Is this you? Or do you need to help someone who needs to launch and get activated into their calling. Read on…….
Why out of all the people who have great ideas, do some actually do something with their ideas and so many do nothing?
How is it that we can have a great vision but sadly these visions do not come always come to fruition?
Why do some people do so much and really ‘fly’, while others fail to even launch?
From coaching people for years and years, I can say that there are many stages in someone progressing into their full potential, into their God-given unique purpose. There are common pitfalls and obstacles along the way that stop some. Most of the reasons people fail to launch are relatively easy to overcome.
Looking at these stages and some common blind spots can be helpful, as we all suffer from delay and failure to launch at some point. Here are the different stages and what can happen at each stage:
Stage 1 – The Vision
Some people are not aware of Stage 1. Not being aware of this stage in itself is a hindrance in being able to live out your full purpose.
If you don’t have a vision, a highly resonant, personal vision, something that you feel passionate about doing, something that you would want to do even if you didn’t need the money, then you haven’t yet fully embraced Stage 1.
As well as a resonant vision, everyone needs a really BIG vision, an amazing vision, one that is bigger enough that you couldn’t do it without God. That’s the kind of vision that is worthy of you as a child of God.
Once you have an idea of that vision, there are stages to go through to define it more clearly.
What does this vision look like exactly? What role do I envisage playing in it? What are my strengths? Which role am I in this ‘movie’, if it was a movie?
A vision needs form. It needs parameters. What size is it? Where is it? Who else is in it? What are the goals for year 1, year 2, year 20 and beyond to legacy?
For some getting this level of clarity on their vision, triggers the launching of it. Turning an idea into a defined vision, turns it from being a daydream to something tangible that can happen.
Stage 2 – The plan
Some people are fantastic ‘ideas’ people. But being able implement an idea, breaking it down into big goals, smaller goals, timescaled actions and bite sized chunks that are achievable, starting from now on, that’s a skill that some people just don’t have and can’t do by themselves.
They need help with creating and documenting the plan. Some may be able to create some of the plan, but may not be great in other specific areas of planning, e.g, having both shorter and longer-term goals. Some may not be any good at knowing what the next step should be.
Sometimes people need help from someone else to be able to achieve this stage. Help could come from a coach or a good friend who is an expert at all the different aspects of the planning stage.
Plotting the steps is a talent, a vital stage in launching your vision.
There will be times when you need an expert in a particular field as you don’t even know what the steps to plot are. Eg. If you have never built a website before, how do you create a project plan to build one and how do you know what you have to do. You would need a web expert or someone that knows the steps to help you.
Something I have noticed at this stage is that people often recruit people to help them here, but they don’t recruit the right ‘expert’ and subsequently fall at this first hurdle. Make sure the person who is giving you expertise actually has expertise. The best way to make sure of this is to check there is evidence that they have achieved this before.
Stage 3 – Implementing the plan
Even coaching people to have clearly defined and achievable goals, doesn’t mean they necessarily get these goals done! Any life coach will tell you this is true!
So many things get in the way of goals actually being achieved. Eg:
Distractions – not being able to find the time, or say ‘no’ to some other things, in order to carve out the time.
Feelings – feeling overwhelmed by the task, which could mean that the bite sized chunk you are tackling, is not bite sized enough. It could be too big. Feeling stuck could mean that you just don’t know how to do the task, in which case you need help, you need ‘expert know how.’
Limiting beliefs – being ‘stuck’ could also mean you are under the influence of limiting beliefs. These usually show up as, ‘I can’t…….’ ‘It’s not working’ ‘It’s not the right time’ ‘I don’t have the resources……’
A limiting belief is any belief that results in you believing you can’t progress or that it is not possible.
Lack of motivation – this could be because of one of the above, or many other reasons. This one like all of the above needs exploring. A good way of breaking free can be to ask yourself, ‘what would make me motivated?’
Spiritual blocks – or should we say ‘perceived spiritual blocks’, like; ‘it’s not God’s right timing,’ or ‘I don’t have peace.’ Either of these may be true of course, but it’s fairly unlikely.
We can always be doing something towards our big vision. Peace may not be there because it’s hard and you didn’t expect it to be. Many Christians give up as they come across obstacles and believe this is a ‘sign’ that it’s not the right path. But no one ever promised the path to be easy. ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.’
Christian Coaching
Seeing a big vision happen, will take many thousands of steps, and decisions, and pushing through hard and difficult things. It will mean learning areas that are unfamiliar to you, dealing with rejection and/or criticism. It will mean working hard even when you are tired, making sacrifices in the short term to see your vision in the long term.
Nobody said the journey would be easy, but the joy is in the journey, the learning and growing as well as, the outcome and the success. To know you are fulfilling your full potential, your purpose, and that God is by your side helping, guiding and supporting you, providing you with strength, faith and all your needs, is tremendously fulfilling, despite the difficulties!
What I see happen when I coach people, is that they have gaps in one or more areas of the above, which stops progress and sometimes halts them from launching in the first place.
Either the vision is not well defined enough. There is sometimes breakthrough for some, in just completing this (Stage 1) wholeheartedly. Once they are coached to see the vision clearly, with form and details, seeing what their role is in it, this can be enough for them to go do it.
For others they may need help with the planning side, Stage 2, being able to see what to do now and how to break down the hundreds of steps it takes to meet their goal. All of us need help breaking out limiting beliefs. These are blind spots which we don’t know we have until someone, a coach, or a friend who sees clearly and understands limiting beliefs, is able to point them out and help us reverse these into empowering beliefs.
Christian Coaching
If you have not launched a vision that God has given you, if you don’t have a plan, help is at hand. Join one of our Destiny Activators, get a coach, or even learn to coach, as it will help you develop yourself and your leadership ability, so you can push through and help others do this too.