Chinese Christian Herald Crusades UK

青年園地︰What am I made for?

Andy Lee

 

 

Sometimes I feel like I’m right in the middle of God’s will for my life. It’s life’s ultimate sweet spot. There is no better feeling than knowing I am doing precisely what God made me for. Then other times I have no idea if I’m on the right track at all. I question my choices, both past and present, while my mind is swirling with uncertainty.

 

 

If you have ever asked some of the big questions in life then I can guarantee that you are not alone. “What’s the meaning of life?”, “Why am I here?”, “What am I supposed to be doing?”. It can be a disorientating feeling, not knowing your purpose. It can drain the significance out of what you do. Things can start to lose meaning and you begin to wonder why in fact you bothered to get out of bed at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the first part of a two-part piece to provide guidance to connect you to living a life of purpose. This is much more than a personal pursuit of happiness. It’s about growing your understanding of who you were made to be through a deeper knowledge of your strengths, values, passions and calling. Understanding who you are is hugely important in your relationships, career, and the decisions you ultimately make that determine the course of your life.

 

 

Success in God’s eyes is more about becoming the right kind of person than about doing all the right things.

 

 

To maximise your life, you need to be in a role that offers you every opportunity to operate out of your strengths, so that you can really excel. For example a common assumption is that we grow more when focusing on our areas of weakness so that we can become better at them. We see this in appraisals at work. However, recent research has found that the greatest growth potential, and increases in performance, comes from exploiting our strengths more. In other words, instead of spending energy on improving your weaknesses, identify your natural gifts, talents, and strengths and turn them into world-class strengths. Then find jobs and roles that fully utilise them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So you can see now how important it is that you first recognise what you are naturally good at. If you don’t know, then you are really underutilising yourself. It’s like having a really super powerful computer and only ever using it to go on Facebook. Its full potential is wasted because its full potential has never been explored. It’s time to explore your potential, and we begin by taking the time to think through some questions about yourself:

 

 

Natural Strengths – This is all about your natural ability, God-given talent that seems to come more easily to you compared to those around you. What are you naturally good at? What areas are you able to perform at high levels with little effort? What would those who know you well say are your strengths? What things do you have a knack for learning or picking up quickly? What were you good at in school? Some examples: being naturally good at sport and other physical pursuits; people love being around you because of your sense of humour and ability to make them feel valued and appreciated; you have the gift of imagination and creativity, creating beautiful works of art or products to inspire others; you see complex situations with exquisite ease and clarity; you’re remarkably level-headed in high pressure situations and do not get phased often. So for what percentage of your time does your job allow you to function in your best strengths?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personality – The word personality comes from the Latin word persona, which referred to a theatrical mask worn by performers in order to either project different roles or disguise their identities. Personality is made up of the characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours and it is the combination of these that contribute to the uniqueness of a person. Understanding how you react to situations and circumstances increases your self-awareness, which in turn gives you a greater appreciation of the types of roles you’re most suited to.

 

 

A way to start exploring is looking online. There are many personality tests available that go into varying details. A couple of popular models are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the DiSC Personality Test. Identifying your personality type is a shorthand way of describing your unique inner traits. An alternative is to hire a personal coach who has the training and knowledge to help you discover more of yourself, with the advantages of a more personal and often more gratifying approach.

 

 

Being more aware of your strengths and your personality make-up are the first empowering steps towards living a life of purpose, on purpose. Oftentimes simply knowing what you’re good at is enough to be the catalyst for amazing change and breakthrough in your life.

 


Everybody, including you, has something that someone else needs. It is your responsibility to seek it out.

 

 

“The glory of God is a man fully alive.” – St. Irenaeus