We all know the story of Jonah, he was swallowed by a whale, but do we know the back story? God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh to deliver the prophesy that God would destroy the city if they did not change their ways. Jonah chose to flee from his destiny instead and boarded a ship for Tarshish, going in the exact opposite direction. God sent a storm against the ship, the sailors determined that Jonah was to blame for the storm, and Jonah confessed and was thrown overboard, to be swallowed by the whale. He spent three days in the whale’s belly, praying, before being thrown up on a beach, then relented and went to Nineveh. His passionate preaching convinced the citizens of Nineveh to repent, and the city was spared.

So what does this have to do with creating a career or business today? I’m glad you asked! So often, I see people fleeing from their destiny, their mission, their heart’s desire, and it seems like the whole world is punishing them for it. They can’t get a job or they are stuck in shitty, meaningless jobs, they struggle with their marriages, they sink into the chasm of despair and self-recrimination and shame, and the farther they run, the worse it gets. They tell themselves all sorts of stories about why they can’t do it now: “The economy is terrible,” “First I’ll get a job and get settled, then I’ll (make a career shift, go back to grad school, start the business I dream about, whatever),” “It could never work, my wife will leave me and I’ll end up living in a van by the river,” “I’m too old,” etc, etc. Meanwhile, they are losing time, wasting resources, and making everyone around them crazy, all because they won’t answer *the calling*.

For me, it was about coaching. I knew, on some level, that I wanted to be a coach since the first time I met with my first coach over five years ago. I just remember thinking, “her job looks pretty cool.” I would cycle in and out of this “knowledge,” putting off the training program because “I had to wait until I could afford it,” and meanwhile I was underemployed as a training consultant, feeling awful about myself and wondering what I could do about it. My poor wife and daughter had to put up with my misery as well. Later, I got a job, and my boss resented the fact that I harbored this dream of being a coach. She wanted me to drop the whole thing, she saw it as a distraction from my current responsibilities. So I put it on the back burner and plotted my future. When my company became financially unstable and started laying people off, I figured it was a matter of time before they came for me, so I negotiated severance and left, to become a coach. Finally, I pulled the trigger, registered for the courses, and began building out a coaching practice. I still have a long way to go towards my goals of a six-figure practice, but I love my job. The successes are sweet, and the failures are my own and I learn from them. I have not equaled my old salary yet, but I will, on my own terms, and even if I don’t, I will go down swinging.

What is it for you? What dream keeps reasserting itself, making you uncomfortable, refusing to be ignored? Maybe you tell yourself that its too impractical, no one succeeds at such things, it’s not “serious,” it’s insane to throw away a safe (yeah, right) corporate job to chase a dream, whatever. But when that beautiful, sweet dream appears, the one that makes you feel both powerful and vulnerable, the one that gets you choked up because it is so close to your soul’s desires for the world, what do you do? What do you want to do? Run away? Keep suffering, or even just living meekly, because your calling is “scary?” What’s more scary I ask you, the possibility of failing at something spectacular and breathtaking, or succeeding at something dull and uninspiring? History remembers, even celebrates, boldness, whether it pays off (Fall of the Berlin Wall, Moon Landing, Charles Lindbergh) or not (Tiananmen Square uprising in China, Amelia Earhart). No one remembers the guy who showed up, did his job and stayed out of the way. Audacity is its own reward.

So what is calling you? What Big, Audacious Dream is calling you? Do you want to bring women’s rights to Afghanistan? Do you want to bring jobs to underserved urban neighborhoods? Do you want to start your own tech firm? Do you want to tour Mongolia? Do you want to change our nations laws? The world needs heroes. Heroes change everything. And sometimes they succeed, and its beautiful. Other times, they crash, but even that can be spectacular and inspiring (Jesus Christ was executed, how much worse could it be?) Stop running away and face your destiny, embrace the fear and *live*. Go to Nineveh, and share with them the gifts that God gave you.

David Kaiser, Ph.D.

I work with entrepreneurs and job-seekers to define and realize a career that is emotionally, spiritually and materially rewarding for my clients.
My mission as a coach is to evoke excellence in my clients.

To learn how I can help you create an amazing life and career, in accordance with your values, passions and spirituality, please review my website, http://www.BigAndBoldCoaching.com, where you can request a complimentary strategy session.

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