This Exercise Will Give You an A-Ha About Yourself

Today I get to go to Ghormley Meadows for a church men’s retreat. I’ve been there many times for retreats and outdoor education as a teacher/principal, and also many years of Family Camp. A few years ago, I reflected on what all those experiences have taught me, trying to culminate a theme about who God shaped me to be, and it boiled down to being a facilitator of growth (and fun) for others, being a guide in my remaining years on this planet.

It’s great to take time to reflect on this exercise for your own life. What made you feel most alive? In what forums did you get the most compliments about something you led? What got you frustrated enough in that situation to make changes so that it wouldn’t happen again?  For me, I need to show people a clear path. I need to leave markers for them to follow. I need to facilitate others’ growth. I need to draw out their learnings, especially in an experiencial context, making them answer from within by asking the right questions, using symbols/imagery/visuals. It’s coaching!

Write down the 5 things that you could do all day long for fulfillment (not recreation, but things that make a difference in the world). Put bullets of the types of actions that go under those 5. Then circle the nouns and box the verbs, and you’ll start to see a pattern emerge of how your life can add the most value in others’ lives.