After some prayer and devotions this morning I went straight inside my house (I was sitting outside) and presented it to my wife and mainly…kids. My two oldest are Caleb (14) and Autumn (13) and I directed it at them.
As they are nearing the time when they'll go out and fly under the strength of their own wings, I told them that my desire for them was not to get a job or go to college or anything…but this:
Find your purpose
This is deep. Purpose lasts forever. Granted, the roles in which you fulfill your purpose can weave and flow, but your purpose will run straight and true. What is it you were uniquely made to care about and do and fulfill?
Inspire people
In doing what you were made to do, you must inspire people. And you can inspire folks from a pulpit, or from a burger stand (if you own it!) or from creating and selling a new frisbee. You inspire people by inviting and enticing them in to what gives you joy. But you must share that joy. Can you express true, pure joy in what you spend your days doing now?
Build a community
If you are inspiring people, you will gather people. It can be selling hand carved pipes at a fair. If you love that and express your joy and inspire people, you will draw people to you. You'll have their attention. And then, and only then…can you do the next step...
Serve them
To really serve people you must actually engage with them. Face to face. In a way that fits you and is authentic to you. And comes directly from your personal gifting. You can't serve anyone and everyone.
From the hordes of people I've known in business over the past decade, the folks who have true joy and purpose are those that have achieved these things. The rest are just putting in their time.
I want you to be the former. I desperately want this for you. Why? The world needs you serving where you are uniquely gifted. Your family and friends and all those who come in contact with you…need you to be living an inspired life.
And how does self-employment fit in to all this? In my experience…you can't fully live out your purpose when you spend the majority of your time and energy subservient to an employer. You must answer directly to the end user. The customer. The client. The person who you can uniquely serve.
And you must dictate your priorities and time in order to have a balanced life. The industrial revolution and employers created the 9-5, Mon-Fri schedule. That wasn't dictated by God you know. I think God would have you available for your family and friends.
Work is to fit around your life. And guess what…work is NOT life. Our society has just been duped into thinking so.
So where do you start? Finding your purpose. Ready? You with me?!
*Pictured is my son Nekoda, 4 months. He's our 7th child. Funny pic in a cereal box. But my charge as his Daddy is to help him find and fulfill his purpose. So that he is a 'Great Value' to humanity.
Purpose is a big word, Kevin. It gets thrown around a lot, but you've re-positioned it well. Quite a challenge to anyone you've inspired here! I hope they take you up on it and start their journey.
James Woosley
http://www.WoosleyCoaching.com
FAA Roadmap Professor
PS - Nekoda came from a cereal box? Is that how you ended up with seven kids? I may never eat cereal again! :)
Posted by: twitter.com/jameswoosley | June 02, 2010 at 11:03 PM
Good stuff. I'm rather fond of asking WHY? It's heavy lifting and I know quite a few folks who are unwilling (some think they're even unable) to do it.
I'm a fanboy of Simon Sinek's work, Start With Why (not an affiliate link: http://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/1591842808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275575794&sr=8-1)
Randy
Posted by: Randy Cantrell | June 03, 2010 at 08:38 AM
A message you shared before, and that I've accepted a while back, but you so well expressed it here, Kevin, with passion that resonated with me.
I'm on track, but now I see my own son, finished up his 4th year of college, one more year to go, so that he can become a secondary education math teacher. And he is seeing now that he hates math and is not sure he wants to teach! So I've got some work to do with him, to help him unravel all his current angst and frustration. As much as I feel it is so late in the game for him, I know in my heart that is not the message I want to give him, but rather help him find that thing that will impassion him.
Wish me well on this! Love your own passion, Kevin... keep on keeping on.
Best to you.
Dave
Posted by: Dave Aldrich | June 03, 2010 at 08:51 AM
Kevin, well said my brother. There's about 10 years of passion packed into this post. I suggest keeping it handy as your lengthy business card for when people ask what you do and what you're all about. You're a blessing. Well done.
Your brother,
Andy
http://www.andytraub.com
Posted by: Andy | June 03, 2010 at 09:01 AM
Inspiring Kevin. I just forwarded your blog to Haley, who graduated from 5th grade this morning and now on to middle school.
It's a message that so many folks -- adults and youth -- need to hear and consider. I pray we can ALL live up to your mighty mission you've lain before us!
Your brother ...
Posted by: Chuck | June 03, 2010 at 09:22 AM
Great post! I'm still seeing this image of you in my mind's eye as the Moses of Free Agency- leading us across the Sea, across the desert, helping us to find and achieve our dreams and believe in a God that is much bigger than we are.
Posted by: Dr. David Powers | June 03, 2010 at 10:28 AM
David - OK...Moses is pretty heady...but thank you. You know, I read
about Moses a lot. Blows me away with the reality. God called him and
the people to go, and let them run into fatal obstacles time and time
again. We just cant conceive this. We think if God calls us that things
should work out. When obstacles come up, we question the call.
Probably should be the next blog, eh?
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 03, 2010 at 10:32 AM
James - I hope it spurs folks to. Those that have ears to hear and eyes to see, eh? Yes, Nekoda was the best cereal prize ever.
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 03, 2010 at 11:07 AM
Randy - amen, me too. Why. If we took that to our lives in general, 75%
of what we do would come into question.
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 03, 2010 at 11:13 AM
Dave - Oh man, thanks for sharing this. Heck no it isnt too late! Just
hurts more when youve put so much into building the wrong house. Keep
me up to date on your son.
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 03, 2010 at 11:15 AM
An inspiring post Kevin, once again emphasizing the importance of being true to purpose passion and gifting. The part about roles weaving and flowing really clicked with me as we work to piece things together. What you say resonates with everything I am reading from Seth Godin about passion purpose tribe community and serving them...a determined effort to be true to one self and God's gifting, not selling out.
Jay
Posted by: Jay Lode | June 03, 2010 at 11:16 AM
Andy - thank you. You know my heart. Youre right...this is constant self-discovery and my own purpose coming out more clearly. Thanks for letting me be a part of your journey brother.
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 03, 2010 at 11:16 AM
Chuck - Im beyond honored youd feel my writing worth showing Haley.
And brother...you are making it possible for me to pursue my own calling
and touch the folks that I do. You are my linchpin.
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 03, 2010 at 11:18 AM
Jay - thank you for this. Yes, I think people get stuck looking for the
one, perfect thing. We find our purpose and apply it in many ways and on
many platforms. Seth...yeah...great leader.
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 03, 2010 at 11:21 AM
Ok.
Kevin after reading this awesome blog post , I am ready to quit my mortgage job and stop living one foot in, one foot out.
Don't worry, I won't blame you...but I thank you. I can not function in this turmoil anymore.
My wife and I are planning it out....sooner than later, I will make the cross over.
Great pic of the little one and God Bless!
Posted by: Gregg Pechmann | June 03, 2010 at 12:01 PM
Ok... Kevin
Due to this awesome post, I will be quitting my day job once and for all. My wife and I are planning together to make the cross over sooner than later...
Don't worry. I won't blame you...but I am thanking you!
Cannot live in turmoil any longer with one foot in, one foot out! Keeps draining the soul...
I have 2 beautiful girls, 7 &2, and I want them to look at me and say, "My daddy lives with a passion to help people." How awesome is that!
Great pic of the little one ...classic
God Bless
Posted by: Gregg Pechmann | June 03, 2010 at 12:10 PM
Finding your purpose is simple, but not easy. In other words, it's not difficult to figure out "how" to find it. However, even when you know how to find it, actually "doing" it is challenging.
Bottom line...if you answer the 3 big questions of life, you'll know your purpose. The 3 questions are...
* What's your 1 Thing in life?
* How does that 1 Thing impact your Being?
* How does that 1 Thing impact your Doing?
Posted by: Kent Julian | June 03, 2010 at 01:40 PM
Kevin - This is an awesome post. You continue to inspire me to keep moving . . . just take another step. This is also the crux of the business that I am developing. To reveal the purpose, story and legacy that has been locked away inside all of us but especially in our children and young adults. We have given up or given in to the ideas and concepts of the industrial age and surrendered our right to be extraordinarily legendary! It's time we take it back!
Ken Porter
Posted by: Ken Porter | June 03, 2010 at 01:45 PM
Kevin, the responses speak for themselves. You hit the nail on the head with a sledge hammer!
Posted by: Jim Henry | June 03, 2010 at 03:30 PM
Kevin - One of your best posts ever. Right on target, impassioned, real, inspiring, convicting. Yet...hard stuff...as you left it off: "Finding your purpose. Ready? You with me??" The challenge is to actually dig deep, press into God, seek & seek & seek & find what that purpose is. And keep payin' the bills while in pursuit...!! I think it's easy to assume to that whatever we are currently doing, or whatever we do well, is the thing. If I've had success as a Ramsey Financial Peace coach - then I think, "oh, my purpose is to help folks get financial freedom!" When actually my calling might be to the underwater basket weaving I do on holiday. Takes alot of effort & courage to seek & find purpose, and I don't think it can be done amidst the 'noise' of tv, cubicle-culture, over-extended & over-stimulated lives. Thus the VITAL need for what you mentioned at the start of the post - prayer & devotion time, and the collaborative input from wise counsel (community!)!!
Posted by: Teri Miller | June 03, 2010 at 03:47 PM
Thank you, Kevin! Very inspiring and helpful words of wisdom and direction! It is a difficult thing to become clear on purpose and wade through the layers of our own wants, needs,interests expectations and perceptions of who we are and what we think we should be doing. Thank you for these guiding words to help focus, define and prioritize! I am printing this list out right now!
Posted by: Jennifer McVey | June 03, 2010 at 04:28 PM
Kent - those points...we should do a podcast together on them!
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 03, 2010 at 05:17 PM
Ken - yes, yes, yes. Weve given up...or not even been cognoscente that
we were created to be more than mere cogs in the machine. Eager to hear
your own message get out to folks Ken!
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 03, 2010 at 05:19 PM
Jim - thanks brother. I like sledge hammers...
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 03, 2010 at 05:20 PM
Teri...my wife...if only all could have the support from their spouse
that I get from you. You...inspire me. And I totally agree. Got to step
outside the grind to find yourself. Amen.
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 03, 2010 at 05:22 PM
Jennifer - yes, we are often in our own way and working from poor
perceptions. Thank you so much for your encouraging words!
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 03, 2010 at 05:24 PM
I loved this post. Thank you Kevin. Wonderful pic too. Very cute and yet loaded with meaning. "Great Value."
Posted by: Doug Collier | June 03, 2010 at 10:10 PM
Thanks Doug. Yeah...I cant get enough of that little guy.
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 03, 2010 at 10:19 PM
Wow, that really spoke to me. When my first business didn't work out, part of my support system, my mother, told me well starting a business isn't for everyone. That one comment has plagued me from that day. Now I need to look at it as just another obstacle. The story of Moses really puts that into perspective.
Posted by: Aaron Curtis | June 04, 2010 at 08:38 AM
I'm a huge fan of Simon Sinek as well. A great book definitely worth picking up. He has a great blog as well at http://sinekpartners.typepad.com/refocus/
Posted by: Aaron Curtis | June 04, 2010 at 08:43 AM
Aaron - well...sorry about that. Happens way too much. Shes somewhat right...self-employment is not for everyone. Its only for those that realize a traditional job is a dead end and incredibly insecure option.
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 04, 2010 at 09:11 AM
Kevin, this is the first time on your blog, but am so inspired by your focus and passion. You hit right at the root or foundation of living intentionally. It is so refreshing to find other fathers who are wrestling through the many life challenges with a focus to redeem the time. Thank you for the encouragement!
Posted by: Mark Hufford | June 04, 2010 at 09:12 AM
Mark - hey...so honored to have you as a new member of FreeAgentAcademy.
Redeeming the time. Amen. Absolutely. Time and relationships are so,
so precious. Gotta make every minute count.
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 04, 2010 at 09:17 AM
Love this post, Kevin. Love it love it love it. IMHO, your purpose is a lot like a manufacturer's coupon. It's good for a limited time (see expiration date on tombstone), it's worth nothing until you redeem it, and once you redeem it your satisfaction is guaranteed.
Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Richardmpotter.wordpress.com | June 04, 2010 at 12:20 PM
Richard - OK...that is a cool way to phrase it. Your time and purpose expires. Again a comment on redeeming the time. Yes.
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 04, 2010 at 01:25 PM
Oh man Gregg...this is a killer response from you. Knowing your situation...Im with you brother. Time is short, we gotta redeem it. Keep me posted...get counsel in FAA!
Posted by: Kevin Miller | June 04, 2010 at 06:15 PM
Its from the heart. God Bless you and your beautiful family.......
I will keep you updated
Posted by: gregg pechmann | June 04, 2010 at 06:39 PM