Welcome to the Awaken Your Purpose course.
I'm Jennifer Miller, and I am excited that you are here
with me today as we journey together.
So let's talk a little bit about the course.
So the Awaken Your Purpose course is transformative
in that it was designed to help you discover
and embrace your unique calling in life.
We'll dive into some practical reflections and exercises,
as well as some inspiring insights
that should help you uncover the passions
and values that drive you,
which will empower you to live authentically
and intentionally.
Join us as we journey to awaken your purpose
and unlock the potential within you.
Okay, so just a quick reminder
of what we are going to talk about.
We're going to overcome fears and self-doubt,
break free from limiting beliefs,
discover our divine purpose,
and take action on our purpose.
So a little bit about my story.
Why did I create this course?
For the last 20-something years,
I've been in the CFO accounting world,
very much left brain, but had a heart to help women.
And throughout that time,
I did coaching or consulting on the side,
especially to help women launch their dreams,
something that I've been doing for the last 10 to 15 years.
I'm very passionate about that.
But about two years ago,
I went through a crazy period of time
where I had severe burnout
from working about 80 to 100 hours a week
for a nine-month period.
My organization was in a little bit of a crisis,
and I had to step up and help them through that.
As a result, I had to lay down those things
that gave me life,
like my Prosper Always podcast and doing life coaching.
And as a result, my soul started to feel like it was dying.
Even when my hours decreased in 23,
I still was dealing with pretty severe burnout
and depression.
And it wasn't until October 23 in a therapy session
when I realized that I was killing myself
because I thought I had to prove myself to God for his love
and to get my own validation and self-worth.
And when I finally discovered
that I was loved for just being me,
I felt like this huge weight broke off.
And all of a sudden, my passion for helping women
to step into their purpose and identity
and dream big with God just came back again.
And then he allowed me to transition
out of that CFO job in 24 and launch full-time
into my own company, Prosper Always.
So this is my why for creating the course.
Just a reminder that you can get the replay
and the workbook via the Tribe app that you sign up with.
In addition, there's the Sisterhood Tribe,
which also has weekly videos and posts.
All of you amazing like-minded women.
And there'll be some online free events
and workshops as well.
We're gonna talk tonight about the importance of purpose.
We're also gonna go over the saboteurs to purpose.
And then we're gonna go into a little bit
of self-discovery around purpose
and how we walk out our purpose.
Then we'll end with some discussion questions
and next steps.
So let's dive in.
Okay, the importance of having a purpose.
I love this verse from Proverbs 13, 12.
It says, hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.
And this goes back to what I was saying
about when I had to lay down all those things
that gave me life because I had to just focus
all of my attention on my career.
And while there was moments of my job that I enjoyed,
for the most part, it was very much using strengths
and gifts that were maybe not my most natural.
And as a result, it felt like my heart
was just atrophying from not being used.
And so when we fully know who God created us to be
and we step into our unique purpose,
things start to fall into alignment.
Like our mental health gets better, our soul gets better,
we have more energy and excitement
and our body comes into alignment as well.
Every time I've stepped more fully into my purpose,
my struggle with emotional eating
just seems to naturally get better.
I don't even seem to have to fight or try to diet.
Like my body just comes into alignment.
And that's why God created us with purpose
is because we fully step into abundant life
when we're doing what God has called us to do.
So a little bit more about the importance of purpose.
I love this quote,
the meaning of life is to find your gifts
and the purpose is to give it away, Picasso.
So a couple of points about finding your purpose.
If like that compass in the top right corner of this video
or this video.
picture, it helps you to stay directional and focused on where you're headed in life.
Without purpose, you might say yes and no to lots of different things that may or may not
be God's will for your life. And yet, when we know our purpose, we have this kind of
internal barometer or guide to help us stay on the path that we have designed for our life.
In addition, it gives us motivation and the ability to have resilience in times of trials
and struggles. Even though things are difficult, when we know our purpose,
we can find it hidden in the gems of difficulties. In addition, it brings fulfillment and
satisfaction when we're fully walking in our God-given purpose. And it connects us to others.
When we walk in our purpose, all of a sudden, we find like-minded people that are also going
after purpose. There is a reason why we have a purpose, and others are waiting for us to
step into it. Sometimes we can feel a little guilty or selfish about putting effort, energy,
investing in our purpose. But yet, the world needs us to fully come alive in who we are.
And as we step into purpose, it's like this domino effect that others then become a
weakened and they step into their purpose. And last, it creates a legacy and an impact for
generations to come. You think about all the people that have fully walked in their purpose
and generation after generation after generation, it impacts them as well. So you're doing this
for your children's children's children, which is awesome when you think about it.
We'll go to the next section, which is saboteurs for finding your purpose. So we know the reasons
why it's important to have a purpose. So why doesn't everybody walk fully in their purpose?
God talks about this in 2 Timothy 1.7. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power,
love, and a sound mind. Fear is one of the greatest saboteurs towards purpose. We doubt
ourselves, we start to have the internal critic that judges us and tells them that we're not
qualified, that maybe we're not good enough, that, oh, this other person's already doing
the very thing that you want to do, or that you're going to fail. And when we listen to those lies,
they end up preventing us from taking the steps of faith in order to be able to launch our purpose.
Franklin Roosevelt said, the only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of
today. So how do we overcome these saboteurs? So let's talk a little bit about the negatives of
them, and then we're going to do a little bit of some practical ways to overcome them. So fearing
self-doubt, some of the biggest offenders, right, of saboteurs. In addition, pressure in external
expectations, maybe expectations of loved ones, or you're holding yourself up to somebody that
you compare yourself to, or somebody that you admire. Also, comfort zones and excuses, right?
Like, I'll do this tomorrow, or someday, or if I lose weight, then I'll be qualified. Or if this
happens, we create these if-then scenarios with God and making excuses for ourselves, right?
If-then scenarios with God and making excuses for not stepping out. Also, a negative mindset. Man,
it is so easy to just go right into the what-if negative scenarios versus the what-if positive
scenarios. Meaning, what if I fail? What if this doesn't work out? What if blah, blah, blah versus
what if I succeed? What if it works out? What is the best that can happen? God has created us to
have faith and confidence in him to be able to take action towards that which he's called us to
step into. And we can trust, as is our loving Father, that if we start to veer off the wrong path,
that he will give us a red light and re-correct us back where we need to be. Another saboteur of
finding your purpose or taking action is lack of clarity or maybe confusion. That you don't
fully know what the right path is. And that, again, comes back to the first verse that we just
talked about here, which says it's a spirit of fear that brings confusion or lack of clarity.
So the way into it is to step into love. And so one of the things that I do and I love therapy
sessions and coaching sessions is really dive in to what pops up, right? So when fear and doubt
start to come up, actually stop and use it as an opportunity to be able to press into what they're
trying to tell you. So instead of just trying to ignore them, actually invite them to speak into
this moment and say, what are you trying to show me? What are your fears? And take time to actually
journal and allow yourself to be open to that. And I think that's a great way to do it.
allow them to express.
And in fact, as a result of stopping and listening,
it actually starts to diffuse the fear.
Instead of being like this giant thing
that you're struggling with,
all of a sudden it's like a little kid
turning the light on in their bedroom
and they're scared of something that they see,
and it was just a shirt hanging on a chair.
It really isn't as big or as scary as we think,
but if we ignore it, then it can feel more overwhelming.
In fact, thank the fear.
Say, thank you, thank you that my internal fear
and judge and saboteur are there to protect me.
They're there as your functioning mind to keep you safe,
and yet they're also hindering
what you're trying to walk into.
So acknowledge them and then ask God how to flip them.
Meaning, look at them, the fear of not being good enough
or the fear of failure.
So say, okay, fear of failure,
what are you trying to tell me?
Well, I think you're gonna fail if you do X, Y, and Z.
Okay, why?
And then start to dialogue with that and then say,
okay, but what is God's truth?
What does he say?
If I were to view this oppositely and write,
I will succeed, start to journal that
and start to journal with positivity and with belief
and see the difference.
One brings frustration, negativity, fear.
The other one brings hope and joy and excitement and love.
And then ask God to show you which one is true
and odds are it's gonna be the one
that's fueled by positive emotion.
And then step into what that is telling you.
And I do this frequently,
especially in moments of stepping out of the boat with God
where I just have to acknowledge the fear,
write it down, flip it into something positive,
and then take action.
Okay, so how to discover your purpose.
So I love Psalm 37, four,
where it says, delight yourself in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Ultimately, our purpose is to glorify God
and to make him known.
And in doing that, one of the best ways
that we can show Jesus to the world
is by being fully alive in our own identity and purpose
and walking out the dreams that he has called us to do.
And so one of the best ways to discover your purpose
is obviously to spend time with God,
seeking him for direction.
In addition to that is spending time with yourself
and reflecting on the things that give you light.
Leo says in this quote,
your talent is God's gift to you
and what you do is your gift back to God.
Actually walking in your purpose
and going after your dreams is you,
especially the sacrifices that you make
or the stepping out of the boat and overcoming fear
is actually your way of thanking God
and giving a gift back to him.
I love that, right?
It's not selfish, it's not just about you.
It's not wrong that we have these dreams and passions.
In fact, we're meant to
and that is amazing when we think about it.
So what do you do?
How do you discover your purpose?
Take time to reflect, spending time with God
in a different place.
Maybe you need a little girl's getaway
or you need time by the beach in Florida
to just be able to journal and reflect and hear God.
Also look at your strengths and talents.
For me, I'm also a certified CliftonStrengths coach
and I absolutely love helping people
discover their strengths and their talents
because when you know them,
one, it really helps you to align your purpose
with what you're naturally good at,
but two, it also shows you what you're not good at.
And for me, a lot of my career,
I spent in a very left-brain analytical job.
And while I was good at it
because I'm naturally good at math and I'm strategic,
it also tended to be draining
because analytical wasn't actually one of my top strengths.
So being able to fully have confidence in who you are
and who you are not is equally important.
And then explore your passion.
What comes naturally easy for you?
What is like breathing?
Do you almost feel guilty charging others for
because it's just who you are?
These are the passions that God has given to you
and wants you to step more fully into
because he created you this way to use them.
What did you do as a child?
What were things that you just love to explore?
And so don't be afraid to look back at childhood
and say, who was I?
What were those characteristics?
And then connect them to who you are now
and is there anything missing?
So often the reason why we're not fully stepping
into our purpose and God dreams
is because we ignore the child like us
that God created us to be.
Also seeking guidance.
and mentors. I mean, man, I love life coaches and therapists and friends and just people who help
mentor when you get stuck. And so definitely as you feel led, you need to go after those as well.
And then take action and experiment. When you're in motion, God can course correct you. All he
wants is for us to actually start to take steps to faith. And again, like I said, he'll give us
a red light. He'll have us course correct. He'll tell us like, hey, detour, go here. So don't be
afraid to take action because fear is from the enemy, not from God. And God will give you the
confidence and boldness to go forward. Okay, so number four, how to fully walk in your purpose.
Ephesians 2.10 says, for we are God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good work,
which God prepared in advance for us to do. You were created for a purpose, on purpose.
God just loves you. You're fearfully and wonderfully made. You are designed by him.
And so again, pressing into God and your identity in him and then fully walk in who he created you
to be. Robert Corlear says, success is a sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.
And said another way, consistency, right? And recently I've just had this epiphany that I
always used to feel like my purpose felt almost like Lord of the Rings. Like it was this huge,
heavy burden and weight. This was a while ago, where if I had this really small, narrow window
to get this ring right into Mordor, and if I didn't, there'd be like catastrophe. And I used
to feel so much fear of, oh God, what if I miss it? What if I do the wrong thing? What if I don't
actually achieve my destiny and purpose? And then God showed me that actually, it's more like a
girl's road trip. Meaning it's meant to be fun and light and easy pursuing our purpose in God.
It is not meant to be a burden or weight. It is meant to be enjoyable. And God wants us to find
joy in walking in our purpose. And so as you do this, spend time again to clarify those visions.
Look back at previous words that God may have given to you. Look back at scripture.
What sets your heart on fire? Clearly take time to visualize. Again, if you start driving in a car
and you don't know where you're headed, the odds are you're not going to get there. You have to
lock in your GPS to your destination in order for you to successfully reach it. And so spend time
getting that vision. What does a perfect day look like five years from now? Where are you? What are
you doing? Who are you with? What are the smells? How do you feel? How do you look? Who are the
people that surround you? I call this my future day exercise. And just spend time really meditating
with God and visualizing yourself in the future, whether that's a year from now, 10 years from now.
And then ask God, what were the steps that got me there? And that helps us set those clear goals.
Like if you see yourself having written books and just having this confidence in being an
entrepreneur, I think back, okay, what were the steps that I had to do? Don't be afraid to take
small action. It doesn't have to be big. There's a lie that's go big or go home. And with God,
small matters. Small is important. And daily small steps add up. So take those steps every day,
even if it's like you have a dream to be an author, okay? Send somebody a one-sentence text
and encourage them that day. You want to launch your own business? What is it that you can do in
a small way that attributes to entrepreneurship in the now? You don't have to wait for the future.
You can actually take daily steps towards your God dream and towards walking in your purpose.
And then finding your tribe, surrounding yourself with other women who are going after their purpose
and identity is crucial to you being able to walk fully in your own purpose. So find
accountability partners. Again, we said mentors and coaches or an online community that will support
you in your God dreams. And then trust the process. Trust the Lord with all your heart.
Lean on your own understanding and all your ways. Acknowledge him and he'll direct your path.
When we step into our left analytical brain to try to figure every little step out,
in fact, it just makes it more difficult. Like sometimes we actually need to just say,
you know what? I'm going to trust God and just trust him with my heart.
And this might not make sense in the natural, but with God.
Nothing is impossible.
And so when we start to just step out and be, things happen that almost
defy imagination and the ways that he could orchestrate and set things
apart and into motion.
Now that we've talked about how to walk in your purpose, we're going to go to a
time of self-reflection and some exercises.
Before we do, I want to share this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt.
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Okay.
So awaken your purpose exercises.
Jeremiah 29, 11 says, for I know the plans I have for you declares the
Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope in a future.
What I love about this verse is God gave this to the Israelites right
when they're in captivity or about to go into captivity.
This was his hope for them to be able to hold onto this promise that he gave them
in spite of the difficulties that we're going through.
And so sometimes the challenges that we're currently facing, it might be hard
to dream big or ask for our purpose or seek what God has for us in times of
difficulty, but even in those moments, even in times where life is difficult,
God wants us to hold on to that future, that right future that he has promised
for us, and that is why I love helping women awaken their purpose and
especially go after their God dreams.
It's like that God dream unlocks within us, this sense of hope and
excitement and belief in the future.
And it helps us to not allow the challenges and struggles and
difficulties of today to hold us back.
And so take time, the workbook that you have, have a lot more questions, but you
also can go through these questions.
Pause the recording.
I'm going to read them to you and then take time to actually
meditate with God in journal.
You can go through these six or you can go through more that are in your workbook.
So some awaken your purpose discussion questions.
Number one, what is your biggest saboteur to fully living your purpose?
Number two, what would your life look like if fear didn't hold you back?
What if you succeeded?
Number three, what are you passionate about?
Or what makes you feel most alive?
You can even think back to childhood, like what were the things that
naturally you love to do as a child?
And maybe it's difficult for you to actually be able to, again, where you
are in life right now, discover your passion, but maybe it's a problem
that you're passionate about.
Maybe there's something that keeps you up at night or you just feel like
this almost like lion arises within you and this problem you want to solve.
And for me, that my problem comes from my story when I was, you know, back in my
late twenties, 20 years ago, when I was 27, where I unexpectedly and
dramatically went through a divorce.
And yet at that time, through the brokenness of divorce, I realized that I
had actually lost my identity in my first marriage, that I had just become
like almost this mass version of myself.
And I didn't even know like how I liked my eggs or what foods I wanted to eat.
Like I just fully just lost myself in trying to be this perfect wife.
And through all of the pain, God just awoken within me this new, better
version of myself who was fully confident in who I was and in my relationship with
God, and that's actually where my purpose and my dream comes from is out of actually
the pain of divorce, because from that, I realized, man, like God has created us
through this divine individuality and identity and purpose in him and the enemy
wants to bring fear and pain and trauma and things that hold us back.
But when we actually allow like the joy and purpose to be sprouted out of the
trauma and the things that happen in our life, like God can do amazing things for
us. So again, press into the pain, press into the past, because that might actually
be where your purpose is.
Like your pain could be a road map to bring others freedom.
Number five, what would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?
Man, this is one lately that I have really been pressing into.
Again, sometimes I just naturally go to, oh man, I'm going to fail.
Or what if it doesn't work out?
And I have this quote in my office that I have right over my desk.
And it says, what is the best that could happen?
I've been really trying to like stop anytime I just feel afraid or start to take
action. And I start to be like, what if?
And I instead of doing all the what if negative scenarios, I start to journal.
What are the positive opportunities or possible scenarios that could happen?
And then number six, what dreams have you set aside that you would like to pursue?
God has given you a dream.
And I just want to encourage you right now that no matter what it looks like, if
it's small right now, it's okay.
He has created you for a purpose and he's planted seeds within your heart.
Before we end, I just want to tell you a little bit about something, one of my
dreams that I'm launching called launch your God dream.
And this is a four week course to help you clarify your God dream, courageously
silence your fears, create your dream action plan, and to confidently launch your
dream.
I love helping women to birth their God dreams and to take action and overcome
anything that's holding them back.
That is what wakes me up and keeps me excited.
This year in 2025, I feel like God keeps telling me that this is the year to take
territory.
This is the year to possess our promised land.
Like in doing that, we can't do it alone.
I love the story of Joshua where he doesn't go, God gives the Israelites his
promised land, but he knows that it has to be together with tribes.
And so he brings them all together and they go after the promised land, but they
do it as a group and then they divide later.
Right?
And so with that, God has been speaking to me about creating an online tribe of
powerful women going after their purpose and promises with him.
And this is the start of it.
Right now it's majorly discounted because it's the beta version of this.
It's going to include a great workbook, some freebies and weekly calls.
There'll be a lot of dialogue and discussion.
And so if you want more information, you can go to the URL there.
And then in addition, I want to talk to you about some ways that
you can connect, some next steps.
So again, we talked about the Sisterhood Tribe, the free online tribe.
There's going to be like once a month Zoom calls.
Anytime I do a free workshop, you'll have access to them.
And then there'll also just be some little things that I post throughout the week.
So again, there's an ability to join this free community.
There's also courses like I just talked about.
If you have any questions, you can reach out to me.
There's going to be future courses that I'm working on as well.
And then third, if you want to take more action individually on your dreams,
you can set up a coaching session with me.
Again, I'm certified as a Clifton Strengths Coach, and I am passionate
about helping people discover their strengths in the natural and in the spiritual.
So if you want to take a strength assessment, you can email me or sign up
for a coaching session again at prosperalways.com.
And I just want to thank you for joining.
Thank you for joining this course.
I hope you've had as much fun as I have.
And I just pray over you that you would boldly go and possess
the promise that God has given to you, that you would take action on your dreams,
that you'd walk boldly in your purpose and that you would overcome any fear
and sabotage that is coming against you in the name of Jesus.
Bye, my friends.