A Life of Significance – The Rascal

One of the greatest lies you can buy into is that your life, your purpose, is insignificant.  Perhaps you have bought into the lie that you are not equipped for a life of significance, not strong enough, not worthy, or simply not worth anything all that dramatic. 

Nothing could be further from the truth.  There is no one that can replace you in your mission.  No one can fulfill your unique purpose.  If your place is left unattended, your mission will be left undone.  No one else can be who you were meant to be.

You need to allow yourself to become the unique individual you were created to be.  You need to stop worrying about what everyone else thinks.  You need to stop trying to be what everyone else wants you to be.  You need to find the courage and the freedom to be yourself.

Personal development – development to maximize your gifts and your talents, unlocks amazing potential and provides a wealth of opportunity. Oddly, many people instead spend their whole life trying to change how they were made.  They ignore their talents, their gifts and their strengths and actually try to change their natural makeup.  Instead, they should do everything in their power to build on them.

What a shame to deny your purpose and abandon your dreams from a lack of courage to pursue them. What a shame to allow your life to be wasted on a career, or series of occupations, that you accepted as a result of obligation.

You were created so that your life would count, not to count the days of your life. Average people compare themselves with others; extraordinary people always compare themselves with who they have been called to be.

Bottom line, if you have read this far, and this resonates with you, I believe you are called to be a Rascal.  What is a Rascal? Author Chris Brady shares it well, in his “Rascal Manifesto.”

Rascal Manifesto – Chris Brady

• I was born free and I intend to live like it. 
• This means that I will live my life while I'm alive.
• No one owns me except my Creator.
• No one can put me in a box, a category, a social group, a voting bloc, or a classification.
• I am fiercely independent, and with those aligned with me in common purpose, interdependent.
• I know that with my freedom comes responsibility.
• I take responsibility for my own actions, and I hold the bar high on myself.
• I am not afraid to struggle, because it's the struggle that makes me great.
• I know that excellence always lies on the other side of inconvenience.
• I am a learning machine.
• I read, I confront brutal reality, I grow.
• Long term, no one and nothing can defeat me, because I will keep coming back, stronger and better than before.
• I will educate myself about the true principles of freedom, and I will strive mightily to preserve freedom for the next generation.
• I rely on no man and no government to provide for me.
• I will not follow the herd of mediocrity and victim-thinking.
• I don't follow herds, instead I run with a pack - a pack of Rascals.
• Let others bask in their privileges, as for me, I will invest them in my purpose.
• I will defy tyranny.
• I will charge the hill.
• I will make a difference. 
• I'm a Rascal!

I believe I am called to be a Rascal.  As a Rascal, what follows below are my thoughts on the purpose I am called to live.  As I continue down this path, I’m sure this will be refined and an even deeper purpose will be revealed. I share this here as a reminder to myself, to guide my steps and empower my actions…

I believe that everyone is called upon to be a leader sometime during the course of their life, even if only for a season. I believe I am called to be a leader. I believe I am called to develop other leaders as well. I believe that one person can make a difference. I believe that I can, I do, and I will continue to make a difference.

I am thankful for my privileges, and I leverage them for my purpose rather than my pleasures. I choose to step out and lead, and I will serve those I am called to help. I will even polarize, if necessary, to serve my purpose rather than compromise myself to please those who may disagree with me.

I am concerned about the freedoms on which our country was founded, and the principles that serve as that foundation. I am concerned about personal finances, and the individual freedoms or constraints that they drive. I am concerned about healthy relationships, healthy marriages and healthy parenting. I am concerned about the information - the “thinking” - that we are using to guide our decisions.

I refuse to compromise my character in any circumstance or environment, no matter the cost.  I strive to be the same person both in private and in public, in thought and in action, devoted to personal discipline and self-mastery. I never stop learning and growing, always drawing from the best sources of information.  I guard my thoughts from unwholesome information and unhealthy environments.  I seek wise counsel and mentorship.

I am the leader of my family. My life will produce lasting impact through generations. I will impact lives globally and eternally. I am on a mission to change lives, one person and one family at a time if necessary. I am willing to partner with those who have a passion to do the same.

I am ultimately accountable to my Creator, and my life is dedicated to His purpose for me. I am responsible for discovering, and living, that purpose to the fullest.

If you are indeed a Rascal, you may share in some of these thoughts, but this will certainly not define you verbatim. This is my mission, and I am uniquely equipped to live it. I invite you to find out what makes you a Rascal, write it down (and share it if you dare), and set out to live it to the best of your ability. When you unlock the Rascal within, I believe you will be amazed.