A crucible experience is often searing. The loss of a job or business, a health or family challenge can make us feel like our world has changed forever. We can feel like our lives are over. But a crucible experience can reveal seeds of hope. Out of our pain, can come a vision to help others. In our misfortune, there may be clues as to how we are designed. Sometimes the reason a job or business did not work out was because we were not doing what we were designed for. Perhaps we were a round peg in a square hole. We didn’t fit.
Even if the crucible experience was not your fault such as with a health challenge or losing a parent at a young age, it will still tend to impact us to our core. We ask what life is all about? Why am I here? What is my purpose? Perhaps even, what was I designed to do?
You Have Unique Wiring
Our purpose, our place in the world is inextricably linked to how we were designed. We all come out of the box a certain way with certain innate gifts. We maybe artistic or athletic. We may have a gifting for math and science or english and history. Our innate gifts can be nurtured and influenced over time, but there is some unique wiring we start out with.
Overlaid on our innate gifting, are our passions, values and beliefs. This may be influenced by our family, our childhood experiences, our culture or experiences we have along the way.
A crucible experience can force us to look at who we are. But we can’t figure out where we are going, until we know who we are. A life of significance must be based on who we are.
A life of significance that is tied to our innate gifting, overlaid with our passions, values and beliefs is like rocket fuel. Being more truly us with a vision that flows out of the core of who we are, can give us unstoppable motivation and momentum. But a vision, however noble, that is not tied to who we are, what we believe in and what we are passionate about will tend to go nowhere.
You Can’t Inherit a Vision
In a sense that is my story. I had a vision of restoring the family media company I grew up in Australia to the ideals of the founder. I wanted it to be well run. That was a compelling vision, one that I thought was a noble, even honorable vision. But was this my vision? It was more my father’s vision, and ultimately John Fairfax’s vision (my great great grandfather who started the family business). One thing I have learnt is that you can’t inherit a vision.
What was needed to accomplish the vision, was a take charge leader. That was not me. I am more of a reflective adviser. I like to be part of a team, such as being a member of the boards I am on. I like to write and to advocate for principles I believe in. But a take charge leader, making hundreds of decisions every day, hiring and firing. That is not me. I am more of a contemplative person than an action person.
All this to say, I was pursuing a vision, however noble, that was more my father’s and my great great grandfather’s vision than mine. To bring about the vision required skills and aptitude that were not me. I was not designed for the task that needed to be done.
What I do now lines up so much better. I am an advocate for principles of leadership that I strongly believe in, as well as a reflective adviser, writer and executive coach.
Reflection
What are the clues in your crucible experience revealing about how you are designed?
What are your passions, values and beliefs?
Who are you really?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
Experiences That Make Us Ask Big Questions
A life of significance often starts with a refining moment, a crucible experience. Before we think about serving a higher purpose, something that makes the world a better place, we often need to be shaken up. Life is often like that. If life were easy and smooth, many of us would pursue goals of being successful, having a good career, having enough money to support our families, having the freedom to take nice trips and have a nice lifestyle. There is nothing wrong with pursuing any of those goals. But is our purpose in life only that, a successful career with enough money to have a nice lifestyle?
That is where the value of a crucible experience comes in. The loss of a job, the loss of a business, a health or family challenge can rock our world. It can make us ask big questions. Where am I going? Why am I going there? What do I really want? How will my life matter? How will my life count? The crucible experience does not have to be prominent. It could be losing a parent at a young age, growing up in poverty, having a sibling with a health challenge or learning disability. The size or prominence of the crucible experience, is not as important as the depth of the impact that crucible experience had on you.
Wallow In Our Trials or Move Forward?
When you have a crucible experience, it may in part be your fault and may be related to choices you have made. But sometimes, that crucible experience may not at all be your fault, such as losing a parent at a young age. But either way, you have a choice. You can feel angry, in a sense wallow in your trials. Your anger may be totally understandable, even justifiable. But does it serve you well? Does it move you forward? The short answer is typically no.
Our trials can inspire us as we move forward. If we lost a job or a business, to the degree we contributed to the situation, what can we learn about ourselves? Maybe the job or role we were in, was not a good fit. Even if it was not all our fault, what can we learn? Perhaps we were part of a team or company that lacked integrity, and wanted to cut corners. This can lead us to the next stage of discovering how we were designed, our talents and attributes, as well as the values we hold dear. We will discuss this in more detail later.
Turning Tragedy into Purpose
But sometimes the seeds of a vision that can help others and in some small way change the world are in that crucible experience. Joni Eareckson Tada is a great example of a woman who could have lost all hope after her crucible experience. But yet, she used her tragedy to help others and have a world wide ministry. Joni was an athletic girl who was injured in a diving accident aged 17 in 1967. The accident left Joni as a quadriplegic from the neck down. She has lived this way for over 50 years. For many of us, this would have seemed a death sentence. The road back was not easy, learning to adjust to her new life and learning to have hope again. But over time, Joni found inspiration in her disability. This accident actually strengthened her faith, making her rely even more on God. Joni has said, “There are more important things than walking.” What could that be? Joni founded an international ministry, Joni and Friends, which through its radio program has reached over a million listeners a week. Through Wheels for the World, Joni and Friends has shipped over 34,000 wheelchairs to developing nations. She has written over thirty-five books and is a highly sought after speaker. Amazingly through a horrific tragedy, Joni has found purpose in life that makes a difference in lives all over the world.
Reflection
What is your crucible experience?
What has your crucible experience taught you about yourself?
How could your crucible experience be used to help others?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
It Begins With a Crucible Moment
We have spoken about what a life of significance is. It is about a calling, beyond success, fame or career. It is about living in light of a higher purpose, something that is beyond your own interests.
But what are the building blocks of a life of significance? How do you get there? We will outline in more detail each of these components in future blogs. The following is a summary.
It often starts with a crucible moment, typically a failure or a setback that can alter the course of your life. This crucible moment can refine us. We can wallow in our misfortune or let that crucible moment point us to a life of significance. Do you have to have a searing painful experience to lead a life of significance? No. But honest vulnerable reflection rarely takes place without such an experience in our fast paced busy lives.
To live a life of significance, we have to understand how we were designed. We need to have a clear picture of our gifts and our passions.
Once we understand how we are designed and what our passions are, we can set our vision. This is a vision that is grounded in our unique design, refined by our crucible moments, and based on a calling that is in line with our deep seated beliefs and passions.
Once we know where we are headed, a vision based on a calling that we feel deeply passionate about, we are well on our way to make our vision a reality. There will be challenges along the way, but the passion and the calling that fuels our vision, along with others we have invited to join us on the journey, will help us stay the course.
My Crucible Moment That Led Me to a Life of Significance
For me, my crucible culminated with the loss of family control of John Fairfax Ltd, the large Australian media business that had been in my family for 150 years. For more on this, see My Journey.
This was a searing moment in my life, a refining moment. I had thought my whole life that my calling was to one day take a leading position in the family media business.
What this crucible taught me was that the type of person needed to lead the family media company was more of a take charge leader. That was not me. That was not how I was designed. I am more of a reflective adviser.
I had tried to follow my father’s vision and my great great grandfather’s vision (the vision of John Fairfax who founded the family media company). That was a mistake. My vision now is based on who I am and what I am passionate about.
As a reflective adviser, I enjoy writing and executive coaching, as well as being on the boards of two faith based organizations whose missions I care about.
In short, my crucible has led me to lead a life of significance that is in line with who I am and what I feel called to.
Reflection
What are the building blocks for your life of significance?
How have you been refined and designed to lead a life of significance that you feel called to?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
Being All That You Are and Living Up to It
The central goal of Crucible Leadership is to help you embrace your crucible moments to lead a life of significance. But what is a life of significance? How will we know when we get there, when we are fully living a life of significance?
A life of significance is about more than career, and more than success. It is not about being wealthy enough to live a life of ease.
Is it about leaving a legacy? In part. A life of significance is about being all that you are and living up to everything you believe in. It is about combining your innate wiring and design with your passions to achieve something beyond yourself. It is not about you. It is about contributing to a higher purpose. It is about feeling called to a purpose, to a cause, that is important, that is beyond you. People of faith might term this, a calling that lines up with who God created them to be. You hear such people say they feel that it is God’s calling on their life. There is a sense of the eternal, that you are part of a great movement.
A Whole Life is Devoted to a Vision
William Wilberforce certainly led a life of significance. He was a British politician who lived in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. Wilberforce had an abiding faith that led him to advocate for the abolition of the slave trade and ultimately of slavery itself in the British Empire. The slave trade was abolished in 1807, while it took until days before Wilberforce’s death for slavery to be abolished in the British Empire in 1833. Wilberforce devoted his whole life to the cause of the abolition of slavery. He was an outgoing and charismatic politician, who was a good speaker. He could have achieved high office, either in the Cabinet or perhaps as Prime Minister. But Wilberforce felt leading a life of significance was about more than some political office. To Wilberforce, abolishing slavery was more important than high political office.
A Crucible Moment Leads to a Life of Significance
John Fairfax, my great great grandfather, led a life of significance as well. A key crucible moment came in 1836, when a local lawyer sued John Fairfax for an article written in John Fairfax’s paper in Leamington, England. Twice the lawyer sued, and twice the court ruled in John Fairfax’s favor. However, the court costs forced John Fairfax into bankruptcy. John Fairfax left England and took his family to Australia. There he bought a local paper, the Sydney Morning Herald, which became part of a large family media company. John Fairfax had a vision of a newspaper that would be vigorous and non-sectarian. As one biographer put it, “It would be without the reproach of self-interest, sworn to no master.” John Fairfax was a successful businessman and a beloved employer. He was an elder in his church. He was a much loved husband and father. John Fairfax led a life of significance in all areas of life, at work, in church and at home.
Impact Beyond Ourselves
William Wilberforce and John Fairfax undeniably led lives of significance. They undoubtedly felt they had a higher calling beyond success, fame or career.
They give us models of some of the core themes of a life of significance. It is about the cause or the calling, not about you. It is not about wealth or fame, it is about leading a life that is beyond your own interests. It involves somehow making a difference in the lives of others. Not many of us will live lives that are as prominent as William Wilberforce or John Fairfax. But well known or not, a life of significance can have a greater impact than we realize.
What is your calling?
What would it look like for you to lead a life of significance, to pursue a calling that is beyond yourself?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
