This month’s group coaching theme was on Purpose—
Finding the thread that has woven its little self
All throughout your life.
Your purpose.
Your “Why am I here?”
Your “What do I bring to the world like no other?”
For me, the thread
That was there all along
Is connection.
Helping others be relationally healthy so they can connect.
From the earliest of years,
Living in a chaotic, swirling family,
I sat in my own world,
Creating a family with my dolls,
Helping them connect—
Since the big people in my world did not seem to.
My early teens found me taking an adult counseling course
And loving it.
A first job was Big Brothers & Sisters—
Again, about connecting & relationships.
A nerdy math instructor told me he saw a teacher in me.
Not a math teacher (that’s for sure),
But a teacher nonetheless.
When I was young,
an elderly woman (am I her age now???)
heard me speak to a small group.
She pulled me aside & told me
THIS was my thing.
We had young adults around our kitchen table
Talking of life & struggles & future hopes
We had pizza nights for years.
Then life & parenting & church,
And the troubles that bumped around me,
Took my attention away from following that thread.
I lost sight of my purpose—while living in it—for a season.
But the bumps & twists & turns
Did their work.
They developed me,
Deepened that thread that was me,
And eventually pushed me deeper into
The roots of who I am.
My why.
My purpose.
That thread has led me here.
I have studied & trained.
Leaned into the hard & the scary & the uncertain.
And this is the place I find myself.
My purpose is about connection through hospitality.
I lead groups from my home—
Where people gather around my table or living room
A place where they can be seen,
Where they learn new relational skills,
They grieve & grow,
Process & heal,
See themselves & others more truly,
They learn new ways of relating.
They deepen their connections
& take it into their corners of the world.
This is me, living in my purpose.
What about you?
What is your life speaking?
What is the beauty & order you bring into the world like no one else?
What delights you?
We don’t find our purpose by conforming to a designated path.
We find it by listening to who we are.
What is your nature?
What is your life speaking to you?
I know a woman who, from the time she was little, was organizing the people around her.
That is what she does today. She does it well.
She brings order to the inherent chaos of people doing work-life together.
My husband was repairing the family TV when he was 4 years old.
Today, he brings beauty & order to the chaos in the world of technology.
A few books that may encourage you as you lean into this topic are:
Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer – I cannot recommend this book enough! It is short and impactful. Mine is mostly underlined 🙂
Hero on a Mission by Donald Miller
Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Burnett & Evans
This month’s homework assignment…
1.Go ask your friends—
The people who know you well,
In life & in work & in your community.
Ask those who have known you for a long time,
Or just a little while.
Ask them:
Who do you see that I am?
What is the thread you see throughout my life?
What is it that I naturally do?
What is my life speaking?
2.Be a mirror.
Do you see someone’s life speaking?
Let them know.
We know who we are more clearly
When we are seen by others—
And they reflect it back to us.
Have a great PURPOSE-FILLED month!
Warmly,
Tina