Join me as I welcome Joshiah "JJ' Harling to the One Big Thing Podcast! Our conversation centers around the vital theme of discovering one's purpose.

JJ, an accomplished author and leader of the nonprofit Compel Global, shares his compelling personal journey—from feeling unfulfilled in a job painting houses to finding profound meaning while serving in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This pivotal experience ignited his passion for helping others discover their own purpose, a theme that resonates powerfully throughout the episode.

Our conversation highlights the importance of recognizing that each individual has inherent value and a unique role to play in the world, often linked to their personal stories and experiences.

A standout aspect of the episode is the introduction of JJ's STRIDE framework, which serves as a roadmap for listeners seeking clarity in their lives.

This framework encompasses six key elements: Stories, Triggers, Release, Identity, Direction, and Endurance. Each component is designed to facilitate self-discovery and encourage individuals to embrace their narratives, particularly the challenging aspects that often shape their identities. JJ emphasizes the need to identify emotional triggers—those moments that evoke strong feelings about injustice or pain—as crucial indicators of where one’s passion and purpose may lie.

This framework not only aids in personal growth but also empowers listeners to translate their life experiences into actionable insights that can lead to meaningful change.

As the discussion wraps up, JJ and I reflect on the journey from feeling like a victim of circumstances to emerging as a survivor who can serve others. This transformative process underscores the belief that every struggle can be a stepping stone toward a greater mission. JJ’s insights remind listeners that their past, including pain and hardship, can be harnessed to foster resilience and purpose in their lives.

The episode serves as an inspiring reminder that everyone has the capacity to impact the lives of others, and by exploring their stories, individuals can unlock the potential that lies within them, ready to be shared with the world.

Episode Highlights:

• Discovering your purpose is a journey that requires self-reflection and action.
• Embracing your emotions can guide you to understand what truly matters in life.
• Finding satisfaction in your work involves recognizing and using your unique gifts.
• Transforming pain into purpose can empower you to help others in meaningful ways.
• The process of moving from victim to survivor to being sent is essential for personal growth.
• The STRIDE framework provides a structured approach to help you discover your purpose.

Pick up a copy of Stride on Amazon

The One Big Thing is produced by NQR Media. NQR also produces the award-winning Ditch the Suits Podcast, of which Steve is a co-host. For more, visit https://www.nqrmedia.com/

You can watch all episodes, as well as other great content produced by NQR Media, through their YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/@NQRMedia

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Steve Campbell: 00:00:02

Welcome to the One Big Thing podcast, where inspiration beats transformation.

Steve Campbell: 00:00:12

Welcome to the One Big Thing podcast.

Steve Campbell: 00:00:15

I'm your host, Steve Campbell.

Steve Campbell: 00:00:16

Very excited for this conversation.

Steve Campbell: 00:00:18

It's about 30 minutes today with Josiah JJ Harling.

Steve Campbell: 00:00:21

He is an author of the book Stride, which is helping people discover their purpose and that is the culmination of his one big thing today, helping people find purpose.

Steve Campbell: 00:00:31

And we're going and unpack over the next 30 minutes how he can help you as a listener start to discover your purpose, become fully alive.

Steve Campbell: 00:00:38

So you're not going to want to miss this episode of the One Big Thing podcast.

Steve Campbell: 00:00:41

Welcome to the one big Thing podcast.

Steve Campbell: 00:00:43

I am your host, Steve Campbell.

Steve Campbell: 00:00:45

Awesome, awesome interview today.

Steve Campbell: 00:00:46

I'm excited about I got Josiah Harling, known as JJ, on with me.

Steve Campbell: 00:00:50

Mutual friend of my good buddy, Peter Engler.

Steve Campbell: 00:00:53

As always, asking previous guests, who do you know in your world that can help change somebody's life?

Steve Campbell: 00:00:58

And JJ was one of the top ones on the list.

Steve Campbell: 00:01:00

For those of you that are tuning into the one big thing, got a new style format, condensing these shows from an hour down to 30, 35 minutes, making it super impactful, giving you some real life practical takeaways and why I serve as the chief brand officer at the company I work at.

Steve Campbell: 00:01:15

I've been in marketing for almost a decade, protecting brands, telling stories, a part of my life.

Steve Campbell: 00:01:19

But I'm also a husband and dad to four young kids.

Steve Campbell: 00:01:22

I know that your time is limited and I want to make sure that if you are in your car listening to this or at the gym within 30 minutes, you're going to get at least one big idea that can help you move the ball forward and give you permission here at the beginning to know maybe whether this title is your cup of tea or not.

Steve Campbell: 00:01:38

Just take 30 minutes with us, listen to it.

Steve Campbell: 00:01:40

I think JJ is going to help change your life.

Steve Campbell: 00:01:42

So, JJ, for those that don't know you, why don't you just give us an introduction as to who you are.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:01:46

Yeah, Steve, thanks for having me on this podcast.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:01:50

I'm so excited to be here with you guys.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:01:52

As you said, my name is Josiah, but I go by JJ and I run an organization.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:01:59

It's a faith based nonprofit organization called Compel Global.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:02:03

We help people tie in with opportunities for impact all over over the world.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:02:08

And I've had the privilege of traveling to many different countries.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:02:13

I'm looking at a map above my computer over here and it's such a joy to be able to see really redemptive work that's happening on all corners of the planet.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:02:23

Also, more importantly, a husband to my beautiful bride, Shana, and a father to our two boys, Joshua and Theo.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:02:31

So we're in the trenches with you, man.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:02:33

We understand what it's like having limited time and feels like life is always on the go.

Steve Campbell: 00:02:39

Well, I got a Joshua myself, and I just love the name Theo, and that's probably because I got a weird bend towards Theo Vaughn, who's a comedian.

Steve Campbell: 00:02:45

But this show is called the one big thing Josiah and I talked about at the beginning.

Steve Campbell: 00:02:50

Hey, man, we got 30 minutes to rock somebody's world.

Steve Campbell: 00:02:52

So, JJ Harling, if I asked you what is your one big thing, what would you say?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:02:57

Yeah, absolutely.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:02:58

I love that question.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:02:59

And the one big thing for me is helping people discover purpose, right?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:03:05

The one big thing is purpose, and it comes from, obviously, I'm a man of faith.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:03:11

I take great inspiration from the Bible, the book of Ephesians, the verse two.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:03:16

Ephesians, chapter two, verse ten, says, we are his handiwork.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:03:21

We are God's handiwork, created for good works which were prepared in advance for us to do, means we got a job to do.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:03:29

We are here on this planet to do good.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:03:32

So I want to help people discover what that looks like.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:03:35

Really want to be the guide that can come alongside you and help you discover that deeply ingrained sense of purpose for your life.

Steve Campbell: 00:03:44

Yeah.

Steve Campbell: 00:03:44

And I've always shared since the inception of the show that I never started the one big thing to be a faith based podcast.

Steve Campbell: 00:03:51

But obviously, if I have guessed that faith is near and dear to their heart, I give them the space to explore it.

Steve Campbell: 00:03:56

So, as a listener asking permission of you, even if faith is not a part of your life, who wouldn't want to love to discover purpose to some degree in our life?

Steve Campbell: 00:04:05

And we are, we were created on purpose, for a purpose.

Steve Campbell: 00:04:09

And coming fully alive, that was something a prior guest of mine, Brett Magpiong, talked about, is that you can have breath in your lungs, but really not be living.

Steve Campbell: 00:04:17

e world that we are in today,: 2024

Steve Campbell: 00:04:24

I want to feel like I'm alive.

Steve Campbell: 00:04:25

And discovering purpose is a part of that.

Steve Campbell: 00:04:27

So.

Steve Campbell: 00:04:27

So we don't just realize that we need to discover purpose.

Steve Campbell: 00:04:31

Usually there's an implementation and a self discovery ourselves.

Steve Campbell: 00:04:34

So talk us through, how did we get to this one big thing?

Steve Campbell: 00:04:37

And kind of what are the life lessons along the way?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:04:40

You know, I love that.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:04:41

I love that question because there is a backstory.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:04:45

But so many of us, myself included, we've been in these places where what we feel we've been designed for is not where we are.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:04:54

And there's a dissonance there.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:04:56

There's a disconnect.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:04:57

And so for me, it's about closing that gap and really guiding people through, through a process or a framework to embrace what they were made for.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:05:08

As a young adult, I actually remember right after college, working, painting houses, and there's something noble and truly honorable about just doing work with your hands, and that's great.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:05:23

I was never really a good house painter, but I found a huge disconnect feeling like there was a lot more I had to give.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:05:33

And what I was doing at that point was not utilizing that or stewarding what had been placed in my hand.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:05:43

And so I began to crave impact.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:05:46

And I want to speak on that real briefly, because impact is something that can be really dangerous when we crave impact.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:05:55

If we go overboard on that, then we build our worth on impact, and that's not where we want to be.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:06:02

Right.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:06:03

But what does it look like to be satisfied and impactful while not basing your worth on those two things?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:06:13

And that's what I began to crave, realizing that I had been given gifts, talents, abilities, even experiences, even some painful experiences that were all intended to be used for something.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:06:27

And it was not getting that satisfaction by painting buildings.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:06:33

So it set me off on a journey.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:06:34

I ended up actually going down to New Orleans right after Katrina, a couple weeks after Katrina to do some hurricane relief.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:06:42

And let me tell you, thats wild.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:06:45

You go from painting a 10,000 square foot mansion in Colorado to handing out water and basic essentials for people that were literally living day to day and their entire world had been ripped apart.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:06:59

And you realize what value there is in service, and you realize you're made for more, ultimately, to bring hope into the world.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:07:08

And so that's kind of what led me into this trajectory and how that looks.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:07:14

And so I started doing a little bit of.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:07:16

A little bit of research on lives that are impactful, whether that's in scripture, whether that's in different biographies, different autobiographies, different stories about people who have lived impactful lives.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:07:31

And I began to learn that there were some core components of impact, and maybe some of these are even a little bit counterintuitive.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:07:41

The first one is that I learned that those that are impacted impactful distill value from their stories.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:07:48

What I mean by that is they don't just spend their time making a list of their accomplishments, otherwise known as a resume.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:07:56

Instead, they look at even their pain points in their story, and they start distilling value from their pain points of their painful experiences.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:08:05

That's a game changer, because it's so different than what we normally think prepares us for the future.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:08:09

But if you really want to have a life that leaves an impact, I want you to distill value from.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:08:15

From those painful experiences.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:08:18

Actually, I could rattle through all six of these, Steve, but I think I want to honor your original question, which is how we got into this.

Steve Campbell: 00:08:27

No, that's good, man.

Steve Campbell: 00:08:29

Let me share this with you.

Steve Campbell: 00:08:31

There was a book that I read, Bill Johnson.

Steve Campbell: 00:08:33

He's a very well known pastor out in Bethel.

Steve Campbell: 00:08:35

He wrote a book on spiritual significance.

Steve Campbell: 00:08:37

And one of the things that caught me in that book is kind of this idea of impact.

Steve Campbell: 00:08:41

Like you said, you can have somebody like Jesus who obviously made an impact on the world.

Steve Campbell: 00:08:47

We know that he was a real person, a figure.

Steve Campbell: 00:08:49

But you also have Adolf Hitler.

Steve Campbell: 00:08:51

Adolf Hitler also made an impact on the world.

Steve Campbell: 00:08:53

And so this word impact, it can have two very different meanings to it.

Steve Campbell: 00:08:59

And so I think when you also have the ability to travel as a missionary to see other parts of the world.

Steve Campbell: 00:09:05

e and I had gone to Africa in: 2019

Steve Campbell: 00:09:11

Just seeing the depravity.

Steve Campbell: 00:09:13

And it wasn't that Africa was depraved, but certain parts of where we went and just the humbleness people had living day to day, kind of Katrina seems like a lifetime ago, but yet when that was going on in the world, it was, you know, it will never get worse than this.

Steve Campbell: 00:09:28

Life is constantly sensational right now, to the point that life will never get worse than it is right now.

Steve Campbell: 00:09:35

But yet in the midst of that, whether it's the Bible, where we are today, you as an individual listener today with these points that Josiah is going to walk through, even that first one of distilling value.

Steve Campbell: 00:09:47

The media and everybody out there wants you to believe that you are a victim to life happening to you, that there is always somebody out to get you.

Steve Campbell: 00:09:55

And when you're hurt, when you have pain in your life, somebody else probably caused it to you.

Steve Campbell: 00:10:00

Therefore, you have every right to feel bad about yourself.

Steve Campbell: 00:10:03

But to your point, that very first one, some of the most painful things I've ever gone through in my life were some of the most revealing launching pads to where I am today.

Steve Campbell: 00:10:13

That looking back in the moment, what I have ever said and raised my hand, God, let me go through this absolutely not.

Steve Campbell: 00:10:20

But now looking back and seeing the graciousness of God's hand on my life, I use those pain points as reminders for how good God is and how he used all things together.

Steve Campbell: 00:10:31

So I love that idea of understanding purpose.

Steve Campbell: 00:10:34

Starts with kind of step one of distilling value.

Steve Campbell: 00:10:37

Partner.

Steve Campbell: 00:10:37

You have every right to go through the next five of these if you want to, and I'll just follow your lead.

Steve Campbell: 00:10:42

And let's give people six really impactful points.

Steve Campbell: 00:10:44

So the first one is distilling value.

Steve Campbell: 00:10:46

Talk to me, then about number two.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:10:48

Yeah, absolutely.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:10:50

So, distilling value from your story.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:10:52

Okay.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:10:53

Then the number two, it's going to bring you into your triggers.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:10:57

And these are really the things that upset you.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:11:00

And as I began to look at these people who have lived lives of tremendous impact, they embraced emotion rather than kind of dismissing it.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:11:12

Oftentimes we devalue the role of emotion, but there's real significance to that.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:11:19

What breaks your heart?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:11:22

Obviously, you want to find something that not only breaks your heart, but also breaks the heart of God.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:11:27

Right.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:11:28

As a person of faith, you look at Isaiah, chapter 58.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:11:32

It talks about the different needs in the world, the different areas of brokenness in the world.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:11:38

What personally breaks your heart and also breaks the heart of God?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:11:42

Where is there injustice and where do you lean in?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:11:45

Your triggers are a really important part of this.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:11:47

Okay, moving on from your triggers, you get into the things that you need to release.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:11:51

And this one is a little bit interesting because all of us are carrying these things, whether they're an addiction to image, whether it's toxic expectations we have of what life should look like or what we think God should do or shouldn't do.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:12:13

We got to walk through a process of release.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:12:16

And so I think that is a key for moving forward with an impactful life.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:12:22

Then you get into I, which is your identity.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:12:24

These are the things that we've all heard about your strengths.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:12:28

You take a strengths assessment or a gifts profile or personality assessment, but what are the strengths that you actually bring to the table and the skills that you bring to the table?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:12:38

D is a sense of direction, and e is a sense of endurance.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:12:42

And if you're following along, you realize that I've spelled out an acronym which is the word stride.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:12:48

I actually have a book coming out next month by that title, and it's a coaching framework that I've built on helping people move forward when they feel stuck with regards to their vocation, their relationships, and their spiritual journey.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:13:02

And it's based on these six pillars.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:05

So if I'm if I'm a good host and I'm following here, is s for stories.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:09

T's for triggers.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:10

R is for release is for identity.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:13

D is for direction.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:14

E is for endurance.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:13:15

Nailed it, Steve.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:13:16

Well done.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:17

All right.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:17

And I think when you say triggers, guys, we're not talking about.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:20

You hate the sound of the way your partner chews food.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:23

You don't like traffic.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:24

Like, triggers is not.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:26

Dude, I'm triggered.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:27

You know something?

Steve Campbell: 00:13:28

Triggers is more of probably an awareness that there are certain times when your hair stands on your arms that you want to call it Spidey sense.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:37

I want to call it the Holy Spirit, whatever you want to call it.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:40

There are certain things that, when you see an experience as a human, stop you in your tracks.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:46

Whether that is child abuse, whether that is social injustice.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:51

There are certain things that begin to eat away.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:54

Like, someone's got to do something about this.

Steve Campbell: 00:13:57

And I think what's hard today is maybe the media wants you to care about everything and all things, and I love that.

Steve Campbell: 00:14:06

But there are certain things, and you are not broken.

Steve Campbell: 00:14:09

If certain stories tend to pull at you more than others.

Steve Campbell: 00:14:14

Like, if you are somebody who really has a hard time in children that are abused, and that's your thing, that's okay.

Steve Campbell: 00:14:21

Maybe you're wired that way, but that doesn't mean that maybe then you don't care so much about wars or other things.

Steve Campbell: 00:14:28

Like.

Steve Campbell: 00:14:28

So I think when you talked about identifying strengths, I also want to encourage every single listener.

Steve Campbell: 00:14:33

Whether you're a person of faith or not, you have a strength.

Steve Campbell: 00:14:37

You have strengths inside of you.

Steve Campbell: 00:14:39

No matter what anyone has ever spoken over you, whether it be a spouse, God forbid, or a parent, whether you've been in a season of just self doubt, there is something inside of you that God has placed inside of you that he wants to use to change the environments and communities in which you live.

Steve Campbell: 00:14:58

So even if you just feel like, gosh, I don't feel like I exemplify any of this.

Steve Campbell: 00:15:04

Talk to us, then, about this stride book that's going to be coming out by the time this episode releases, the book will be in publication.

Steve Campbell: 00:15:11

What made you.

Steve Campbell: 00:15:12

Because I think this is interesting, too, for those that have felt like, whether it's God or just their intuition, I've always wanted to write a book.

Steve Campbell: 00:15:18

I got something to say.

Steve Campbell: 00:15:20

What was that process for you?

Steve Campbell: 00:15:21

Like, JJ, from, like, conceptually, these are ideas that keep running through my head.

Steve Campbell: 00:15:25

I've kind of got an idea about it to writing a book.

Steve Campbell: 00:15:28

How did you get to the point of saying, like, I'm going to pursue this.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:15:32

You know, it really is the fruit of quite a few years of wrestling with these exact concepts myself and coaching people through them.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:15:42

And so I've been a professional coach for the last 20 years.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:15:48

Helping people navigate a personal sense of mission.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:15:52

And I mean that in the broadest way possible, you know, what is their driving mission?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:15:58

And as I've helped people begin to discern how to take action, aligning their lives with a personal sense of mission, these concepts just came out over and over and over again.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:16:08

Okay, so think about that.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:16:10

The s in stride, that idea of story.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:16:12

Whenever I would talk to people that I was coaching and they would hand me a resume, it was the list of their accomplishments.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:16:20

But then I would ask them to tell me their story, and out came the different pain points in their journey.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:16:26

Out came these things that had shaped their values.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:16:31

That stuff never shows up on a resume, but that truly is what equips you for an impactful future.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:16:36

So we're going to talk about that.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:16:38

We're going to look at all of these different six components.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:16:42

But I realized that in the process of coaching, helping people discern their perspective on these six components takes the identity piece for the letter I identity based on your strengths.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:17:01

We've all read the book strength finders, and there was kind of this trend a few years ago that you want to play to your strengths and that that should solely direct your next steps.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:17:11

Well, what about these other five components?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:17:13

Because they're all a really big part, and your strengths are just as kind of a one 6th of the total equation.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:17:20

And so we want to be able to look at all of that stuff.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:17:22

That's really how God leads us into our next chapter.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:17:26

And so people that are in transition, people that are feeling stuck where they are, recognizing that that's not where they want to be, this book is for you.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:17:38

This book will kind of unlock the next steps of action to move you forward.

Steve Campbell: 00:17:42

Let's take a break to hear a word from our sponsor.

Steve Campbell: 00:17:45

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Steve Campbell: 00:17:48

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Steve Campbell: 00:17:53

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Steve Campbell: 00:18:16

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Steve Campbell: 00:18:22

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Steve Campbell: 00:18:25

Well, I think adding, you know, a level of, you know what you're talking about.

Steve Campbell: 00:18:29

You know, if I just had JJ on and you just were a guy that just kind of wrote a book because you had this, like, you got 20 years worth of coaching and conversations with people.

Steve Campbell: 00:18:37

So I think what's cool is we could put a little bit of an authority on you kind of know where you're coming from in this.

Steve Campbell: 00:18:43

And I think, you know, that's my heart for this show, is whether it's a book that can change your life, go by stride.

Steve Campbell: 00:18:49

You know, we'll put information in the show notes.

Steve Campbell: 00:18:52

You could be one book away from breakthrough in your life.

Steve Campbell: 00:18:55

It could be anything.

Steve Campbell: 00:18:56

It could be a podcast.

Steve Campbell: 00:18:57

It could be a way of exercising, a way of dieting.

Steve Campbell: 00:19:00

You don't have to stay where you are.

Steve Campbell: 00:19:02

But that point that you just said, if you are somebody that in your heart of hearts knows you're not doing all that you're meant to do, but you don't even know what it is that you want to do, you just know that the season you're in, the feelings you feel, there's got to be more to this, then maybe stride is the thing for you that can at least get you thinking about it.

Steve Campbell: 00:19:21

If I think through kind of this idea of a story, I think.

Steve Campbell: 00:19:25

I think people are sometimes afraid to acknowledge the things that have happened to them because of shame or feeling unworthy.

Steve Campbell: 00:19:32

Sometimes things happen to you that are so far beyond your control that you didn't ask for.

Steve Campbell: 00:19:37

And the amazing thing about our life is we don't necessarily compartmentalize who we are.

Steve Campbell: 00:19:43

Your story really could be the thing that helps you become the best employee or the best husband or the best spouse.

Steve Campbell: 00:19:49

So I.

Steve Campbell: 00:19:50

One thing that my wife and I always talk about, too, is I think sometimes, as things happen to us, we don't always ask God or in prayer time, meditation, whatever, self reflection, emotional intelligence, like, why?

Steve Campbell: 00:20:03

Why is this happening right now?

Steve Campbell: 00:20:05

Sometimes we just feel like life is punching us in the face over and over again and we just kind of deal with it.

Steve Campbell: 00:20:11

You know, you take a punch, you get up, the next day, you go.

Steve Campbell: 00:20:14

But one of the things that has helped me personally is when something is happening to me, taking it to God in prayer and asking him, is there anything that you want to show me as to why I'm experiencing what I am, what I have found in that experience is sometimes I'm going through things that aren't really for myself, but it gives me context for what somebody else I'm dealing with and what that's looked like in my life as being out in the community or having a conversation with somebody and they're going through a difficult time.

Steve Campbell: 00:20:47

Well, all of a sudden, I have something I went through that I can add value to their life.

Steve Campbell: 00:20:51

So there may be things in your life right now that aren't you sinned and you did wrong, so God is punishing you.

Steve Campbell: 00:20:58

But I think God wants to.

Steve Campbell: 00:21:00

This is the amazing thing about being a Christian and a believer is the realizing that God created us to help other people, and he uses us as instruments to be the answer to many other people's prayers.

Steve Campbell: 00:21:13

If you've never gone through things, then it's very hard for you to ever step into somebody else's story and say, I've been there.

Steve Campbell: 00:21:19

And so bringing these to light in your experience, JJ, and writing this book and 20 years of coaching to have somebody break out of a season that they're in, like, are there any, you know, obviously going to buy the book, but are there any other, like, initial baby steps that if you were coaching and you had a listener get on with you right now, a call in and say, jj, like, help me.

Steve Campbell: 00:21:44

What are some initial steps that you think somebody could take to start to rewire, rewrite the story that they're kind of going through?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:21:50

Yeah, you know, let me get to that in just a second.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:21:54

But I want to speak to what you just said, steve, because there's this.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:21:58

We talk about story.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:22:00

There's this sub narrative of your story, and this is how I would categorize you to or help you think through your own story, is that there's really three segments of.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:22:12

Okay, so segment one of your story is victim.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:22:16

Okay.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:22:16

What have you endured?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:22:18

And oftentimes, we make the mistake of allowing victim to become the complete narrative.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:22:26

It's not.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:22:27

It's just section one, and that's a really important piece.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:22:30

Right.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:22:31

But we need to acknowledge pain is pain.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:22:33

Pain is really hard, and I want to give a voice to that pain.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:22:38

But the goal is to move from victim to survivor first.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:22:44

Okay.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:22:45

There's this beautiful image in japanese pottery.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:22:50

There's this thing called kitsugi, which I realize is kind of crazy, but it's pottery that's intentionally broken into all these shattered pieces, and then it's restored to wholeness using a glue.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:04

That glue happens to be gold, and it becomes this masterful work of art.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:09

Okay, so what does it look like to find wholeness, to find healing as a survivor?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:16

Right?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:16

To move from victim to survivor.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:18

That's section two.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:20

Okay.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:20

But then, frankly, our churches and our world are filled with survivors right now.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:27

People who have worked through their stuff, they've found healing.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:31

Thank God.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:32

I've worked through all my brokenness.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:33

Now I'm whole and I can move on with my life.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:36

But we miss the point that there's a third section which is sent one.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:40

And what that means is that the very pain points that you've found healing in now are intended for serving others.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:49

All right?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:50

And again, take that image of the pottery.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:23:53

It's shaped into a bowl, which at its heart is an instrument of hospitality and service.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:24:00

Right?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:24:00

So what does it look like for you to allow those pain points that God has healed now to become a key part of how you serve the world?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:24:09

That's the transformative journey.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:24:10

That's the narrative that we want to have, really, for our story.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:24:16

And so to answer your question about just practical tips or what would I suggest for people as they begin?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:24:25

Obviously by the book.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:24:27

In the end of the book, there is a coaching guide.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:24:31

So there's a link to a website where you can download this coaching guide and it will help you internalize this journey for yourself.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:24:40

It's called the stride workbook, and it is an internal dive that you can go through with loads of reflective questions to actually begin to put pen to paper and write out these different components, how they look in your old life, but begin to wrap your head around, what does it look like for me to take those points where I was a victim?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:25:00

What does it look like for me to find healing here again through God?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:25:04

And then what does it look like for me to serve others using those very same pain points in my own journey?

Steve Campbell: 00:25:13

Well, partner, if we can figure out how to get every listener the one big thing, to move through that journey of victim to healing, to serving others, we might change the world one person at a time.

Steve Campbell: 00:25:24

And I think you've probably experienced this in coaching from a standpoint of what you do.

Steve Campbell: 00:25:30

But I've coached kids, I've coached kids in sports.

Steve Campbell: 00:25:33

And as a coach, part of you get six, seven, eight year olds that are all across the spectrum of athleticism.

Steve Campbell: 00:25:41

As a coach, if you try to engage every single athlete on your team, that they all know what they're doing and they all have the same strengths or they all have the same skill sets, one, you're setting them up for failure, and two, you're never going to know how to actually extrapolate the best of what they can give.

Steve Campbell: 00:25:56

Sometimes literally at this stage, you get a kid who doesn't have a ton of athleticism, but he's a rah rah kid, and you need him to be the hype man every single game.

Steve Campbell: 00:26:04

Sometimes you get the kid that can throw a ball 90 miles an hour.

Steve Campbell: 00:26:07

Sometimes you get the kid that can hit.

Steve Campbell: 00:26:08

Part of your job as a coach is to understand, like, what are the skill sets that each one brings to a table?

Steve Campbell: 00:26:13

And when you're in coaching or you're dealing with individuals, I think part of it is not just being a victim, healing and serving, but when you get to that serving standpoint, God has wired you listener uniquely.

Steve Campbell: 00:26:24

That's different from JJ.

Steve Campbell: 00:26:25

That's different from myself, the enemy, the devil.

Steve Campbell: 00:26:29

Satan will make you believe that.

Steve Campbell: 00:26:30

Unless you have a podcast like JJ and Steve, then you're not really shaping the world.

Steve Campbell: 00:26:34

There is always this comparison trap that once you begin to figure out, like, okay, I'm here to serve others, that there's a very real enemy that will want to delimit or diminish who you are and what your capacity is.

Steve Campbell: 00:26:48

I think the unique thing is understanding God.

Steve Campbell: 00:26:50

How have you wired me and what are my strengths?

Steve Campbell: 00:26:53

So that I know that my strength may be literally just hospitality and genuinely having people to my home and serving them.

Steve Campbell: 00:26:59

For others, it's a gift of speaking.

Steve Campbell: 00:27:01

For others, it's a gift of coaching.

Steve Campbell: 00:27:03

For others, it may be artwork.

Steve Campbell: 00:27:06

And so I think part of it is pondering and thinking about, once you get to this stage, God, what is it that you want me to do, and what does that look like?

Steve Campbell: 00:27:15

And maybe it's just simply going, and if you have a hunch that you might be gifted in something, serving in your church, serving in your community, volunteering, just try it.

Steve Campbell: 00:27:25

Try it and do something.

Steve Campbell: 00:27:26

But I think what I have found, JJ, from all of these episodes, doing it with people, is there is a life that you want to live that you may not be living in.

Steve Campbell: 00:27:36

Many times, the steps to getting to that life is just doing hard things and starting to do something.

Steve Campbell: 00:27:42

So maybe for you today, as a listener purchasing stride that's out now could be the great next step in your life.

Steve Campbell: 00:27:48

But, partner, we're pretty close here to about the 30 minutes mark.

Steve Campbell: 00:27:52

Is there anything that we left off the table that you would want to say to a listener to kind of bring this episode to a close?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:00

Yeah, you know, there's a really interesting thing that happens in the book of Exodus, if you remember, Moses connects with God at the burning bush, and God is giving him this big, marvelous plan.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:15

And Moses is saying, not me.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:17

I'm not the right guy.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:18

I don't have what it takes.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:21

And he doesn't.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:22

He's in the desert because he's a screw up.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:25

He's failed on a whole bunch of really important things.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:28

Everybody hates him.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:29

Everybody wants to kill him.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:30

And he's watching his father in law's sheep.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:34

And God asks this incredible question through the burning bush.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:38

He says, moses, what's in your hand?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:40

And Moses had a staff in his hand.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:42

And then God said, throw it down.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:45

And it transforms absolutely everything.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:49

He asks the same question of us today.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:52

You want to know or you want to get a handle on what the future looks like?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:28:58

I think God is asking that same exact question.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:29:00

Question to you and I today.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:29:02

What's in your hand?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:29:03

That means your experiences, your past, your skills, your abilities, even the things that you wish you could move on from and sweep under the rug, all of that.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:29:13

What's in your hand and what does it look like to throw it down for the sake of serving others?

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:29:18

Really excited to see how this book, how this resource, how this conversation helps steer your life and your journey, and hopefully we can bring some value.

Steve Campbell: 00:29:28

And I think, you know, in: 2024

Steve Campbell: 00:29:32

So if you're like, got it.

Steve Campbell: 00:29:34

What's, what's in my hand?

Steve Campbell: 00:29:36

Maybe a great place to start would to be, you know, sit down with a cup of coffee, carve time out, not distracted, not with your kids, 30 minutes, cup of coffee, whatever you need to do, and just begin to write down everything that comes to mind that's, like, within your control.

Steve Campbell: 00:29:51

It could be your home, it could be your job, it could be volunteering, it could be relationships that you have in what God may call you as the staff in your hand may be very different from mine.

Steve Campbell: 00:30:03

So let's say you want to become a better manager at your company and you think that the soccer team that you're coaching has nothing to do with that.

Steve Campbell: 00:30:12

You would be surprised at how God will use you over here with these kids to teach you life lessons that will actually transition yourself into work.

Steve Campbell: 00:30:21

And I think sometimes we just want to, like, stare at the thing and believe.

Steve Campbell: 00:30:25

It's almost like those images we had as kids that was like, you know, crazy art.

Steve Campbell: 00:30:30

And if you stared at it long enough, you saw a rocket ship.

Steve Campbell: 00:30:33

I think sometimes we look at our problems or the mountains in front of us and believe that if I just focus on this more, that I'll figure out how to do it.

Steve Campbell: 00:30:42

But many times, the uniqueness of God and his grace is that he will use other areas of our life to bring the resources that are within our.

Steve Campbell: 00:30:50

Within our reach, within our hands, but that we have to go do faithfully.

Steve Campbell: 00:30:54

And that was one thing that our pastor just said to us recently, that no one is promoted by doing nothing.

Steve Campbell: 00:31:01

Any person that you looked at in the Bible that God promoted or used mightily was doing something.

Steve Campbell: 00:31:06

God called them in the middle of them doing something to do something even greater.

Steve Campbell: 00:31:11

It wasn't them waiting around, waiting on God, doing nothing every single day, not being profitable, not going out, working, not trying as a parent, and just hoping their kids parent themselves.

Steve Campbell: 00:31:22

It was them in the best of the information that they had today, doing what they thought they should do.

Steve Campbell: 00:31:27

And God interjected into their life, you and I have no idea on this episode, whenever God is going to step into our story in an even greater way.

Steve Campbell: 00:31:36

Of all the guests that I've had had on my show, when you talk to them about the big breakthrough in their life, it was never they did all these things.

Steve Campbell: 00:31:43

And then on October 30, breakthrough happened.

Steve Campbell: 00:31:46

It was, I went about doing the things that I felt I was supposed to do.

Steve Campbell: 00:31:50

And then one day, randomly, something happened because I was in position to have an open door of opportunity.

Steve Campbell: 00:31:56

So if you feel stuck right now, a couple of things leaving you with today.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:00

Stride is out now.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:01

You can get it.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:02

We'll put the notes, show notes as to buy a copy of it.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:05

As you talked about moving from victim to healing to serving others, what an incredible breakthrough.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:10

But also, we'll put contact information for JJ in the show notes if you want to get in contact with him.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:15

But of this idea of helping people discover purpose is the one big thing.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:21

I hope that you folks can take this run with it.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:23

We'll get you information for JJ.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:25

But, partner, I appreciate Peter for putting you in eye in contact.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:28

I think you were massive here as a guest on the one big thing.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:31

And just want to appreciate you taking the time to connect with me today.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:32:34

Thanks so much for having me, Steve.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:32:36

I really appreciate it.

Josiah JJ Harling: 00:32:36

Love what you guys are doing.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:38

Appreciate it, man.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:39

Thank you, sir.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:40

Well, I loved that conversation with JJ today.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:43

Super inspiring, even for me as the host of the show, helping people discover their purpose.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:48

You can go out and pick up a copy of Stride today by JJ.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:51

It can help inspire you.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:52

It's out available.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:53

We'll have information in the show notes if we can help you discover your purpose and become fully alive.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:58

Then job well done.

Steve Campbell: 00:32:59

And again, if there are guests or topics you do want to hear from, please get in contact with me.

Steve Campbell: 00:33:03

You can head over to nqrmedia.com.

Steve Campbell: 00:33:05

that's nqrmedia.com.

Steve Campbell: 00:33:07

there's a landing page for the one big thing and a contact button for me.

Steve Campbell: 00:33:10

Send me topics, send me guests.

Steve Campbell: 00:33:12

I would love to bring you resources that can help you move the ball forward.

Steve Campbell: 00:33:15

So, as always, thanks for being my guest on the one big thing podcast.

Steve Campbell: 00:33:18

And until next time, here's where inspiration meets transformation.