The Morning Blend: Ultimate G.P.S
Brad Raney | Nov 08, 2011 | Comments 1
This blog has been almost three years in the making – actually almost 50 years in the making, in one way of thinking. It’s time to clearly define a phrase that I have used over and over in my keynotes, workshops, and one on one coaching. Now is the moment to step fully into the light and give significant credit where credit is due.
Our topic today is the term that in my presentations that deals with knowing where you are now, and then visualizing where you want to be in 12 months. It’s part of the “green line” analogy that completes the visual of drawing a roadmap for your life and career. The term is “Vocational G.P.S” and it usually comes up right before the discussions about change, and having the courage to adapt, and committing to reaching deep inside yourself to find what you are truly made to do.
The missing component to this description is shared most often in Christian environments where my workshops really take a path of discovery and of understanding who is truly in control of your life, happiness, and destiny. The reason this topic is front and center for me right now has to do with my recent travels and job seeker presentations. Three distinct events in different places, all with one common theme which we’ll get to shortly.
First, I just got back from Knoxville, TN (my hometown) where I was asked to put together the Knoxville Career Expo Workshop by some great folks at ITT Tech. The expo was last week and several dozen folks came out to take in my VOWELS and Expo Expectations topics, as well as presentations from two other experts, one in recruiting and another in social media. The response from the event was tremendous and ITT has already asked me to put together another workshop and asked me to do the Commencement Address for their graduates next spring. This was obviously not a church-sponsored event as the workshop was held on the ITT campus.
Second, on my 50th birthday just over a month ago, I was fortunate enough to spend it in Washington, D.C. speaking to the largest PMI (project management institute) group in the world PMIWDC, which has over 10,000 active members. I spoke to over 400 at the kickoff breakfast for their annual Career Day and the message I shared with them was very well received. The event also featured a media meet & greet, a book signing, and several authors like me got to read some passages of their work to several hundred folks later in the day. Again, a tremendous event but no where near a church or sanctioned as any kind of Christian outreach.
Finally, I was thrilled to do a four week workshop at my church in Jacksonville. I did weeks one and four and had two special friends and colleagues provide their expertise in weeks 2 & 3 – Harry Corbett of Career Transition Workshop did his fantastic resume and interviewing presentation, and then my brother from a different mother, Carlos Gil of JobsDirectUSA, gave his outstanding keynote on how to find a job in less than 90 days using social media. The church leaders got tremendously positive feedback from the workshop and have asked me to consider doing them 3-4 times per year.
Obviously, the last example was in a purely Christian environment and the tone of my discussion about “GPS” was very different from the other two. However, at every venue, at each workshop, in all 3 cities – one common, credible, and powerful theme emerged. No matter whether I used words like “if I were in church right now I would say…” or if I said “what did God make you to do?” – the results were the same. At the end of both of the non-Christian environment workshops, many folks (in the case of Washington, DC dozens of folks!), came up to said something along the lines of “I appreciate you sharing your Christian heart and I heard what you said!” No matter how well I tried to cloak it – no matter how careful I was not to offend anyone or stray off the middle of the road, the people in the crowd that wanted to hear my Christian beliefs heard them – loud and clear. And, many of them felt compelled to find me after the event to tell me how much it meant to them.
The bottom line is this – if you can’t tell it from my website or from hearing me live at an event – let me state this clearly. I am a Christian, I love God and Jesus Christ, and I try to live the way He wants me to every single day. I believe that the VOWELS message He has entrusted me with was given to me to share with others, and that’s the single biggest reason why I know it works and why I’m so passionate about the work He put in front of me to do.
What you should understand is that the “GPS” reference I have been using for several years has a deeper meaning than just “global positioning satellite” or a mapping technique used to get you from where you are to where you want to go. What those three little letters really mean is simple: God Powered Strategy – the ULTIMATE G.P.S.!!
God is in control of your life and work – you must put in the Effort, have a great Attitude, show great Energy (and all the other VOWELS!), but in the end, you are not where you are in your work life by accident! You are supposed to be right where you are. God is readying your next big challenge for you – or maybe readying you to be able to handle a new path. Either way, work hard and use your VOWELS, pray daily for guidance and forgiveness, stay humble, help others around you, and I guarantee that you will find your true vocation in life.
If I can help you along the path, don’t hesitate to ask. By the way, consider giving my book or new live event DVD to someone you know as a Christmas present – perhaps they will hear the message that God has given me to share and get on the path toward their perfect job – the one He made them to do.
Blessings!
Sincerely,
Brad Raney
Brad Raney is a motivational speaker, life coach, author and sales trainer. He has over 25 years of experience in sales and sales management within the broadcast industry. Brad developed the VOWELS program in 2009 and the success it brought his sales team has spurred keynote speeches, workshops, seminars, a website, and his first book “Improve Your VOWELS, Improve Your Career!” which was released in July 2010.
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