Have you ever felt like your life is a puzzle, but you are missing one or a few pieces? There is always someone else who is smarter, prettier, taller, nicer, tanner, kinder . . . should I go on?
You know comparison is a trap. I know it too. But I still get stuck in it, sometimes. What you need, and me too, is a plan to get out of the comparison trap as soon as we know we are in it.
In today’s social media world, we get caught in this trap on many levels. It can be a trap about our parenting style, eating preferences, or business choices. We can constantly see how everyone else is doing because it is all out there. I’m exhausted just thinking about the perfect women in the cyber world.
God created you perfect for what He planned for you. Your puzzle pieces have been selected precisely for you. And you have all your pieces! So, let’s first look at a plan to get your eyes off ‘them’ and place them on YOU. Better yet, on GOD.
The first piece of your puzzle
God tells us in Philippians 4:8 to
“. . . Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. . . “
Did you notice that there is an AND between each word? When that happens in writing, it means you are adding depth, not more.
One piece of your puzzle is your expertise, especially for your business activities. The trap is that you may see others with a degree or certificate in what you offer, yet you have none. This was true for me when I started to call myself a coach. But, God.
Filter that thought through the verse
- What is true? I have been coaching many people about how to do their business better by helping them through their goals and action steps.
- What is honorable? I could give them a direction and plan for moving forward positively.
- What is right? They were succeeding in their business through what I was teaching.
- What was pure? They were following God’s calling in their lives.
- What was lovely? I was developing lasting relationships with each person so that they were enriching my life.
- What was admirable? Together we were pursuing God’s calling on each of our lives and keeping one another accountable.
I became a coach without having the credentials. I had the expertise because I pursued excellence in learning how to help others. It interested me, and I learned on my own. It came naturally to me, and I loved doing it.
That is what you need to call yourself the ‘expert.’ God has equipped you to do what He has called you to do. Figure it out (and get help if you need it). You may want to study in a traditional setting, and your calling might include that. But don’t limit yourself if you feel God tugging at your heart. Explore it thoroughly and give yourself a thorough evaluation of your skills.
The Calling Clarity Course is designed to help you see all your pieces and brilliance. It enables you to create the business that God designed for you.
The second piece of your puzzle
Another piece to your puzzle is your experience. This is another area where a degree is not required. The trap here is that you feel you don’t have the ‘right’ experience. But, God.
He has you go through things to learn more about Him and speak the truth to others. Those problematic experiences are vital for you to be refined to reflect Christ in your life. He has helped you overcome many situations, and you need to recognize their significance because they are the exact ways you can help others.
Those good things in your life are just as essential to give you a way of approaching your business in a way that is authentic to you. God uses all your experiences to bring you to this place right now so you can stand out in ways that attract those you are called to serve.
The worst experience has become the catalyst for everything I am doing now. And a load of other experiences (e.g., drama, mission work, homeschooling) fill in the unique parts of what I offer through my business.
Phillippians 4:8 filter
Again, let’s put these experiences through the Philippians 4:8 filter to get out of the trap. . .
- What is true? I was diagnosed with MS while homeschooling my then six and ten-year-old daughters, going to Graduate school, and working in my small business teaching Spanish.
- What was honorable? God was teaching me what actual dependence on Him really looked like in my life so I could grow into a wise woman of faith.
- What was right? That I could speak into others’ lives about His goodness, His provision, and His desire to want a relationship with them first and then use their businesses to bring Him glory.
- What was pure? That through suffering, I was learning more about who I was and how God had creatively and uniquely designed me to be an equipper of others.
- What was lovely? That He showed me how the things I excelled at were the perfect fit for what He would have me do next in my business.
- What was admirable? That I learned to trust Him and was able to step into the next thing He had for me over and over again on this adventure of serving Him through my business.
I am still surprised at how He uses the little things I have learned or experienced to bring me into a new place in my business. What He wants is obedience. He wants you to take the next step.
Get clarity to get out of the comparison trap
You may have a big vision, a God-sized dream, but have you handed God each part of you for Him to use? Your experiences, and your expertise, work into your business in a unique way. God created you perfect for your calling. Get the clarity you need and get out of the trap.
Work through your own Philippians 4:8 Clarity Filter and connect your puzzle pieces. Find out more about the Calling Clarity Course and connect even MORE pieces to God’s calling for you in business.
Get out of the comparison trap. Create the business God designed for you. Have the impact He wants you to have on those He wants you to serve. Do the good things God planned for you from the foundation of the world.
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