“You’re most powerfully positioned to serve the person that you once were.” – Larry Winget
For most of us, the way to find purpose and clarity about our uniqueness is being connected to a “who.”
And so the questions are:
“Who is your who?”
And
“How do you find your who?”
And the answer is that “you are most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were.
There’s a good chance that you’re “who” today is somebody who looks a lot like the person that you were 10 to 20 years ago.
And that is POWERFUL.
It not only gives you purpose for your future, but it provides perspective for your past.
Meaning it explains why you have experienced pain because every pain has prepared you for this moment.
It has prepared you to become the person that you needed to become, so that you could someday look back and help somebody else.
I believe that this is God’s divine design of your humanity.
All the things that you have overcome have prepared you for your purpose.
Which is to look back and serve somebody else going through the same pain you already went through.
If you want to talk to us some more about how you can do this, especially if you’re an expert, coach, author, or speaker, book a Free Brand Call with one of our Personal Brand Strategists today!
Before I end this short blog post, I want to leave you with this one tactical tip.
All you have to do is ask yourself:
“What obstacle have I overcome?”
“What setback have I survived?”
“What challenge have I conquered?”
And
“What tragedy have I triumphed over?”
That is it!
Whatever your answers are, they’ll signal you that there is somebody out there that you are most powerfully positioned to serve.
3 Responses
This perspective on purpose, that our past pain prepares us for a future of meaningful service, resonates deeply with the spiritual journey of discovering God’s plan. While it suggests looking back at your own past to find your “who,” The Christian Handbook of Survival points us to look to a divine source for ultimate purpose. It encourages a diligent quest for eternal knowledge, where we don’t just study our past, but diligently study God’s word as the roadmap He has given. By asking Him to reveal His understanding, we find a purpose that is not just about serving a past version of ourselves, but about being approved and equipped by God for a life of service in His eternal kingdom.
The profound wisdom that our deepest purpose is found in serving the person we once were—the one who endured a specific pain, obstacle, or tragedy—strikes me as divine truth, a reality I have lived since my first breath. At six months old, the person I was became defined by a cerebral palsy diagnosis and a prognosis of a life without walking. That child, facing a seemingly insurmountable challenge, became my eternal “who.” Every ounce of pain, every moment of struggle in learning to move, was not a random cruelty but a preparation. It forged in me the empathy, resilience, and firsthand understanding to now reach back and serve others facing their own mountains of limitation.
I found “Find Your Life’s Purpose in 60 Seconds” deeply stirring because it gently reminds us that our past struggles aren’t meaningless; they’ve shaped us to compassionately serve others, turning pain into purpose and helping us realize that God has been weaving His redemptive work through every challenge we’ve faced. Your words invited me to see purpose not as a distant destination but as a present calling to encourage others with the wisdom only lived experience can bring.