Do you know what your designed purpose is in this world?

A big part of answering this question is understanding how you have been uniquely wired. When you know how you are wired, you discover what you were made to do.

Each of us is unique and uniquely made to have an impact on this world. The sooner you understand how you are made, the sooner you will start living in the sweet spot of your unique design.

Discovering our Designed Purpose

In discovering our design, we gain purpose in life. Purpose is fuel to men. It is like gas on the fire of our souls. The more we do the things we were designed to do, the more that fire burns. The more the fire burns, the more significant the impact we will have.

Knowing our design enables us to focus on playing to our strengths. Playing to our strengths will consistently produce tangible results. The goal is to do more things that align with our designed purpose.
Aligning with our strengths does not mean we ignore other areas of our lives. We are still responsible for getting things done, whether they are in our sweet spot or not. However, if we want to maximize our impact in this life, it is essential to operate in our sweet spot as often as possible. My experience has been that living in this “sweet spot” maximizes results and brings greater meaning to life.

The approach I share is a simple one. It has proven to be effective in my experience. I have used it to discover my unique design and to help others discover theirs. It has been an effective tool in developing career and life paths for others. It can be effective in guiding individuals or as a tool in developing teams. I think the simplicity of it makes it useful.

In this article, I will share the assessments I have utilized to help individuals discover their design. It is important to think of the results from these tools as starting points. They simply point us in the right direction. I caution people not to pigeon hole themselves into every point made on a report. At the same time, I would not merely disregard something believing it does not apply. You need to vet it out. Otherwise, you could cause personal blind spots. The world is full of ineffective people blinded to their weaknesses. Do not be that guy!

Reviewing Results: Recommendation #1:

1 – When you receive results from an assessment, ask the opinions of those closest to you. Ask them to review the reports and confirm what applies to you and what does not. If they can provide examples of how they see the various characteristics in you, this is best.

Pick a few people from different aspects of your life. For example, you could choose your spouse, a coworker who knows you well, and someone you serve alongside in your church or community organization. Make sure you pick someone that will be honest with you. Make it clear that you want both the good and the bad.

Keep in mind, you set the stage for good feedback. If you are sincere and open to both good and bad, what you receive will be valuable.

Reviewing Results: Recommendation #2:

2 – Once you zero in on possible strengths revealed from the assessments and feedback put yourself in positions to test them. Look for opportunities to utilize the various aspects of your personality, strengths, and gifts. In doing this, you will prove them out.

Observe the responses of those around you. The impact you have on others will reveal what is right about the results and what is not.

I caution you, though. Do this several times. Sometimes you may struggle at first because you are doing something you have not done before. In this case, your initial ineffectiveness may be more about a lack of experience than a lack of strength in the specific area.

The key concept here is that assessments are only starting points. They point you in a direction and begin the process of narrowing your focus. You must take the information and do the work to confirm what is you and what is not.

Personality by Design

I have found this specific website, 16 Personalities, to be helpful. It utilizes the Myers Briggs personality test. Myers Briggs admittedly has some flaws, but this site has worked well in my experience. It is especially helpful because of the different insights it provides. Again, it is crucial to keep in mind that assessments are just a starting point to begin down the path of self-discovery.

This specific tool gives insight into several things, including Strengths and Weaknesses, Romantic Relationships, Friendships, Parenthood, Career Paths, and Workplace Habits. It also helps you understand how strong you are in each category. In other words, on a scale of 0% to 100%, how strong is the given characteristic in your personality. This measurement gives you further insight into the uniqueness of your personality.

For me, my personality profile is an ENTJ-A. The E is an extravert, and in my case, I land right around 70%-80% every time I take the assessment. So I have strong tendencies and comfort in engaging with others. Each category is rated this way and helps in understanding that not all personality types are the same. There are differences that make each of us unique.

So test your results by doing and getting feedback. Things that do not align throw out and move on. Things that align use in understanding your strengths and weaknesses. Start building your vision of how you can maximize your impact in this world.

Strengths by Design

I have used StrengthsFinder 2.0 for this. I have used it many times over the years. The responses to this book and the associated assessment and report have always been positive. You can purchase a copy of the book which includes a code to take the assessment by clicking on StrengthsFinder 2.0 from my Book Recommendations in the main menu of my blog.

Playing to strengths is something we should be doing as often as possible. This applies to individuals and in developing teams. Typically the things we are strong at are also the things we love to do. When we focus on making a strength even stronger then we become a superstar.

With that said, the areas identified as weaknesses will need to be addressed if they are essential to our role. They need to be at a “meets expectations” level. But if you can create a team around you that is strong in your weak areas this enables you to concentrate on zeroing in on your strengths. It has been my experience that you will have a much greater impact if this is the case.

I am a strong believer that you should spend the majority of your time developing your strengths and just enough time on your weaknesses to ensure they do not wreck your ship or derail your train. This has been an approach of mine for years and it has produced consistent results.

For me my top five strengths are Futuristic, Strategic, Learner, Achiever, Maximizer. This coupled with the results of the personality starts to paint a strong picture of how I am wired for impact. When you dial in on your sweet spot your results and sense of fulfillment will increase. You will find yourself wanting more.

Gifts by Design

For those that are Christians as I am there is one more assessment tool I will add to these two. This also has helped me understand how I am wired and where I can have the most impact in this world.

One of the things God does for those that believe is He sends His Spirit to reside in us. With the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, he gives gifts to help carry out His mission here on earth. He saves us with the purpose of furthering His mission of expressing the good news about salvation in Jesus Christ. To do this He gives gifts to believers. No one person has all the gifts that are available. This is why it is important to work together with other believers. Together we bring all the gifts to bear in sharing the person of Jesus Christ with the world and maximize our impact.

There are several places in the Bible where gifts are described. Three key passages are found in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4. I recommend reading these passages to get the full context and teaching regarding gifts and their function within the church.

There are many assessments out there to determine your spiritual gifts. This is a free one that I have used and has worked well for me. Team Ministry: Gifted to Serve.

Again I would say use the assessments as a way to point you in the right direction. Then get feedback from those around you and put yourself in positions to use the gifts you think you have. Observe the responses you get from those around you. For example, if your assessment indicates you are gifted as a teacher and begin teaching, it stands to reason that people should be learning. If this is not happening, you have reason to question whether it is true or not.

If God supernaturally empowered you with a gift then it will supernaturally impact others when it is exercised. For example if your gift is mercy and you come alongside someone that is hurting they will be encouraged and feel their load lightened by spending time with you.

My spiritual gifts always land in these areas – Administration/Leadership and Teaching. I believe this is what God has called me to do within the church. Lead and Teach. I especially sense a call to lead and teach men. As a result, I have led men’s ministries and taught Bible studies specific to men over the years.

Other Considerations

Other considerations to determining your purpose and direction in life include passions, experiences, skills, and abilities you have developed over the years. I especially focus on passions. Ask yourself what you are passionate about? What could you talk about for hours on end? What gets the wheels turning for you and stokes the fire in your heart? A few of my passions are leading men and outdoor activities like hiking, hunting, and fishing.

It is also worth taking the time to list all the training, school, skills, abilities, and experiences you have had up to this point in your life. This could include things like technical skills, playing a musical instrument, hard times that have impacted your life, etc. Develop this list with your passions and line them up next to your personality, strengths, and gifts you have vetted. This will give you a great picture of your unique design and a beginning point in developing your purpose in life.

Living in the Sweet Spot of Your Unique Design

For me, I am an ENTJ-A (Commander) with the following strengths: Futuristic, Strategic, Maximizer, Learner, Achiever, and spiritually gifted in Administration/Leadership and Teaching. My passions are for the rugged side of life. I love being a man that is rough around the edges. I enjoy things like battling the elements, the challenges of hunting and fishing, being bold and courageous, and pushing limits. These things make me feel alive. So, these are the things I gravitate to in life. I’ve also fought some tough personal battles that help me relate especially well to other men.

Over the years I have been purposeful about putting myself in positions that exploit my designed personality, strengths, gifts, and passions. The way that has played out in my life is a career leading men in the steel industry, teaching and leading within the church with a strong emphasis on leading and teaching men. The combination of my personality, strengths, gifts and passions produce a strong desire that pushes me to lead and coach men to win and be successful in life. This is the drive behind Men of Grit.

Knowing my personality, strengths and gifts has helped me evaluate choices and opportunities in life. It has helped me make decisions. It has given me confidence. I know where I bring the most value. I know what I was made to do.

So what about you? What is your unique design? Dig in and discover your personality, strengths, and gifts (Christians). Write down the things you are passionate about along with skills, abilities, and experiences. Inquire of people around you to confirm what hits the mark and what does not. Put yourself in positions to prove it out. Then start to think through how you can play to your strengths. Begin today to move down the road of living your life in the sweet spot of your unique design.

Do you want to communicate more about this subject? Reach out to me. I would enjoy helping you on your journey. Contact me via email or DM me on Twitter @Men_of_Grit.

If you have comments, questions, or feedback, put them in the comments section below. I am always interested in hearing from you.

In your corner,

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

More from Men of Grit:

What value is there in knowing your destiny is guaranteed and will be better than your best day in this life? Read: The Powerful Impact of a Man that Knows His Destiny

Are there times to be selfish as a leader? Read: When Leaders Need to be “Selfish” to be Strong

How many times have you experienced frustration in making lasting changes in your life? Read: Tremendous Advantages of Connecting with High-Value Brothers

What is one thing you can do today that will dramatically increase your ability to lead and influence? Read: An Easy Way to Improve Your Ability to Lead and Influence