth.

I never told you that!

No, but others did, and it suited me to believe them, not their fault, mine, I could have refused to listen, but instead I used their words as an excuse to not pick myself up and try with my whole heart again. I have always tried since, always talked about wealth, but not with that ‘do-or-die’ passion I embraced in my 20s.

But you’ve always owned your own business since then.

Yes, but I haven’t pursued business greatness with 100% white-hot passion.

Why?

With all the warped poverty-focused Christian teaching I’d been subjected to it became easier not to try so hard again, I tried, sure, put a lot of effort into it, but no longer pursued the full level of success I had done. It was easier to think that one couldn’t be a good dad and a good man and generate a huge success in business.

So what have you done instead?

Well, I’ve always thought wealth was a great and lofty goal, but maybe not for Christians and certainly not for me. So instead I have focused my business on helping other businesses to build wealth. I’ve built a successful business doing so, but nowhere near the level success I had intended.

Good. Now we’re getting somewhere. You’re in the last third of your life — tell me, is this a good time to rest and have a life of leisure?

I hope not! Not for me anyway. Sure, I’d like to work a bit less, but I haven’t achieved yet what I want to in business and I haven’t broken the back of Religion, haven’t set millions free.

No.

Is that you saying that I should choose one definite major purpose and the other will naturally follow?

Absolutely.

So, just checking — you agree that if I had chosen business back then and given it everything, (a white-hot whatever-it-takes passion), the sort of secular passion that pastors frown on — if I’d given my entire focus to building great businesses and great wealth, then I would now be free to focus on setting people free from Religion?

Of course. Can you see why Religion doesn’t like secular success?

Because secular success sets people free from the crutch of Religion?

Absolutely.