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How are you? is probably the most frustrating question in the world. It has become a greeting instead of true question, therefore, people tend to give an equally unthoughtful answer. I want to take a second to evaluate some of the most common responses and then propose a new one.

I'm not doing bad
I'm not doing bad doesn't necessarily mean one is doing good. It sounds like it comes from a dark expectation that one is supposed to be doing bad and the fact that aren't doing bad is a good thing. It is a comparison between self and others rather than a direct statement of how one is doing. Granted poverty, starvation, and war are pervasive throughout the world, relatively speaking almost anyone who has the internet and can read this blog is not doing bad. The words 'not' and 'bad' make the short sentence a double-negative and two negatives have the potential to make a positive. Anytime we have a choice to choose positivity over negativity in our language or life we should.

I'm doing good
From a feeling standpoint, it means that one is well, healthy, alright, but if we were talking about feelings the appropriate question would be 'How do you feel?' and the response would be 'I feel good'. From an action standpoint, to do good means to help old ladies across the street, to donate old clothes during the holidays, to volunteer, or to work for a nonprofit. While those things are needed and nice and good to do, they beg the question what/how are we doing the other 98% of our lives. A lot of people escape their highest calling to do GOD by settling for doing good.

I'm doing GOD
Whereas doing good is usually a part-time thing, doing GOD is full-time. It means asking yourself 'What would GOD do in this/every moment?' GOD creates, loves, forgives, heals, serves constantly. Imagine if GOD was like, "Hey MAN, I'm really busy this week with work. With economy trippin' and everything, I'm putting in overtime at the office. I've got to keep my job you know. I really want to help out, but things are tough right now. I hope you understand MAN." Doing GOD is the highest form of living. Everyone is capable of doing GOD - it is what we were created to do. I used to think you had to be a priest to do GOD full-time, but I realize now that you just have to faithfully walking in alignment with your GOD-given purpose daily.

How are you doing today?

2 comments

  1. Anonymous Says:
  2. lol I totally disagreed with the vast majority of this post, sans the final paragraph.

    The vast majority of this was really presumptuous, based on unchecked assumptions of other people's intentions instead of based on fact. When I applied your descriptions to myself, to the rare instances when I said these things, they were all incorrect. :-/

    However, the concept you're seeking to capture in the last paragraph is pretty great. Thank you for it! :)

     
  3. Anonymous Says:
  4. Brilliant! Thanks Jullien. I hope you're puttin all of this wisdom in a book.

     

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Jullien's Purpose Statement

My purpose is to help as many people as possible reach their full potential by helping them making a living doing what they love and in the process of doing so achieve my own. I want to do this through writing, speaking, and creating offline and online spaces that facilitate conversations around purpose.

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