I remember the day in college a very thoughtful girl told me I was a pretender. She went on to say that I seemed like I had everything together and was sure of myself, but that it was a lie. She called me a fake and said I could not possibly be what I portrayed.
Wow! Looking back, I know these words were spoken from her insecurity. At the time, though, it hit me hard that I was thought of as a pretender. I prided myself on always being upfront with people and not afraid to say what I thought.
I also had that voice in my head saying, “Maybe you are a phony.”
Discovery of who God made you to be
The next few years were a battle to be authentic and really figure out who I was and how I wanted to show up in the world. I was in the teaching program, and it was there I got my first glimpse into the tools that helped me understand myself. The unfolding of these various tools has been:
- Discovery of self
- Deeper connection to God
- Living out my Calling.
God’s calling begins with understanding who God made you to be. Only when you know how He has designed you to do the work He has for you will you take the step of faith with confidence you are in His will and moving in the right direction.
Let’s go through three of these tools to get you started. . .
Tool #1 – Personality Profiles
The first time I heard about the Myers-Briggs assessment was during my last year of college. I remember the book title, People Types, and Tiger Stripes. Remember, this was before the days of the internet, and everything was at your fingertips. I devoured this book and created an entire unit of study for a classroom based on the 16 learning styles outlined in the book.
I LOVED taking the assessment myself to see how I operated AND loved applying it to my classroom and my relationships with family and friends. Fast forward to today, and I use these same principles to teach others who God made you to be and God’s unique design of them through my coaching.
By using this assessment, you are able to see others as separate from yourself in a unique way. You can:
- analyze why their thinking is different,
- understand their point of view better, and
- be able to speak their language so they feel heard.
I think this is an amazing tool!
Who God made you to be – unique!
Why the Myers-Briggs? We must go back to what God said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength.’ Four categories, right? The Myers-Briggs also has four categories.
Okay, YES, there are 16 personalities, BUT they are just a combination of the four categories: feeling, a.k.a heart; Intuition, a.k.a. soul; Thinking, a.k.a. mind; Sensing, a.k.a. strength.
You lead your life, make decisions, and perceive the world around you in one of these ways, for the most part. Can you determine which one is you?
God broke the mold when He designed you. You are one-of-a-kind. Understanding your uniqueness is the first step in creating a business that is perfect for you.
Tool #2 – Spiritual Gifts
My experience with this assessment tool did not happen until I had been serving as a children’s teacher for many years at my church. I began to feel restless that I could do more than what I was doing. But teaching was all I knew, and I did it well.
We joined a new church after a move. I was determined not to go back to teaching kids. That was the first time I took a Spiritual Gifts assessment. Some things were to be expected, teaching, but other things surprised me. Figuring out how to use these ‘other’ gifts was key. I can tell you serving in other areas brought new happiness and energy to my faith life.
Using your Spiritual gifts in business
The most profound difference for me was learning how to use my Spiritual Gifts in my business. A great book that was part of my discovery is Darren Shearer’s book Marketplace Christian. Inside the book are stories, exercises, and a Spiritual Gifts Assessment that gave new meaning to what God was calling me to do in business.
I use this very assessment with my own clients because you can see who God made you to be through your spiritual gifts and can apply your gifts to your everyday. God has you in business so He can grow you.
Your business is your ministry. We all have the same mandate, to go and make disciples. We ‘get to’ do this in the marketplace through our businesses.
Tool #3 – Values
This tool has been a filter for me for whatever activity, event, or opportunity arises. I remember a time when I was super busy and super stretched. I was always saying ‘YES’ to things because they were always things that came easy to me. Just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it.
The Values assessment is a simple stack of words. Sorting through these words really gives you a sense of what is important to you so you can make wise choices for your business.
I call this Value-based decisions. When you know your values and are working IN those values, a few things happen.
- You are energized with what you are doing,
- You know quickly if an opportunity is really for you or not- the power to say NO, and
- You know who you want to be and how you want others to view you.
Your values are an essential part of who you are and who you want to be. You must be aware of them to use them effectively. In fact, values are so important to me that it is one of the first steps in the Calling Clarity Course.
This action program will get you focused on who God made you to be and create a business that is perfect for you so you can make a more significant impact for God by serving Him and your clients.
Use the three tools to discover who God made you to be
These three assessments helped me understand ME. God is so good that He puts resources in our lives at just the time we need them. I have my Calling clarity course. It has taken me longer than I care to admit. But, I am so glad I ‘get to’ help you with clarity and discover God’s design of you so much quicker.
The Calling Clarity Course takes you through your Personality, Spiritual Gifts, and Values, as well as your Talents, Experiences, Strengths, and Expertise. I invite you to check out what is inside the Calling Clarity Course. This is the resource for you to get the step-by-step help you need to create your perfect God-centered business.
God is calling you to take a step, and this one will be easy, I promise.
And remember, it is for your GOOD that God does everything. He is calling me to help you go from choosing good things in your life to choosing God’s BETTER for your life. No matter if you are in the college stage through the young mom stage to the empty-nester stage, you have a Calling in your life. Discover it now and live FULLY in it.
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