Discovering, Designing, and Developing Your Destiny
“The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and not having time. It is, on the contrary, born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life. When we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything else – we are the busiest people in the world.” Eric Hoffer
In our last post, we wrote about the power of purpose. In this post we will look at how you can discover or help someone else discover their life purpose or their destiny.
Part of the challenge in discovering one’s life purpose is the multiplicity of factors that provide clues to consider in the overall picture. Here are some life purpose factors and definitions that I find helpful.
- Divine Design: A self-awareness of your innate talents, strengths, gifts, and personality. You have a sense of purpose and significance when you are in roles or pursuing activities that are aligned with your God-given hard wiring.
- Recurring Dreams: Your inner compass that repeatedly reveals a vision for the future you know you are innately designed to pursue.
- Life Experiences: The knowledge, skills, understanding, insights, and wisdom you accrue through experience that informs and helps you discover your destiny.
- Demonstrated Passions: That which brings you joy, energizes, fulfills, and motivates you to the point that simply doing it is your reward. A burning desire that causes your enthusiasm, energy, and emotions to rise.
- Sense of Calling: A Holy Spirt inspired and initiated anointing, commissioning, and conviction to pursue something bigger than you are without regard to location, sacrifice, or reward.
- Fruit Producing: The activities and initiatives you pursue that bear fruit, positively influence, and make a difference in tangible ways. The things you do where God consistently shows up.
- Strategic Affirmations: When key people in your life, who know you well and have only your best interests in mind, affirm your design, dreams, experiences, passions, and calling.
So, how does one’s destiny and life purpose become clear, specific, and articulated? First, is the realization and acceptance that God’s Spirit alone is your ultimate Guide. Second, is the careful consideration of the above factors through catalytic questions that inspire prayer, reflection, and insights.
Destiny Discovery Questions
Honestly answering the following questions will provide clues, insights, and puzzle pieces of the overall picture of your life purpose.
Divine Design:
- What roles have you been in that were the best fit? Why?
- What is your personality type? What have you learned about who you are from a personality assessment?
- What are three of your key strengths? What are three of your most noticeable weaknesses?
- What is an ideal job description? What three things you would include in an ideal role?
- What does an ideal day for you look like?
- Are you better working with people, things, or ideas?
Recurring Dreams:
- What do you know already about what God made you to do with your life?
- When you were a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
- If you had unlimited resources, and knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do?
- Imagine you are at the end of your life looking back. Which dream would cause you the greatest regret if you had not pursued it?
Life Experiences:
- If God has used your life experiences to train you for your destiny, what would you say your whole life has prepared you to do?
- What experiences have most shaped you as a person?
- What have your tragedies, traumas, hurts, mistakes, and failures prepared you to do? What opportunities have they created?
- What have your victories, accomplishments, and achievements prepared you to do? What opportunities have they created?
- What experiences have you had that gave you a real sense of purpose?
Demonstrated Passions:
- What are two things you have done that you couldn’t wait to get to each day?
- What do you do that would be the most difficult to do without?
- What makes you feel most alive and firing on all cylinders when you are doing it?
- What is the cry of people or need of society that touches the depths of your soul?
- What is the most satisfying or fulfilling thing you have done?
Sense of Calling:
- What is your sense of God’s unique purpose for your life?
- Was there ever a time where you felt God revealed something to you about your calling? Explain.
- Can you name a sense of destiny or calling that runs through your family?
- What would you be most willing to sacrifice for?
- What is an example of a time in your life where you felt you were doing what you were born to do?
Fruit Producing:
- What have you done that has been most beneficial and helpful to others?
- In what situations and roles have your gifts and experiences been used most effectively?
- When you look at your life, what have you done that you consider to have the greatest impact?
- Where have you seen God working in your life?
- What have you done that produced results that can only be explained by God’s mercy, grace, and power?
Strategic Affirmations:
- What do those who know you well say you were made to do?
- When have you been positively affirmed in who you are and what you’re born to be and do?
- What relationships have most influenced your sense of destiny?
- What kind of things are people always asking you to do for them?
Responding honestly to these and similar questions will provide insights into your truest self and the reinvention, repurposing, and transformation required to author and create your God preferred future. Some further questions to consider as you look at your answers:
- What on your list of responses stands out?
- If you were being the best you can be, operating at your full potential, living your dream, and fulfilling your destiny – then what would you be doing?
- How does your life now align with your dreams and ideal? Where is there a good match, and where are things out of alignment?
- What fears, doubts, or other obstacles are keeping you from moving forward? What would it take for these obstacles to be completely gone?
- What one step are you willing to commit to do now, would better align your life with your purpose?
Posted on April 16, 2019
