Successor Planning

We are at the end of April which means that I am coming to the end of my season at Family & Children's Service.  It has been seven years since I began working as a counselor to turn over the reins of the Counseling and Community Based Services to my successor-I have such a peace. I have been able to see the strategic planning of God all over this transition into independent business owner. 

The true understanding of Jeremiah 1:5- "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.... God has plan my succession.  He does this alot of times and we do not understand just how strategic He is in His planning. I have always questioned why did I major in Business and then later get a Master's Degree in Counseling.  While having lunch with my #1 sand, she spoke the words that your were marketing yourself when you got your Bachelor's degree in Marketing for such a time as this.  You were majoring in Business to make money but it was much bigger than that. When I began working on my Master's it was for the purpose of serving the faith based community.  I have felt the call to provide training services around mental health education to ministry leaders and volunteers. The trajectory of my career over the past 7 years has been one of God's strategic planning.

Initally, I was calling the person who would take over my position as my replacement, but God reminded me that this person would not replace me.  The thought hit me that this person would be my successor.  We have had the opportunity to work together this week and it has been like meeting a old friend.  She said, " I feel like I have come back home." It is time for her to move into position because God has strategically planned this handoff.


 

What are you saying?

Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with two colleagues will dining in Italy. Ok, not in Italy but in an Italian restaurant. We have a monthly meeting of the minds in a destination of our choosing. The reason I say opportunity is because the time was filled with introspection and spiritual connection. Well the time spent yesterday was so confirming and affirming. Dr. J.  shared her experience while attending a training and spending time with dear friends. She posed the question, do you believe we can create our life with what we speak? This question took me to the Word spoken on Sunday- Seize What You Say'

The conversation transitioned to how we can rewrite our story by how we speak it. As a counselor, part of the work I do with a client is to get the client to tell their story and then help them to re-construct their story outside of who they are.

Our tongue allows us to speak life or death into our being Proverbs 18:21. The realization that the adage- sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. This is not so! What we speak to self or others can change the person. Choose to speak life and create your destiny. Speak life to those around you and watch how they change.

Psalm 45:1- My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

Joy Replaces Fear

This week, I was feeling some anxiety because of the choice that I have made about launching out into the deep and going full-time into business owner.  I was questioning why I was not as excited as others about my new adventure.  The realization hit me that I was beginning to fear the unknown and was not experiencing the joy of expectation. 

Well as God usually does, He reminds me that He has me in this by showing me revelation through His Word and in practical matters. I have been reading God Sized Dreams by Heather Gerth and in my reading it said fear is part of the process.  Wow!  When I needed that nugget of encouragement it was just on time.  Then during bible study, God reminded me that the process is part of getting to my destiny and that I am an EAGLE.  Eagles fly into the eye of the storm to build their strength in their wings so that they can soar.

I replaced my fear with the joy of expecting the unexpected and the excitement of what my future holds of moving into business ownership.  The coming true of my dreams.  I remember that when I started my Master's program that my purpose for going through the program and getting licensed was to own my own business.  The dream of this is where I am walking but the God size dream is much larger than I expected and then waiting for what He has purposed for me.

Are you being called into your God sized dream?  The one that is beyond who you are but a part of who you are as God calls you into destiny.

Walk into your destiny!!!!!!

Searching For the Me That I Am

In the constant journey of self-improvement, the question is posed when will we be at our true self. Some would argue never because we are always evolving. I beg to differ because my belief is that the essence of the true you was deposited inside of you before your entrance on earth.  So we are searching for the "me" before all of the stories were written about who you are suppose to be in this world.  Before we adopted certain beliefs, values and roles. Our stories have helped us to survive in this ever changing world but our true "me" is searching.   Circumstances and events have mirrored your perspective of who you are, but are these perspectives true of who you really are.  Yes, they happened but did they take value from your true self-worth.

The realization that we all seek love and we seek it differently is paramount to how we receive love and how we see who we are.  We are asking someone to love our true self even when we have put up our world invented self. The essence of who we are is calling out for you to return back to that place of authenticity. This awakening and searching shows up in different ways from seeking balance in your everyday life or being frustrated because the relationships are not aligning like they should or just one day waking up and say I want more. 

Center yourself and begin to listen to what your authentic self is saying.

Walking in Your Gift

A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great. - Proverbs 18:16

 

 

 

How many times have you admired someone that is really talented or as we say in the church - anointed?  Sometimes you may even say, I wish I could sing like Beyonce or speak like Maya Angelou.  Each of these individuals have tapped into their gifting. Everyone has gifts and talents that reside inside of them.  Some of them are readily noticed when you practice your craft and then there are others that reside right under the surface and show up when you are working in your flow.  You may say, what is my gift?  A gift is defined as a special ability or capacity; natural endowment; talent.

 

 

So many times we do not get the opportunity to walk in our gifts because we do not know exactly what our gift(s) are due to the fact that they do not pop right out and wow the world.  As you think about what it is that you really enjoy doing without any fuss or strain but you just flow in it that is your gift. If you hide your gift from the world then we will miss out of what you have to offer.  Or if you covet anothers gift and think that your gift is not all that because you don't sing like someone or believe that your gift is not important, we are missing out on it.

 

This past week, I had the opportunity to work in my gifting and it was energy filling. I had the opportunity to  co-facilitated a workshop with one of my favorite colleagues Dr. Joshua Stanley.  We presented to a group of clinical supervisors.  I have heard the statistics that anywhere from 75-80% of people have the fear of speaking in public.  One of my gifts is exhortation and it comes with the enjoyment of being able to speak in public through encouraging others.  So this means that I fall in the 25% that actually enjoy speaking in public. 

 

 Raise your hand if you remember standing in front of the crowd and having to saying an Easter or Christmas speech.  I remember as a child having to participate and then also participating in  oratorical competitions....it was always so much fun to me.  God blessed me with this gift so I can not continue to hide behind it.

 

I would like to assist you in discovering your gift(s) or help you to walk in your gift(s) by uncovering opportunities to experience your flow. 

 

 

I would like to help you to discover your gift(s) or assist you in walking in your gift(s) by creating opportunities for you to flow.  

Grow Your Wings

First you leap and then you grow wings. - William Sloane Coffin

 

 

This week a colleague shared with me this quote as we were talking about life and how once you make a decision you never know what the outcome will be.  It reminded me of the biblical story of when Peter asked the Lord to bid Him to come and Peter got out of the boat and begin to walk on water towards Jesus.  Peter leaped out of the boat and then he grew his wings to walk on water.

 

 

How many times have you found yourself in a situation where you leaped and it felt like you were free falling until you began to flap your wings and realized that you could fly to higher heights?  It is scary at first but then the feeling of exhilaration and freedom overtakes you and you begin to soar like an eagle.  The realization that we are called to be much more than we believe we are is the place that we find ourselves so many times and have to make the decision of will I leap or will I stay on the edge.  The edge of comfort/uncomfort, the edge of potential/safe, etc.

 

 

I am currently listening to "The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential" by John Maxwell.  In a part of the book, Maxwell talks about when he began his career as a leadership teacher that he was never prepared to go to the next level until he just did it.  He used the story of talking about when he was meeting with 34 leaders and asked anyone who wanted to start receiving a monthly leadership tape to sign up on this legal path.  He said everyone in the group signed up and that was when it started.  He shared other examples of when he started something new, he just did it.  So I would say Maxwell leaped and then grew his wings.

 

This can serve as an example to us all that when we leap....we will grow our wings.

 

 



Leap of Faith

Since starting this blog, I have wanted to encourage others to live out their God given calling or dream especially in the realm of career and vocation. Well if I am completely honest, I was living in the shadow of do what I say do not as I do. I could blame it on fear or uncertainty, but I realized it was more about my belief about me. I have shared with you about getting out of the boat and walking on water and other similar things.

On March 5th, I got out of my boat of safety which for me is my job with good pay, great responsibility, influence and title. I submitted my letter of resignation to grab on to my God sized dream and calling. The realization of what God can do through me is much more than I can do. This is truly a faith walk for me and being obedient to the call is developing my faith. The opportunities available are limitless and being able to experience God is most important.

I have such a sense of peace and freedom but don't get me wrong....it is scary. Since I was younger, I have always wanted to own my own business. At the time I did not know what the word Entreprenuer meant, I know now that I have always had the spirit of business ownership. I remember selling shoes and gift cards from catalogs as my first job as a teenager. My grandfather was my first customer, he would order shoes out of my Stuart McGuire catalog. Or I would sell greeting cards and it was really not about the prize, it was the sense of ownership.

The call to work with others and help them to discover their vocation "calling" has been at the root of it. I was talking to someone this week, I realized that when I transitioned into the profession of counseling from the business arena, it was not about working for an agency, it was about being able to own a practice. The desire to own a private practice has been changed to a more global view of owning a business that will help other live their best life through Learning...Empowerment...Authenticity...Development. The global aspect incorporates different arms that are not bogged down into one area.

The calling even rest in the topic of my dissertation on Leader Development and Professional Identity Development. I would question God about why did He call me into counseling but the majority of my positions have been in leadership and supervision. My blend of experience in the business and counseling professions have set me up for the next season of my profession.

So it is official......L. Dangerfield Consulting is open for business.