The most common mistake that I see from those who start the process of developing their Life Mission is they stop short. Here is how it often happens. Upon first hearing the concept of Developing a Life Mission, there is tremendous enthusiasm. The vision of coming to understand their deepest wiring and calling creates hope and a sense of meaning. Then, the process begins and the work quickly moves from simple to hard. Thinking deeply does not come naturally in our world of instant gratification. Next, comes a nagging doubt that they will ever find their Life Mission. Worse, they wonder if they even have a Life Mission. From this point, some will persevere and others will abandon the task. Even for those who persevere, more issues await. Those who persevere will generally hit a wall in the process. Though a few themes start to stand out and a generalized sense of who they are becomes more obvious, pinning it down further seems futile. This is when more will drop out of the process. If they stop short, they miss a huge blessing.

I still remember the point 26 years ago when I had worked hard trying to figure out my Life Mission and hit the wall. I had a nebulous sense of my mission, but no definition. It felt like looking through binoculars that were out of focus. The voices that told me to give up sounded like this:

· You’re wasting your time.
· There’s nothing special about you.
· What difference will it make anyway?
· You are so arrogant!

Do these sound like the voice of God? I almost stopped. Something inside of me knew that I should press on. I began to put words to the vague impressions and formed a few phrases. Slowly, a couple of sentences came together that felt right. Just on the other side of temptation to give up, God gave insight. 

I want to encourage you to persevere with Life Mission. Even if it takes you several months and lasts beyond our time together in Mentoring, keep on going! I believe clarity of Life Mission makes all the difference. Life Mission simplifies the hundreds of options thrown at us every day. Life Mission is empowering! Life Mission is inspirational! In the end, Life Mission points us toward becoming the person God intends for us. And that is what really matters!