​There are some people who just seem to have life’s Midas touch. They’ve had success in multiple careers. Their marriages are strong. Their children are excelling in school and sports. Dr. Dorian Williams, my guest on Your First $100k Podcast, is clearly one of these men.
 
But like 21 million other Americans, Dr. Williams was raised by a struggling, single mother. 
 
“My mother worked graveyard shifts at convenience stores as long as I can remember,” Dr. Williams says. “I had many opportunities to watch my mother wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning and leaving before school, go to work all day long, and still cook for me and have a meal when I got home. 
 
“For me, what really drove [me] was the want to not see my woman work like my mom did. That’s what drove me to say, 'There’s got to be a better way.'"

Imagine you’re hiring a new VP of sales for a Fortune 500 company. You’re deep into the first round of interviews.
 
Your secretary leads in the next candidate. He’s clearly in his 70s or 80s, not the fresh blood you were expecting to lead the department. But you can’t discriminate against age and you know it's good to keep an open mind.
 
You pull his resume out of a folder. To your astonishment, it shows no experience for the last 40 years. Ok, he managed a regional grocery store in rural Indiana. Looks like his father-in-law owned the flagship store and did a favor for a family member.
 
You move to his application file. He’s checked the “felony” box. For murder. 
 
Question: Do you hire this man as VP of Sales?

​Would you believe it if I told you that the story above describes Moses from the Bible? The same Moses who freed Israel from Egyptian slavery? The same man who almost saw the face of God?
 
It’s true. Moses spent forty years of his life herding sheep in the wilderness. God called him to free the Israelites at 80 years old. When he was younger, Moses killed a man.
 
My friend and coach extraordinaire, Tim Storey, explains what God is doing with improbable candidates like Moses. Tim says, “God uses shaky people to do sturdy projects. As you abide in him you’ll grow stronger, and stronger, and stronger each day.”
 
God uses broken, lowly, frightened people to do his good work.
 
Moses isn’t the only example. Saint Paul imprisoned and killed people before his conversion. Rahab was a former prostitute who is listed in the genealogy of Jesus. When we first come upon Gideon, who later becomes a heroic Israelite commander, he’s hiding from his oppressors in a wine press.
 
What about you? Have you ever felt like your personal resumé disqualifies you from important work?
 
Maybe you think, “My family life is so messed up, I could never be a dad.” Or, “If anyone knew about my addictions, I’d be shunned from every social group imaginable!”
 
Startup Nation, here’s the truth…

​WHAT A RELIEF!
 
Tim Storey explains, “God isn’t looking at you with a magnifying glass to expose your weaknesses.” He wants to embrace us with his life-changing love.
 
I understand the church gets a bad rap for blaming “sinners” like you and me. The church sometimes says that if you fix yourself, then God will love you. If you obey perfectly, then God will accept you.
 
Don’t believe this lie. The opposite is true.
 
God first accepts you, inviting you into a relationship with him. This love is what transforms your life. It's what gives you the strength to do good and love others. Earlier in this post, I mentioned all those Bible characters. The thing that set them apart from your average person was that they trusted God. God asked them to follow him and they did. They didn’t have everything figured out. They just trusted God step by step.
 
Coaches like Tim and me like to model our coaching off God's example. I’d say God provides a pretty good blueprint. 
 
In Tim's approach, he doesn’t bring up weaknesses until week 3 or 4. Instead, he focuses on the person’s strengths. He discusses the nature of God and who he is. And the Bible says that God is love. 
 
Tim is known as the “Pastor to the Stars.” He’s walked alongside celebrities like Robert Downey Jr. and Kanye West. He takes broken people on a journey toward Jesus. Healing happens on this journey. It’s where true success lies. 
 
If you're struggling with a checkered past, here’s a practical question for you: What’s working in your life? 
 
I use this question to start my coaching sessions. It shifts the conversation away from shame toward positive things. I know for a fact that you’re doing something right in your business life. I know that no matter how bad your relationship is, there’s something you still do that makes your spouse smile.

What is it? Make a list of three positive things that are working in your life and post that list above your desk. Meditate on the things that are working. After all, God is working in your life. And he is good.
 
Key Takeaway
God uses shaky people to do sturdy projects. As you abide in him you’ll grow stronger, and stronger, and stronger each day.

If you’re ready, I want to build you up and encourage you in your business, family, and faith. I can help you reclaim your joy and start on a journey back to God.
 
It’s time for a Spiritual Clarity Call. 

It’s simple. You and I will jump on a no-cost, 45-minute Zoom call. We will find a time that’s convenient for you. 
 
Typically, a coaching call like this would run about $500. For you, it’s free.
 
Obviously, the benefits of a Spiritual Clarity Call go much deeper. On our call, we can discuss one or two actionable steps for realigning your personal life with your business life. 
 
After a full coaching boot camp, my clients have avoided devastating divorces, escaped long-term addictions, and overcome serious depression. My clients have also negotiated raises at work, rediscovered their life purposes, and reconnected with their kids. Over time, these positive changes could save you $1,000s.
 
But both you and I know that your life isn’t measured by a price tag. Your life is about the people you love and the purpose for which you were created. If you feel like you’re missing out in either of these areas, we need to talk.
 
Ready to get clarity on your life? Click the button below and set up a Spiritual Clarity Call.

Early on in her therapy business, Atara Malach was asked to speak to a group of working parents. As a parenting expert with six kids of her own, she was the perfect speaker for the event, and she was looking forward to it. 
 
On the night of the event, Atara was prepared. She had written her lecture days in advance. She had her notes ready to go. She looked the part of successful, professional woman. 
 
And as a loving mother, she had found a babysitter. She made sure the kids were fed. She even set out the kids’ clothes for the next day.
 
But as soon as she was about to leave for the lecture, her son curled up by the door and said, “Mommy, don’t leave.”

IT BROKE HER HEART.

Atara hugged him and told him things would be alright. She tried bribing him. The minutes ticked by. Eventually, she had to peel the little boy off her leg, hand him to the babysitter, and head to her talk.
 
When she finally stepped on stage, she couldn’t start her speech. She could only think of her son and how sad he had been as he watched his mom leave him. The guilt paralyzed her.
 
“I don’t know what to tell you,” she said. “I do know that I did not sign up for this, and I think that part of being stuck in my business life is feeling torn… When I am home, I’m thinking about business and when I’m at my business I’m feeling guilty that I’m not where I should be.”

​Startup Nation, today I’m going to share a story, and it’s going to be a story about Jesus. I know not all my listeners are Christian or even religious. That’s ok. But this story reveals a critical mindset that allows entrepreneurs like you to overcome tiredness, frustration, and depression.
 
One day Jesus was on a mountain teaching a large crowd of people. He was teaching them about how to live and about who God is. This crowd wasn’t full of professors, or priests, or billionaires. These were regular people like you and me.
 
Jesus understood the problems facing regular people. He knew that we worry. We worry about jobs, and food, and clothing. So, to encourage the crowd of listeners, he said, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’… But seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all of these things will be given to you as well.”

I’ll admit, Startup Nation, I’m not an introvert.
 
I love speaking in front of crowds. I get excited to hit the pavement and make sales to scale my businesses. My purpose in life is to talk to business owners like you and help them discover God’s purpose for their lives. 
 
But I also know many entrepreneurs who identify as introverts. If that describes you, don’t worry! I recently hosted Jane Deuber on Your First 100k Podcast and she calls herself an introvert (and has been killing it as an entrepreneur for the past 30 years). Jane Deuber is a sought-after business strategist, two-time author, international speaker, and a respected mentor to mission-driven entrepreneurs around the world.