“Before You Were Born I Set You Apart.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

You may remember my Facebook post from a little over one year ago where I quoted the Bible. Jeremiah 1:5 says “Before you were born I set you apart.”

At the time we didn’t know Covid-19 was going to hit our country as hard as it has. We didn’t know that our lives would be changed almost overnight. No-one did.

There are so many of us at the moment who are unsure and anxious about what the future holds. At this time of year, when we all get together to reflect on what has been, it is comforting to know that there is a plan for our lives – even though we might not see it yet.

You Are Unique

If you’re spending time with family over the Christmas period then take a moment to take stock of where you are today. This year has been a game changer for so many of us. Take the opportunity to think about the places in your life that you’ve come from and what you’ve learned about yourself.

Then do the opposite and think about the place in your life that you want to be in 5 years time. Capture this thought because it is important.

Where will you be in 5 years time? Will you be doing the same thing over-and-over again, the same thing today as you did yesterday as you will tomorrow? Is this what you’ve dreamed about?

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Where will you be in 5 years time? Will you be doing the same thing over-and-over again, the same thing today as you did yesterday as you will tomorrow? Is this what you want for your future?—Shanda Sumpter” quote=”Where will you be in 5 years time? Will you be doing the same thing over-and-over again, the same thing today as you did yesterday as you will tomorrow? Is this what you want for your future?—Shanda Sumpter”]

You were set apart, even before you were born, to do important things in this world—to serve those that have a need for the things that only you can uniquely bring. Each step you’ve taken on your journey to this point in your life has created this unique you. Every setback, every mistake, every success, every win, every interaction, every job, every relationship, everything you’ve experienced has created who you are today.

That’s pretty amazing. If you think about it, there’s no-one else in this world who is like you. No-one else can bring the same experiences and learnings to a problem and solve it like you can.

Don’t you think that’s an amazing gift?

Use Your Gift To Serve Those That Need You

There’s an opportunity in front of you to move forwards into your future using your gift. Recall the Empathy Selling™ model. It had three parts: 1) Identify a need, 2) Determine how it could be solved, and 3) Define how you could solve it.

Let’s focus on that last point a little bit more. Define how you could solve it. Let’s rephrase that, Define how YOUR UNIQUE YOU could solve it.

There are many needs in this world. The best need for you to find a solution is the one that means the most to you, the one where YOUR UNIQUE YOU understands what’s happening in people’s lives and how their problems can be answered. It’s the solution that puts a smile on your face because deep down you really know you’re solving something special for someone. To better understand your core calling, take a moment to download my eBook, Core Calling, and learn about how to build a business based on your life’s calling.

Defining how you could solve a problem is the easy part! Growing a business around your solution, in a way that provides you with the momentum and the stay-ability you need to not give up, now that’s the tricky part. Don’t give up at the first hurdle! Keep planning, keep moving forwards.

Serving Those That Need You Is About Being Wise With Your Efforts

Some people naturally know how to build a business from scratch. But they’d be one in a million, so don’t feel discouraged because you don’t know where to begin or don’t know how to move out of the rut you’ve found yourself in.

Find yourself a business coach, someone who will work alongside you to help you set your goals and identify ways to achieve them. There is a coach for a season, each coach has their own area of expertise and their own experiences from which you can leverage. The coach you use today doesn’t have to be the coach you use next year or even the year after that.

A coach will counsel you on what you’re doing and whether you could be going about things better. A coach will help you set your priorities and motivate your timeline. A coach will hold you accountable.

Now is the time to put your hand up to say you need the guidance a coach can give you. If you haven’t already, why don’t you schedule a consultation with one of my team of business coaches.

Take the Opportunity to Leverage Off the Experiences of Others

Like you, each of us has been set apart before we were born and now have our own unique set of experiences and skills. Learning from the journey of other entrepreneurs is like gold, completely invaluable. Join my Facebook Group, Coach Yourself to Success; it’s a fantastic place to meet like-minded entrepreneurs, to feel like you’re part of a club, to ask questions and to leverage off their experiences.

You Were Set Apart For a Reason

I’d be so upset if we bumped into each other in the street in a few months’ time and you poured out your soul to me, telling me about your dream to solve a specific problem and that you hadn’t done anything to meet your destiny. Whatever reason you might have, there is no excuse for not moving forward.

This is the season of change. I challenge you today to move into your destiny—the reason you were set apart—to do important things in this world, to serve those that have a need for the things that only you can uniquely bring.