When I discover something new I want to do or accomplish, I want to get there right now. I want to move from the total novice to a jedi master in the blink of an eye. But that’s not reality. There is going to be a time of struggle…..and even failure between starting and accomplishing a goal.
The Messy Middle
In today’s social media, airbrushed world, we often compare our real life with someone else’s outside picture. Our messy middle doesn’t remotely compare with their beautiful reveal shots (borrowing a term from HGTV). I’ve learned that the messy middle is where the good stuff is.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good reveal. I’m as big a fan of Fixer Upper as the next person. But the messy middle is where I learn, where I discover new things, and where I can connect with others as we walk through life together.
I don’t know about you, but “reveal” days are rare in my house. Most days are messy middle days.
Your Brushstrokes
All those messy middle days make up the brushstrokes that are your masterpiece. There are some specific kinds of brushstrokes we can look at that point to our masterpiece work.
- Life Experiences – Our life experiences can be mined for indicators of our Masterpiece Work. What life experiences that hold deep meaning for you? What experiences and activities have brought you the most joy and satisfaction? These life experiences point toward the work God created for you.
- Values – What are the principles, ideals and standards of behavior that are most important to you?
- Personality Type – How do you interact with others? Knowing (and accepting) your personality type points you to the type of masterpiece work that fits who you were created.
- What are your Strengths? What are the activities that come naturally to you? Marcus Buckingham characterizes a strength with this acronym: SIGN. SIGN stands for Success – do you experience success when you do this? Instinct – you are instinctively drawn to the activity. Growth – You grow the most as you participate in this activity. Need – this activity fills an innate need in you. You are fulfilled by accomplishing this.
- What is your Passion? What issue or topic keeps you up long into the night? On what would you stake your sacred honor?
- What are your spiritual gifts? How has God gifted you to serve others?
Putting together our masterpiece involves the brushstrokes of our life experience, our values, our personality type and our style in interacting with others, our strengths, our passions and our spiritual gifts.
As we gain more self-awareness, we find our masterpiece taking on more depth and interest. We also become more of who God created us to be. It is a life-long process of discovery. Are you ready to go deeper? Do you want to discover the brushstrokes in your Masterpiece Work?
Discover the brushstrokes in your Masterpiece Work at the Activate Your Masterpiece Workshop™ on September 30.
