Finding Your Purpose- A Principle of Preparedness

Purpose.
There are times life gets us down, times when we don't achieve much or even try to achieve much. Sometimes, we might feel like doing nothing, but we eventually get out of it. Many people are not "lazy," they are struggling with laziness right now. Sometimes it extends too long...and that is a problem. There is a real problem when people stop trying to do better, no matter what the struggle is. A principle of preparedness and self-reliance is having a purpose. No, it's not just having a purpose, it's having a good purpose, the right purpose.
     Here's an example: If a man feels his purpose is that the bills are paid and food is on the table, nothing more and nothing less, then what does he do about it? Well, I suppose he could get a job and provide those things. Let's say he doesn't have a job. Let's say he receives welfare money from the government to pay his bills and buy food for him and his family. Maybe he lost his job. It happens. This man now has a struggle. So what does he do about it? From one perspective, his needs are met. If his purpose is to make sure the bills are paid and food is on the table, then does he have any reason to do anything differently? What is going to drive him to get up off his couch and do something else? Purpose.
     From a preparedness perspective, why should we learn first aid if we can call an ambulance or go to the hospital? Why should we learn how to acquire or store food and water if we can turn on the tap for water, go to the grocery store, or order pizza? Why should we learn to defend ourselves or pay attention to our surroundings when we can call the police? Why should we be the ones to step up and help others, why should we pull over to help at a car accident, why should we keep calm in an emergency? Won't someone else take care of it? If I don't have to, why should I? Why, when my daughter was choking on a piece of cucumber did I get up and dislodge it?
Purpose.
    When you decide what you're living for and why you're living, it changes what you do with your life. This doesn't have to be an overall personality change, but a change of some part of your life. There's a phrase I heard from a friend recently, "You don't rise to the occasion, you fall to the level of your training." Honestly, when my daughter started choking on some cucumber, I knew just what to do about it, because I've been trained; it's preparing the food for her that I need to learn about. I can guarantee that there will be some situation in your life that calls on you, and just you, to act. Will you be ready? Will you rise to your potential? Preparedness is simply filling a well so you have something to draw from.
     Rising to your potential in life is the what can give us purpose. When we have responsibility, whether it be a job, a child, or anything(or anyone) else, we make a decision to live up to that responsibility. For a job, we get the education or training we need to do it well. In an unexpected situation at home, in an emergency, or even in a disaster, what have we learned that helps us deal with it and help others? What is our responsibility in a disaster? To find a purpose, we need to do a self-evaluation, and we need to know, "Where is my responsibility and what is my potential?" Even if we are only responsible for ourselves, can we handle that? We can't do everything, but are we prepared to do what we can do, our potential and our purpose?