my life coach is jesus
 
 

While the universal mission is primary, we still have this deep desire to contribute in some unique way that represents who we are as individuals. As Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, we each fulfill an aspect of the Body of Christ. Often self-help books call this desire our passion or Christians refer to it as our calling. But how do we find our calling people lament?

Some people understand their calling at a early age, others take decades to discover it and others will float from one passion to another in different stages of their life.  Assuming you’re not a Mozart-esque savant with a clear calling where they describe their inability to do anything but that calling, you’ll need some coaching to discern your personal mission.


 
part 3: Personal Mission intro
Your personal mission is a blend of skills, satisfaction and style
Start with your best offer to God and we’ll negotiate from there.

WHY IS JESUS THE RIGHT LIFE COACH FOR YOU?

He experienced first-hand the trials of figuring out his purpose and trusting in God’s will even when it didn’t make sense. Also as all-human and all-God he knows what’s truly good for you not just now but for the long haul.

WHO’S THIS FOR? This exercise is useful for all ages from youth first evaluating their career options, mid-career professionals reevaluating their chosen profession and retirees with a chance to start from scratch again.  This exercise is also helpful for dreamers who could use some structure and for planners that need to allow God to be co-pilot.

WHAT’S OUR GOAL? Ideally your calling and career should cross paths. At some point you’ll be have to determine the right balance between your calling and career and how you allocate your time. Initially, we’ll attempt to meld your calling and career into an idealistic union if possible. Start with your best offer to God and we’ll negotiate from there.

Personal Mission- What am I called to do?

What does a meaningful life look like? What will be your legacy? How will you use
your time, talent and treasure?

Your Personal Mission will likely be a Venn diagram of 3 things.

  1. (1)Satisfaction What makes you, you? What do I enjoy?

  2. (2)Skills What am I good at?

  3. (3)Style What kind of lifestyle do I want?

Very rarely are people able to balance all three so even if you think you know what you want do, it’s worth taking a look at a few examples. 

Personal Mission- Examples

Is your Venn diagram of Satisfaction, Skills and Style balanced? Most people will find that they’ve chosen two at the expense of one or focused entirely on one.

  1. Don’t Need No Satisfaction! You’ve traded purpose for a lifestyle backed by your skills. Some people are able to compartmentalize their lives and can either find fulfillment in their family role or volunteer outside of work. Those that can’t separate the need for purpose from work are likely miserable.

  2. Unsatisfied and unsustainable- Your need to live good “cuz you deserve it” overwhelms your ability to ever be satisfied and you don’t have “the skills to pay the bills”. You’re likely depressed and in debt. (see Dave Ramsey to get your financial house in order )

      1. Idealism without Sacrifice- You’ve chosen a noble profession but your consumption habits and constant comparison with others who seem better off have caused you to lose satisfaction. Idealism unrooted in a higher purpose and power likely will wither.


      3. Satisfied. There are a couple options.

        1. •You recognize that your skills are unique and meaningful so you get tremendous satisfaction from your chosen profession and as a bonus you get compensated well for it so your lifestyle isn’t diminished. i.e. Doctors, some types of lawyers, etc.

        2. •You’ve consciously decided to sacrifice some style points in order to follow what you’re good at and what gives you satisfaction. i.e., Teachers, social workers, stay at-home moms/dads, etc.  The independent artists and musicians who fall into the category of “this is who I am, I can’t be another” need to have a healthy dose of reality knowing that their ambition may not play out for 10 years or possibly ever.

      4. Best of Both Worlds- The most common choice and the most range in experience. This choice pairs two of the choices above into a dynamic where one world focuses “skills to pay the bills” and the other world attempts to provide personal satisfaction.  Rather than trying to satisfy all your financial needs and sense of purpose in one career, you try to get the best of both worlds.  This typically occurs because you’ve recognized that your calling doesn’t generate enough income to live on and/or is too emotionally draining or personal to do full-time and you’re willing to give up some satisfaction in your day job  (the sun diagram)
        in order to “earn” the free time and resources to pursue your calling (the moon) on the side.  This combo can work, however you’ll need to be conscious of the pull to focus on the sun and forget about the moon. People usually have good intentions about balancing the two worlds. Unfortunately as life gets busy over time, they forget about developing their calling.  The lures of the Style generated by the primary career often can create people that become indifferent to concerns of the neighbor that were once a driving force to satisfy their calling. To be satisfied with with this best of both worlds option, your career ideally should offer work/life balance so you have the time and energy to devote to your calling.

  3. Now that you have a bit of a reality check,  let’s deep dive into each of the three S’s and discover what makes you tick, what you’ve been gifted with and what that day-to-day life looks like.

Part 4: Personal Mission- Discover

 
Discover your Personal Mission