A few years ago we began to explore one of the most frustrating challenges that Halftimers face – “I can’t find something I am really passionate about.” There are four common causes for this frustration. With these frustrations we have a few steps to help you move past them.
If you see yourself in one of these scenarios I encourage you take us up on our “hour of free coaching” offer to talk with a Halftime coach to leverage their expertise in moving you deeper into discovering your passion. Your passion may be hidden in plain view.
Case Study #1:
Ken ran a manufacturing company for 28 years. When I first met him he told me emphatically that he had no passions. I dug a little deeper by asking if he had a favorite movie. Sure enough he’s watched the movie Seabiscuit seven times. It’s about a race horse and jockey who came back to win after a serious injury. He loves it when the jockey is able to get back in the saddle. I asked if there was something he did in the last month that made him really come alive and he shared how he recently helped a long-time employee who had hit rock bottom in life. While these deep passions had not connected in Ken’s heart it was obvious to those around him that Ken’s passion was hidden in plain view – he loves putting people “back in the saddle” of life. This new awareness brings richness to his CEO role as he looks for employees, customers or suppliers who may have fallen out of the saddle and intentionally reaches out to offer help. Ken found that he could live out his second-half calling on his existing company platform, but it is changing not only how he allocates his time at work but also how he measures the results.
Action: What are the movies you love and why? What have you done in the past month or two that made you really come alive or the time slipped by without notice? Share those with a few friends – ask them what they see that you can’t see? Perhaps you’ve been so focused on your career that you haven’t experienced many of the deepest human needs at a heart level.
Case Study #2:
This was my personal experience. I was so focused on developing real estate in my first half that when I reached “Halftime” I had little firsthand experience of the diverse needs in the world. So over several years I began to seek out opportunities to really experience a variety of ministries, not only reading about them, but going to experience it. For six months I spent a half day a week mentoring men in prison. I helped a ministry with a property acquisition for a drug rehab center, played basketball with kids in a slum in Manila, did a “head office relocation study” for a major non-profit and managed a project taking American farmers to train poor Albanian farmers.
I was surprised to find that the first step towards discovering something that I am so passionate about today was to get to a place where I allowed my heart to break for what breaks God’s heart.
Action: Read stories of what others are doing with their second half and reflect on how those stories touch your heart. The book The Second Half is designed for this precise reason – explore 25 different stories in this large-format coffee table book – www.halftime.org/thesecondhalf – and use the book as a tool to facilitate a conversation with your spouse. Allocate time to experience an array of ministries – local, national and international, and then debrief your experiences with your spouse and friends.
Written by: Lloyd Reeb
