How many times have you not completed a mission you set out to achieve? I’ve done it more times than I care to admit. It’s very humbling. But, I’m going to share a few. Here’s a list of my attempts at business that have since closed:

• Consulting company for small churches
• Coffee roasting company
• Church planting pastor
• Real Estate Investor

Those are just the ice breaker conversations. I could go on to share the dozens of things within those and other efforts that failed. It could be easy to look back and say tell myself I’m not capable of success. But, not succeeding is not the same as not being capable.

Despite the voices in your head telling you you’re not enough, you are enough. I love what Jon Acuff says in his book Start: “Simply put, if you don’t kill your voices, they will kill you.”

What if you discover that you just haven’t gone after the thing you’re supposed to become great at? Here’s another quote from Acuff’s book: “I’m not a find of ‘finding your purpose.’ I’m a fan of ‘living your purpose.'” Check out Jon’s brief thoughts on purpose and resilience below.

Living Your Purpose

If you’re not living your purpose you likely haven’t found a place that fits. We’ve all been there. I’ve tried. So, have you. We’ve struggled, lost our satisfaction, and started looking for greener grass.

What would happen if we discover why we are here? Could our lives be better if we live that out even in our present role? Could living with purpose bring satisfaction and fulfillment? What if that uncovers new opportunities for us to thrive in our careers because we are living in purpose? By the way, this post won’t answer all the how-tos about this topic. But, I would highly recommend Acuff’s book to explore this further.

Your Missing Puzzle

You are a piece of the puzzle. There are parts that curve in. There are parts that stick out. The shape of each of those curves and points need to fit in the right place to complete the puzzle. You can’t cram a piece that’s the wrong shape and size into another puzzle.

What if there’s a puzzle out there that is almost completed and you’re the last piece they’re looking for? You are what will complete their picture and their goal. Your unique piece is the right shape, the right size, with the right image to bring about their success and fulfillment.

I can’t promise you that the next opportunity you explore will be the completed puzzle you’ve been looking for. But, I am 100% confident that you won’t feel like you complete fit until you are living in your purpose instead of trying to find a job to fulfill your purpose.

Where to Look

Instead of going after a new job to find your purpose it’s time to go inward. Spend some time considering you are, what you’re uniquely equipped to do, and who you can serve in doing that. Then put those realizations into effect so you can start experiencing the satisfaction of those experiences.

Your adventure in self-discovering may start with having just one or two opportunities a day. But, look for the chance to do it at work, in your neighborhood, or with a non-profit. When you start to experience the satisfaction you may also uncover new opportunities where you can put your purpose into effect. Who knows? You might even start likely the job you have when you deploy the purpose within that context.

If you need some encouragement to get going again check out my other blog posts. If you specifically need help figuring out how to get a good start each morning to check out my article on Getting Unstuck with Your Morning Routine.

The post When You’re a Piece Missing Its Puzzle – Feeling Purposeless first appeared on Circle of 5 Coaching.

I’m a fan of the fairly obscure sport of disc golf. Despite its lack of popularity, I love to watch it. Watching pros throw a disc 300-400+’ and getting it to land on an island hole that’s less than 40′ wide is a beautiful art form to me. Some of these players can throw a disc 500-600′. I love watching these moments. Here’s a few great ones from Calvin Heimburg.

(Article continues below video.)

I started playing disc golf when I was 49 years old. I feel great about throwing a disc 275+’. Recently I even hit 330′. I was incredibly excited about that throw. Still, I don’t have a lot of aspirations of throwing 600′ bombs. My sons see it in their future. But, they’re 20, 14, and 11. I think they’ll achieve that (#NelsonBoysDiscGolf). Nonetheless, I’m still working on my game.

The Reality of the Body

The truth we all face is that our bodies will not keep getting stronger. At some point, the weight of this world and the wear of age cause us to peak. Nonetheless,This reality doesn’t mean we should justify being unhealthy. But, it does mean that age will eventually limit our ability to throw longer, lift more, or do a variety of other things we used to do when we were younger.

What Does Last?

As I was reading this week I encountered a concept I hadn’t given much thought to. Our bodies will wear down. Yet, there are things in our lives that will get stronger and healthier when invested in.

While contemplating this premise and the nine elements of a person I realize that many of these things are within our control. I believe at least 7 of these elements cannot be weakened by age. In fact, I think they will be strengthened. Here they are:

• Spiritual
• Relational
• Emotional
• Intellectual
• Financial
• Environmental
• Cultural

Perhaps this begs the another question. What are the two things that may have limitations by age? Ironically, they are the two things most of us put most of our attention towards.

• Physical
• Vocational (Although one could argue this just changes in retirement.)

This prompts me to reconsider all the time we invest in careers and health. It’s not that those things are not important. Indeed, they absolutely are. Without good health you may not have a season after retirement. Without a good vocational track you may struggle to achieve some of the other things (If your miserable in your career are you going to thrive in these other areas?). However, intentional investment in these other areas will create impact beyond the peak of our health and careers.

Thoughts? How can you be more intentional about longer-lasting impacts in your life?

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The post Your Obsession with Health and Careers May Be Unhealthy first appeared on Circle of 5 Coaching.