.svg)
My daughter was married recently. As is tradition, she was given a diamond ring when her fiance asked her to marry him. In the diamond trade, the quality of the cut, color, and clarity define the value of the diamond. During Li's engagement journey, she and her fiancé discovered a love for each other that deepened over time. Over the last several months, they have grown confident in their love. They have understood that the deepest and longest-lasting love has alignment, boldness, and conviction. The best life story has the same traits.
Consider the story of life. I was privileged to grow up in a nurturing home where there was loving support. You may come from a broken home where pain ruled. Some of us have personal tragedies coloring our stories. We lose the spouse of our youth to death or divorce, a child to disease or a parent dies prematurely. Perhaps our story includes the ravages of disease, or we suffer from the after-effects of a traumatic experience.
Some have a career trajectory that seems to take off like a rocket, and they've never had to look for anything different. Some have lost jobs and had to do the hard work of reinventing themselves and their career aspirations.
Anybody who has written an extended project understands that it is helpful to begin with some sense of direction. The structure of the story helps. Books are written with an order to the presented argument and story. Authors start with the end in mind, with some sense of the book’s direction and the idea; invariably, the end result is different than what was expected at the beginning of the project.
The same is true in the story of our lives. Our lives began when our parents brought us into the world. We live different life journeys. We have different challenges. Many things in our experiences lead to different possible outcomes. Our best life story is based on Life's ABCs.
Alignment is the proper positioning or state of adjustment of parts in relation to each other.
When we don't know who we are in the inner parts, we are not free to fully live our best life and future. We won't live fully into our calling. I have spent the last 25 years seeking this alignment in my life. During those years, I have taken a variety of personality and skill inventory assessments. Many have been helpful. I have learned my true identity, strengths, weaknesses, and core fears and desires. This knowledge has allowed me to pursue God's transforming power in my life.
I evaluate three areas to assess the alignment in my life:
1. Passion: Does my work life fatigue me (not the good tired from a hard day at work, but ongoing fatigue leading toward burnout), or does my work bring a passion to my life?
2. Energy: Are my work’s effects energizing me and others?
3. Contribution: Is my life aligned to make my most significant contribution?
When working in our passion, the overall effect of our work is that it energizes us, and we consistently believe we are making our most outstanding contribution.
When we have clarity in our inner being, we can move in boldness in pursuit of God's best for us.
Boldness is showing or requiring a fearless daring spirit. This boldness happens as alignment energizes us leading us toward this bold spirit. When we know who we are, we can step out in confidence. When I was young, I lacked alignment in my life and therefore lacked the boldness to decide the best direction for my future. I said yes to the wrong things and no to the right things. If we lack boldness, we say yes too often, and we take energy away from opportunities to make our most valuable impact.
Alignment and boldness help us to say no to the wrong things and yes to the best things, meaning we accelerate our legacy.
Conviction is a firm persuasion and belief. It happens when we have alignment between our internal and external worlds. Conviction drives us toward alignment between our inner wiring and what we choose for our vocation. When we do, we make our most significant contribution.
Reaching a place of harmony in my life has sometimes been frustrating, exhausting, and confusing. Over the last two decades, I've walked through experiences and hardships. These seasons have refined my sense of identity and vocation at deep levels. I have journeyed through the crossroads of the best connection between my inner world and my career choices. Developing this connection has helped me to move smartly toward making my most significant contribution.
In his book Leading from the Inside Out, Sam Rima writes that failing to care for one's interior world inevitably leads to a disconnect between our inner and outer worlds. To lead consistently, we must consider our internal and external worlds (our private and public selves).
We must seek to understand the inner world which drives us. This clarity allows us to move confidently toward a more profound unity at the crossroads of the inner world that guides us and the outer world of our career choices.
Reaching a place of alignment between your vocation and your mental makeup can be frustrating, exhausting, and confusing.
But that doesn't need to be your story.
I've spent the better part of the last two decades working to understand myself and my vocation at the deepest levels.
Turns out, that calling was to help other men in the second phase of life build an extraordinary legacy filled with passion, energy, and extraordinary contribution.
I am a certified Life and Enneagram Coach and a 20-year military veteran serving as a Navy Chaplain.
I hold a Doctor of Ministry in Leadership Renewal & Coaching from Regent University, and most importantly, I am a devoted Christian, husband, and father.
Together, we will discover your true self and what God has for your life purpose and vocation.
Step forward into the next chapter of your life boldly with the following:
• Alignment between who you are, why you were made, and what you do
• Boldness in your choice of vocation
• Conviction in the deepest part of who you are
It's time to take back your life and live out your calling.
Work with me on your journey toward your best life. Book your consultation today and use the coupon code STRATEGYCALL when you do.