How Are People Branding You?

One of the exercises I give when I hold a connecting event is ask, “If someone made a movie about your life, what would the title be and which actor/actress would play you?”

This exercise gets people in touch with their calling.

Sometimes the emphasis of your calling will change over time, but the central thrust will always be the same.

For instance (speaking personally), back in 2008, people branded me as the “organic church” guy or the “Pagan Christianity” guy. Mainly because of two best-selling books I wrote back then.

Over the last five years, however, that’s all changed. I’m now known as the “Deeper Christian Life” guy or the “Eternal Purpose” guy or the “Christ is All” guy. Mainly because of the books, blogs, and podcasts I’ve released from 2009 to the present.

The central thrust of my calling has always been to unveil the fullness of Jesus Christ — Head and Body (in practical ways) — which includes both deconstruction and construction. Therefore, all those “brandings” are connected. They just emphasize different aspects of the call.

Now let’s talk about you. People brand you on the basis of three things.
1.what you speak about the most.
2.what you teach on the most.
3.what you practice the most.

As I detail in my PROLIFIC program, if you haven’t yet discovered your calling, it’s not terribly difficult. But it does take time and reflection. And some guidance is valuable.

To simply the process, you find your calling in the intersection of four ingredients: (1) Your passion, (2) your talents/gifts, (3) what you see wrong with the world (that needs to be corrected), and (4) what you would do if no one paid you, yet you can still earn income from.

If your calling and the way people brand you are aligned, it’s one sign that you’re being faithful to your mission.

So consider: How are people branding you?

- Frank Viola