The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.(Luke 4:18-19)
In my last post I wrote about the importance of private reflection and how you can use this to prepare yourself for the launch of your platform. The themes that you clarify through this process are the basis for the next step that Jesus used in developing His platform.
In the middle of a regular gathering for worship on the Sabbath, Jesus stood up and read a scripture from the book of Isaiah. This was not unusual for Him to do because the text mentions how this was “His custom”. What was extraodinary in this particular instance was the effect that His reading of the scripture had on the other people there.
When he sat down after reading “…The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him.”
He captured their attention with what he read because there was an authority with which He read this particular passage. And to make sure that it was clear to the people why they were feeling the way they were, He made a definitive declaration that “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
After His time of fasting and reflection in the wilderness, it was time to let the world know definitively about His purpose – that He was the fulfillment of the prophecy that He had read about.
The components of your declaration
In the same way, once you have spent time in reflection and are clear about your themes, you need to find a way to make a definitive declaration of your purpose with authority. Your declaration does not have to be anything flashy, and you can choose a smaller audience than a room full of people.
But it does need to be two things:
- Focused – Clearly outline your vision and ‘why’ you are embarking on your journey
- Remarkable – Enchant your future tribe members with the themes that you have reflected on and start the process of drawing them in
The vehicle for your declaration
There are many different ways that you can make your declaration. Doing it is more important than how you do it.
In my case, I decided a blog would be the best place for me to ‘go public’. I actually have two public declarations – one that is very specific about my focus in 2013 and one in the form of a personal manifesto that I used to derive the themes for this year.
The personal manifesto is something I wrote 2 years ago and filed away for reflection to make sure that it wasn’t just something that I made up on a whim. I wanted to make sure that it truly reflected who I am and why I do what I do.
In your case, it could be in the form of a tweet, a Facebook post, an email, an announcement at an event, a YouTube video, a podcast or even a few phone calls to people that you know fall into your tribe.
Just put yourself ‘out there’ and you will be amazed how energized you will feel.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you might approach making your definitive declaration. Post in the comments below to let me know.
This post was originally posted on my personal blog @ komasworld.com