Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] How many of you enjoyed this assignment? That's a trick question.
[00:00:04] I know many of you have gone through a variety of assessments. Myers Briggs, other testing that your company and organization have done. I certainly did a lot of these at Merrill Lynch. But this is different, isn't it?
[00:00:24] It's very different.
[00:00:27] And I think one of the reasons I was asked to facilitate. I'm not going to be speaking a long time to facilitate is this particular process had a profound influence in my life, Profound influence on my life. And I want to thank Tom Terrence for that.
[00:00:44] Because after 23 years at Merrill lynch, with the expectation that I was going to be the next regional director, superstar, not superstar, rising star in the firm, things changed.
[00:01:04] Things changed.
[00:01:07] As happens in a lot of big companies. The new people come in, they make their changes. And, Carl, you're not part of the future plans. We're not letting you go.
[00:01:18] But I've already promised your market to someone else.
[00:01:22] Thanks a lot.
[00:01:25] It was devastating. Devastating.
[00:01:28] And so I was thinking, what am I going to do?
[00:01:33] I'm 45 years old, I got three kids. What am I going to do?
[00:01:40] So one of the things I did by God's grace is I. He led me to call Tom Terrence, and I asked him for his advice. Frankly, I wanted him to introduce me to people he knew in the financial services world. Because clearly, that's where God gifted me. That's where I need to go, and I need a job, Tom. So just tell me who I need to meet and let's get back to work.
[00:02:08] And that's not what happened.
[00:02:11] Tom suggested that I go through this.
[00:02:16] And I said, well, yeah, calling and I know what some of my gifts are. I've taken all those tests at Merrill Lynch. Just introduce me to somebody.
[00:02:27] But I went through.
[00:02:29] He introduced me to a man by the name of Richard Wellock, who was referenced a lot in the material you read that Max Lucado summarized. And what he took me through was an extended version of what you're going through, of telling my story and really trying to find where is that intersection between my giftedness, what's God calling me to do, where I am?
[00:02:57] And as I said, it had a profound influence on me. I had never had someone hear my story like this that really listen and then make observations from that.
[00:03:12] They produced a report which is kind of the summary that we hope to get out of here. And as we were reading through it together, and I don't mean to be melodramatic, it made me tear up. It was so meaningful to me to have someone listen, hear and respond to say, carl, this is where I think your giftedness is. This is where I think God's calling you. So as you sort out those opportunities, make sure it's through that filter, because this is how God's made you. That was extraordinarily helpful. It's been extraordinarily helpful to me.
[00:03:51] And today in the work I do, I chuckle as I come here. Tom and I were talking about this. He said how you're doing. And I was thinking, this is some of the most fruitful, rewarding professional time in my life.
[00:04:08] It really is. And it was kind of a stormy way to get there. But I like to think apart from God's grace, I was able to make better decisions about the kind of work that would be best suited for me because I went through this process and somebody listened to my story and spoke truth to me in a way that was very helpful.
[00:04:33] So this is not just another. This isn't a Christian Myers Briggs. Okay. And I'm not diminishing the importance of those tests. I found them to be helpful, too. But I hope you will find this process and this time especially rewarding that you are heard and that you thoughtfully respond to what God's telling you through this process. So let me just review what some of the reading that I think is important before I take you through the exercise and what we're to accomplish today, which is to help you leave here today with the thought that you put into this before today with greater clarity about how God's gifted you and perhaps where he's calling you, which could be to stay where you are, but perhaps use that giftedness in other areas that maybe you're not, or perhaps he is calling you to something else.
[00:05:41] But in any case, what is the sweet spot?
[00:05:46] And Lucado talks about that and he uses the tennis racket analogy. That's the place where the racket. You get the most power and control out of your spring. You get so much energy out of that with so little effort.
[00:05:59] And I hope as you reflect on that, you have a sense of what that is. What do you love doing that gives you great energy and joy?
[00:06:11] What is your sweet spot? And I think Lucado does a good job in saying it's the convergence of three things, and it's on the front of the handout that Melanie's passing out. It's your uniqueness, what you do. And I found when I went through this process, and this happens to a lot of people, it's like, well, that's obvious. Everybody's like that. No, you. You're like that.
[00:06:38] Oh, that's a common. No, that's special. That's you.
[00:06:43] Well, what is that?
[00:06:45] What is that?
[00:06:46] Some of you already know that for some of you, you're struggling with what that is, and this exercise will help you do that. But determining what are you good at? What makes you unique? What is your sweet spot?
[00:07:00] What is that? One of a kind set of talents that God's made for you for unique purposes.
[00:07:07] Secondly, it's gifts to make a big deal out of God. I like that. That's why you do it.
[00:07:15] So I'm not saying, particularly living in this area, that you don't need to make money. You do.
[00:07:22] And unfortunately, in this area, often it's a lot of money compared to a lot of other places. But it's not just for a big paycheck.
[00:07:31] A very good friend of mine at Merrill lynch, not a believer, but a good friend. I'll never forget when he was taken out of his job and he was saying, carl, what did you do?
[00:07:42] I'll never forget. I told him, marty, you can go back and teach English like you did before you went to Maryland. You loved that.
[00:07:51] He said, I can't do that. I said, what do you mean, Marty, you're free?
[00:07:57] He said, no, I need to make $350,000 a year.
[00:08:02] I said, no, you don't, Marty. He said, yeah, I do.
[00:08:07] And so he went to work for another financial services firm, and he was miserable. He hated it.
[00:08:13] Now, again, I'm not saying that you take any job and work for free or something like that. I'm not saying that income shouldn't factor into that. But what this is really about is using your giftedness wherever God sends you for his glory, not just for a big paycheck.
[00:08:33] As max Lucado quotes 1 Peter 4, 11. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. So wherever that is, it's with the motivation. How can I glorify God with the gifts he's given me in the work he's calling Me to do and making that to be the primary focus.
[00:09:04] And finally, every day of your life, where you do it, where you do it here. Now, God may be calling you someplace else, but it's. It's here where you do it. Ephesians 2:10.
[00:09:19] For we are what he has made us created for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
[00:09:28] So, in summary, your sweet spot is the Convergence of those three things. And I like this chart which illustrates that. Isn't that a great chart for God's glory? In my everyday life with my strengths, what is that sweet spot in contrast to the secular view of a dream job, which is stuff you love to do, stuff you're good at, and stuff someone will pay you to do?
[00:10:01] You laugh, but that's how the world looks at it, okay? And we're called to look at it a bit differently now. There's nothing wrong, again, with having a job that pays well or that's prestigious. But what often happens is that rather than finding a job that we love and we're good at and doing it to give God the glory, we put pay and prestige first and sometimes get stuck in a profession that we can do, but it just isn't the best fit for us, and we really don't love it. Nor are we able to excel to the same degree as we can when we're doing the type of work we were created to do by God.
[00:10:40] And one of the things I realized in this process of going from in 2003 was that I put too much of my identity in my work or the prestige of it. I found myself when I was asked the question that everyone in Northern Virginia asks after they get your name, which is, what?
[00:11:04] What do you do? And I found myself saying, I used to be a managing director at Merrill Lynch.
[00:11:13] I was like, why? And I found myself, why are you saying that? First of all, who cares? Okay. But I found myself saying that, and I realized I put too much of my identity in that. And if you had told me that in 2002, I would have been very offended because I was in the CS Lewis program, okay? I'm a follower of Jesus. I'm a fellow. Don't tell me that.
[00:11:37] Well, Carl, that's what it was.
[00:11:41] And I think one of the benefits of being forced out of that role is that's still a tug. Everyone has that, but it's not as much of an issue. You all don't know what Altius learning is, and I don't really care.
[00:11:56] It's not as big of a deal that you don't know what a principle at Altius Learning is or what I do for a living. It's what God's called me to do in this season.
[00:12:06] It just happens to be this work, and it's a perfect fit for me today, even though nobody knows what that is and what I do.
[00:12:15] And so I hope this exercise will be helpful to you. I like what Lucado's advice is he summarizes it. To do the most what you do the best. To do the most what you do the best.
[00:12:32] And the problem, and this is what Rick Wellick helped me see, is many people don't know what they do best.
[00:12:40] They got their Myers Briggs results, they've had all this other testing, but they don't really know.
[00:12:48] Many people minimize the importance of what they do best, and they assume that it's wrong to enjoy what they do best.
[00:13:00] And they assume getting to do what you do best is a luxury.
[00:13:05] That's something nice to have, but it's not that critical as you determine where your calling is. So how do you find your sweet spot?
[00:13:16] Your sweet spot, again, is your giftedness. I like this.
[00:13:20] I know you've read some of this. I'm just highlighting things I thought were particularly helpful. It's your giftedness is so natural and so instinctive that when you're using it, you don't even think about using it.
[00:13:32] Have you ever had that experience? Isn't that wonderful? You're shaking your head. Isn't that wonderful?
[00:13:37] You wouldn't think of doing things any other way. Therefore, your giftedness may not seem remarkable to you. It's just you being you.
[00:13:47] It's just you being you. I was talking to Carl Wiley before and we were talking about a little bit about your giftedness, which I can't relate to at all. He's a math brain, engineer type person. I couldn't even imagine doing that. Okay, but that's what you're gifted at. That's you being you. For that reason, most of us have a hard time recognizing our sweet spots for what they are. Often your giftedness is hidden in plain sight.
[00:14:18] So what I think makes this process different and why I'm so enthusiastic about this is you discover your sweet spot through other people.
[00:14:30] Again, I'm not saying that tests aren't helpful, but this is talking to another brother or sister in Christ and discovering it through other people.
