In this episode, I’ll be talking about ‘How To Discover Your ONE Thing’. People spend their entire lives doing everything; living to impress and please other; striving to make a living; most never find that LANE where true happiness and fulfillment is. What if you could zero in on your true God given destiny? What is it that you were designed for?
I like to call this your ONE THING
“I know the plans I have for you … (Jeremiah 29:11 – Paraphrased)
- Plans to prosper you
- Plans for good health
- Plans to enlarge you
- Plans to expand you
- Plans for your children
- Plans for your business
- Plans for your ministry
- Plans for your dreams
Premise #1: God Has Plans
Premise #2: His plans are for my SUCCESS
Premise #3: Life is a Choice
Strategic Living: The vigorous and free flowing pursuit of being alive, while actively crafting and working with dreams, plans, stratagems, methods, and acquired skills to achieve a pre-determined result.
- Strategic Living is knowing God’s plan, and living it!
- Strategic Living is not happenstance or hopeful randomness
- Strategic Living is not flying by the seat of the pants
- Strategic Living is not the repetition of purposeless activity
- Strategic Living is the process and procedure of manifesting the plans of God through intentional and systematic movement
- Strategic Living is the substance of managing and stewarding my God-given potential
- Strategic Living is INTENTIONAL LIVING!
The Process of Building a Strategic Life, and Finding Your ONE Thing
- Self-Discovery (Purpose and Values)
- Visioning (Vision, Roles, Mission)
- Strategic Planning (The How; the plans, the steps)
- Personal Preparation (Acquiring Resources, skills, knowledge)
- Implementation (Start; Do; Accomplish; Fulfill)
- Strategic Living (Enjoying the life God intended)
There are MANY teachings or schools of thought on the subjects of DESTINY and PURPOSE. While most people understand the idea of purpose (or even destiny), for the most part, it is theoretical and has not been applied or expressed in real life. For the purposes of this teaching, there is a distinct difference between destiny and purpose; although they are both integral parts of what makes up my ONE THING. Let me explain.
Destiny Defined
Destiny: something to which a person or thing is destined
- Destiny, then, is that which I have been destined to
- What does it mean to be destined?
Destine: to decree beforehand: predetermine; to designate, assign, or dedicate in advance; to direct, devise, or set apart for a specific purpose or place
- In order for someone to receive a DESTINY or to be DESTINED, someone else has to DESTINE them
- In other words, Someone with the power and authority to do so must decree, pre-determine, assign, direct, and set me apart for a specific identity and purpose
- I do not DESTINE myself, I walk in and towards my destiny
Destination: the purpose for which something is destined; an act of appointing, setting aside for a purpose, or predetermining; a place to which one is journeying or to which something is sent.
- Destination is not just WHERE I am going; it is the realization of WHO I am, and WHO God has called be to be
- The Destination is the PURPOSE that provides me my identity
- It is my ONE THING
Purpose Defined
- The reason for which something exists or is done, made, used.
- An intended or desired result; end; aim; goal.
- Determination; resoluteness.
- The subject in hand; the point at issue.
- Practical result, effect, or advantage: to act to good purpose.
Understanding Purpose and Destiny:
- Purpose speaks to the REASON why one exists
- Destiny speaks to the pre-determined RESULT one’s life is to produce
- Purpose speaks to the WHO and the WHY
- Destiny speaks to the WHAT and the WHERE
- My ultimate purpose is to BE who God called me to be, and to DO precisely what God called me to DO
- My ultimate destiny is to finish (and fully accomplish) the assignments, objectives, and overall plans God pre-determined before time
Discovering your ONE THING Involves Several Key Steps:
- Identifying and owning your personal, core, governing values
- Identifying and owning your driving passions
- Identifying your talents, skills, abilities
- Discovering the common connecting points in these areas
Example from my own personal process:
Step 1: List the top TEN core values that you have identified
- Authenticity
- Faith
- Leadership
- Personal Growth/Mastery
- Healing
- Family
- Fulfillment
- Prosperity
- Relationships
- Generosity
Step 2: List the top FIVE passions in your life.
- Teaching/Training
- Facilitating Healing Processes
- Travel/Flying
- Learning New Things
- Generating Content and Corresponding Revenue Streams
Step 3. Perform an assessment of your talents, skills, abilities
- Communication
- Strategic thinking and problem solving
- Compassion and empathy
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Technical acumen (able to pick up on things quickly)
Step 4. Discover the common connecting points in these areas
- Consulting
- Coaching
- Public Speaking
- Podcasting
- Teaching
- Writing
- Etc.
YOU SAY:
- What difference does it make what my ONE THING is, it won’t put food on the table
- EXAMPLE: My love for flying (as a boy and now)
- Well, Brian, my parents taught me to go to college, get my degree, get a good job, and just be grateful that I have a job
- OR … you know, in today’s economy, I am just grateful to have a paycheck
- Why should I live my life in survival mode? Why should I give up on my dreams, my desires, my destiny, my ONE THING?
- Why should I SETTLE for a miserable existence, and the plight of living my life for someone else’s dream?
My Challenge To You:
- You are created for a purpose.
- You have a distinct lane that God has designed for you.
- You DO NOT have to simply exist, or get by, or maintain
- You can tap into the greatness that is already present within you
- You can FIND the ONE THING
- You can design your life around that
- You will impact your world when you engage what God has uniquely created you to be and do
What Is Your ONE THING?
NEXT WEEK:
- Next week I’m going to be talking about ‘Recognizing and Navigating Seasons of Transition’. Transition is one of those things that many times causes people to become anxious, or even fearful. Leaving one place or state, and moving to another season or place is difficult. It involves letting go of what we have come to be so familiar with, and embracing something we know little or nothing about. It is the clean, white sheet of paper between two chapters; and the story is unfinished. Know this. How you leave one place determines how you enter the next. Next week we will dive into this subject, and look at what it means to successfully steward and navigate seasons of transition.
Be sure to leave us a question at www.BrianHolmes.com and we will do our best to answer it in the show
RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THIS PODCAST:
Books:
48 Days To The Work You Love – by Dan Miller
The One Thing – by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Websites and Videos:
Dan Miller – 48Days.com
City Slickers Clip – ‘One Thing’
