A Heart 4 Business: Hey I got on the wrong boat! Dan Miller

The phrases people use to describe where they are in life never cease to amaze and amuse me. In the new 10th Anniversary Edition of 48 Days to the Work You Love I share just a few of the revealing statements about where people see themselves:

51-year-old businessman — “I feel like I’ve lived my whole life by accident.”
Wife of professor — “I feel like we have been free-falling for the last 13 years.”
Salesman — “I feel like I’m a ball in a pinball machine.”
56-year-old (PhD. in Theology currently driving a bus) — “I feel like I’ve been given six seconds to sing, and I’m singing the wrong song.”
53-year-old businessman — “I feel like my life is a movie that’s almost over, and I haven’t even bought the popcorn yet.”
Collection Agent — “I’ve lived my life up until now as though driving with the parking brake on.”
46-year-old “successful” car salesman — “I feel like a lost ball in tall cotton.”
39-year-old automotive engineer — “I’m a butterfly caught in a spider’s web, with my life slowly being sucked out.”
27-year-old computer specialist — “I’m a box of parts and nothing fits together.”
31-year-old attorney — “Law school sucked all the life and creativity out of me.”
55-year-old dentist — “Failing in my practice knocked the wind out of my sails. Still waiting for a breeze to bring me in.”

Recently I received the pre-coaching information profile from a 40-yr-old teacher. He wrote, “I feel like I got on the wrong boat, and now my life is half over.” Wow – what a painful statement about moving along in this journey called life. Are you clear on where you are going? Do you know your purpose – your calling? If not, why not? How can we find fulfillment, peace and meaning without being clear on our “mission” in life?

In sharing this with my wife, Joanne, she paused and then related her absolute confidence in knowing what she was sent here to do. She can’t imagine being unclear or confused about her mission at this stage in her life. Yes, it’s a process – but if we pay attention to the signs along the way, the path ought to become clear.

Four things must be blended for you to have the confidence of living out your purpose:

Your Skills & Abilities
Your Personality Traits
Your Values, Dreams & Passions
A ready market for what you produce

There should be enough information from these four areas to help you identify your direction and purpose. It’s not something superimposed from the outside – looking at yourself and what God has already revealed to you should give you a clear starting point.

This same gentleman continued in response to this question: If the doctor told you today you had 6 months to live, what would you do in those remaining months? He writes, “I would apologize to God every day that I couldn’t find what it was I was sent here to do.” If this is where you are today, commit to change tomorrow. Don’t let that be the final summary of your life.

Here is the complete list of questions I ask prior to coaching: http://ift.tt/1JO33Al