Chapter 1: My Journey to Finding My Message

[#WhatsYourMessage Day 6]

 “A great desire…”

I was 20 years old, and was about to graduate college from my engineering course. I had a great desire to make a difference in the world!

I was so active with a ministry called CFC Youth for Christ (YFC). YFC had a global view of things. It wanted reach all parts of the world, to bring Christ to as many young people. This resounded so loudly with the desire I had in my heart. I felt I had a calling. At that time, YFC was starting to get Full Time Pastoral Workers, and confirming the call that I felt, I got invited.

I accepted, and so started my life of mission work . . .

It went on for 16 years, and I was able to reach 34 countries in those years, doing mission for the ministry. I felt so blessed.

“No one to motivate me…”

I eventually met the love of my life, Michelle, and we got married. She too was a Catholic lay missionary.

As the stage of my life transitioned from being single to being married , and to having 4 kids, I felt a new calling inside me. It was clear at that time that I had to move from my Full Time Pastoral Work (and do volunteer mission work), and transition into an Entrepreneurial lifestyle. So, I put up my own training business. I wanted to translate my mission experience into motivating people in the corporate world, where encouragement, passion and purpose are needed.

At first, I was doing well . . . and as most businesses start out . . . I struggled. I felt really down. I realized that I had tons and tons of things to learn, to set-up, to try out, to market, to account (and the list goes on) . . . before I could make the business really fly. I wanted to give up. I started to question my new calling. But I hanged on.

“I had to find my true passion…”

I realized, that unlike my previous work, there was a leader above me… continually motivating me, encouraging me. I was left on my own, and I knew I had to pick myself up. I knew that I had to learn to be self-motivated.

So, I started to reflect, and go on personal retreats (not on mountain tops though, just coffee with myself). If I wanted to be self-motivated, I had to tap on my God-given passion. I asked my self, “What is my passion?” I then went deeper into myself. I reflected more on who I am — my inner call, my strengths, and what I do best.

Here’s my problem. I had too many passions, and I wanted to do all of them!

“Focus!”

I was into songwriting, theology, entrepreneurship, personal development, even hydroponics (automated farming)! I also loved giving trainings and talks. Where do I start? What should I focus on? How do I build a business where I can leverage with my passion and have enough to support my family?

Then one time, while on a trip to Baguio, something dawned on me, like an epiphany. For me, trips are like long and super extended prayer times. I felt that my new calling became clearer.  It was a call to help people find their passion, build it and spread it. But at that time, it was more of a feeling. I had to write what I felt!

Eventually, after much discernment, I was able to come up with 5 written statements of my passion, purpose, vision, values and goals. This became my blueprint (more details on this in my book The Fired Up Life). This blueprint guided all my actions. From this, I created my new team building, training, and speaking modules!

After writing these 5 statements, I realized that I needed to come up with one phrase, one line, one inspirational message to summarize them all!

“Found it!”

While searching for this message, I was inspired to draft a SELF-MOTIVATIONAL ebook. Believe it or not, I was so passionate about sharing my experience and discoveries, I finished the first draft of my manuscript in just about a week! It was about Passion Principles to motivate people for their work. I wanted to share what I did . . . the lessons that greatly helped me. My goal was to publish it in Amazon.

The last and most difficult task was to finalize the title of the ebook. I came up with “Work with Passion,” and felt that it lacked in power.

After much thinking and consultation . . . and wrestling with ideas . . . I got exhausted. I put it to rest first. One day, I just woke up one with an “Aha! moment,” more like a gift of grace. I said, “Fired Up!”

I realized that’s what I do when I give talks, when I coach people, and when I give trainings . . . I help them get Fired Up! Finally I arrived at one clear message — Live a Fired Up Life! And so, my first ebook draft was called “Fired Up.”

I have found my message!

Your Journey

Are you in a journey to finding your message?

Maybe you have a strong feeling of what you are called to do, but never had the time to really pin it down and put into words.

What struggles are you going through right now? Often, our pains and problems, the most difficult things we go through in life, all along leads to our message. Deep inside of you, there is something waiting to be unleashed to the world — and you’ve got to find a way to say it right.

After I drafted my ebook Fired Up, it gave me a basic outline of the message I wanted to share.

Next, I’ll be sharing with you my experience in Testing My Message. It’s not enough to find a message you are passionate about. The question is, “Does your message work?”

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*More details on this in my book The Fired Up Life.

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Bonus! #BookWritingHacks

Click the image below to find out my strategy or “hack” in creating this post.

“Blog Your Book”