What's going on, Pursuers? Welcome to The Pursuit
of Calling, the podcast that provides you with
the strategies and tools needed to successfully
discover and pursue your calling. Whether it's
through inspiring stories, thought -provoking
interviews, or quick, insightful episodes on
personal growth and development, we've got you
covered. I'm your host, Thomas Carney. Enjoy
the episode. All right, so I was on a walk the
other day, and I was thinking about what I was
thinking about, essentially. I was thinking about
what I was going to record for the episode this
week, and a thought popped into my head. I was
like, how do I want to add value to my listeners
today? How do I want to add value to my listeners?
I was like, that's a great topic. I, being part
of the Maxwell, being part of Maxwell leadership,
I get to hear a lot about the Maxwell values.
And one of them is being a person of value who
adds value to people. It might sound arrogant
to say I'm a person of value, but believing that
in myself, believing that in myself or believing
that if you believe that in yourself. that you're
a person of value, then in turn that means you
add value to people. That's what people of value
do. So I thought of this in terms of what's the
difference between a person who gives value and
a person that takes it away. So in my head I
was like, okay, we have givers and we have takers.
A giver is intentional with people. whether that
be how they spend their time, money, or attention
when they're with these people, when they're
with others. A taker spends time with people
in order to get something from them, whether
that be their time, money, or attention. A giver
looks for ways to serve others, and a taker looks
for ways to be served by others. A giver wonders
how they can add value to others, And a taker
wonders how they can gain value from others.
So, when I was on my walk, let me think. Let
me ask you, what does that make you think of?
Are any of those areas, like, are you more of
a giver or are you more of a taker? And I think
most of us would say, oh, I'm more of a giver.
A lot of us don't want to think that we're takers.
We don't want to think that we're taking value
away from anybody. And maybe that's not true
in every area of your life, but maybe it is true
in a few. Maybe it is true with certain people.
So think about that. Think about maybe there's
people that you don't like even, and maybe there's
people that you don't like. That you actually,
and they take value away from you, so in turn,
you're taking value away from them. How could
you add value to those people? How could you
stop being a taker in that situation? Now, John
Maxwell, he says he does five things every single
day. He said he adds value to people. He said
he values people. He thinks of ways to add value
to people. He looks for ways to add value to
people. Then he does things to add value to people.
And five, I think I messed up the one, but five,
he encourages others to add value to people.
That's what the point of this episode is. The
point of this episode is to encourage you to
add value to others. And to encourage you to
add value to others through your calling. How
are you specifically equipped by God to add value
to other people? What's your calling? What's
your purpose? How do you want people's lives?
How do you want people's lives to improve when
they cross your path? One way I like to do that,
as you know, is through my coaching. And I get
to experience a client's aha moments when they
realize their calling and their potential in
that calling. There's people that I'm coaching.
It's crazy whenever you realize how much more,
like whenever people realize how much more potential
that they have than they previously thought.
I guarantee you, I know it's in myself too, I
guarantee you that there's more potential in
you than what you're thinking there is right
now. You know, I was even planning on talking
about this, and I'm actually going to make an
episode on this, which I haven't prepared for
yet, but I want to, because it felt right. By
the time this episode comes out, I'm going to
be 30. I'm recording this on April 26th, and
I turn 30 tomorrow, April 27th. And I was just
thinking about these last 10 years. And you might
be thinking, where the heck am I going with this?
But thinking over the last 10 years and how I've
grown, how the potential I had, I didn't know
about. I didn't know the potential that I had.
I didn't know there was any potential to have.
When I was 20, I didn't know what kind of potential
I would have when I was 30. When I was 20, I
didn't know what kind of potential I would have
when I was 25. I didn't know the type of people
that were going to be adding value to my life
in these last 10 years, in this last decade.
I didn't know the type of people that would be
put in my path that were specifically adding
value to me. To then influence me. without even
them even knowing it, to add value to others.
That's the calling in everybody's life. Now,
I say everybody has a specific calling. Sorry,
I've got to get my words out. And it's true.
However, the purpose of that calling, and I've
said it before, your calling is not for you.
Your calling is to add value to other people
around you. Your calling goes with you wherever
you go. Your calling is a positive thing. It's
an active thing to pursue your calling. So how
can you use this calling, use this purpose as
a value add to other people's lives? Oh, guys,
you really got to think about that one. If you
haven't answered the question yet, I asked before
and I've asked it on previous episodes, but how
do you want people's lives to improve having
crossed your path? Dude, you got to answer that
question. You got to answer that question. How
do you want people's lives to improve when they
cross your path? After they leave your presence,
how should their life be better? What value are
you adding to them? You're thinking the context,
that you can't wrap your mind around that context.
Maybe you're thinking, let me give you a quick
example, actually. So the way I answer that question
is that I want people's lives to improve with
being given a tool to pursue their calling well.
pursue or discover their calling well. And that's
not always by me, like, directly saying, like,
here's a book. Sometimes it is. But we're like,
here's a different resource. Here's a YouTube
video. It's not always like that. Sometimes it's
just being an example. How do I want somebody's
life to improve having crossed my path? It's
by being, by living in my purpose. It's by choosing
my calling. Choosing to live in my calling. That
example, that is seen by those other people and
it influences them. I know that because people
tell me. I know that because it's happening.
It has happened, it's happening, it's going to
continue to happen and it happens with you too.
Whatever you're living in is what people are
being influenced by. Oh, come on. Whatever you're
living in, that's what people are being influenced
by. If you're living in doubt, if you're living
in shame, now, if you're living in doubt, if
you're living in shame, if you're living in uncertainty
of what's next, people might not be like, oh
man, that person's not sure of themselves. Sometimes
they would be, but maybe they're not always like
that, but maybe they're just being influenced
in a way our value is being added to them in
a way that isn't to the extent that could be
if you're truly living in your calling. That
make sense? I might have jumbled that up a little
bit. This was off the cuff, off the dome, because
frankly, I didn't have enough notes. I got to
the bottom. I was like, I got more to say. But
guys, what is your calling? What is your purpose?
How do you live in that well? And how do you
add value to people? I'm going to say the five
things that John Maxwell says he does every single
day. He says he values people, one. Two, he says
he thinks of ways to add value to people, three.
He looks for ways to add value to people, that's
three. Can I repeat myself? I might have. Four,
he does things that add value to people. And
five, he encourages others to add value to people.
So what I said was people are influenced and
people get value through you just living your
life in your calling. But then there's also the
intentional piece. Like John is saying, he's
intentionally adding value to people. He's intentionally
saying, He does things that add value to people,
and these are things that he's thought about.
These are things that he's looking for. How can
you serve others? Instead of being seeked to
be served, how can you serve? Another great way
I'm doing that, and you already know this, however,
final plug, and then we're going to wrap up the
episode. One new way I'm doing this is I'm opening
up. a four -week mastermind. Now, if you're familiar
with a church small group, it's kind of like
that, actually, except it's 100 % focused on
personal growth. Now, this is on the first four
chapters of the 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth
by John Maxwell, if you didn't know. And what
these four weeks do, essentially, it's a conversation
amongst a group of people. Maximum about 10.
That is where each person gets to share how they're
growing in that area of that chapter of that
law of growth. And then we get to discuss how
we're going to add it to our own lives. And then
we get to have a conversation. We get to get
feedback from other people and get to encourage
each other. So if you want to sign up for that,
I'm going to post a Google sheet, Google form
in the show notes. So go ahead and check that
out. And then, guys, I'm going to leave you with
this. Imagine a world where everyone intentionally
added value to those around them. Think about
what we went over today. Are you intentionally
looking for ways to add value to the people in
your life? Are you a giver or are you a taker?
All right, guys. I'm going to leave you with
that. Thank you for listening to this episode
of the Pursuit of Calling podcast. If you enjoyed
this, you know, share it. Share it with your
friends. Share the link. Give this podcast a
five -star review. Guys, you know it. Keep pursuing
your calling well.