Who Am I, Really? Discovering the You God Had in MindNäide

What if everything you’re chasing – dream job, dream body, dream mate – isn’t the real goal after all?

Two of my high-achieving coaching clients once shared something with me that I’ve never forgotten. One was a poised CEO, the other an executive director of a major nonprofit. On paper, they had it all - prestige, power, purpose.

The CEO, elegant and composed, caught me off guard when she said:

“People think I’ve made it. The job, the car, the house, the status. But every time I walk through those office doors, my heart sinks. I can’t help feeling… there must be more to life than this.”

Her words echoed those of my other client, a man who had spent decades in international development, changing lives across some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. He showed me a long list of accomplishments; goals he’d pursued since university. Then he looked at me and asked:

“What was it all for? I’ve done everything I set out to do… and yet, here I am, feeling empty.”

Both had reached the top, but the view from the summit wasn’t what they expected.

“I’ve ticked all the boxes. But why does it still feel so hollow?”

That haunting question is one many of us ask quietly, when no one’s watching: “Is this it?”

It’s not just about ambition. It’s about alignment.

We might be chasing good things, but are they God things?

King Solomon, the wealthiest and wisest man of his time, had everything this world could offer. Yet he wrote:

“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired… Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done… everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 2:10–11)

Pursuing success isn’t inherently wrong. But even the best achievements feel hollow when they’re not anchored in God’s story.

In Romans 12:2, Paul urges us:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

And in Isaiah 55, God reminds us:

“My thoughts are not your thoughts… my ways are higher than your ways.”

You weren’t created just to climb ladders, earn applause, or collect accolades. You were created for purpose.

True purpose doesn’t come from chasing the world’s script; it comes from surrendering to God’s. That’s the difference between simply existing and truly living.

Take a moment to pause and reflect:

• Whose story am I really living?
• Am I chasing dreams shaped by culture and expectation, or the script God uniquely wrote for me?
• What might I need to let go of, rethink, or realign to walk in God’s higher purpose for my life?

You don’t have to rewrite your entire story today. But you can turn the page.

Prayer

Lord, I don’t want to spend my life chasing wind. I want to live the story You are writing for me. Show me where I’ve been living someone else’s script. Redirect my heart to Your plan. Align my desires with Yours, and lead me into the life You had in mind for me. Amen.

Tomorrow, we’ll explore a powerful truth: Even when you know who you are and what you’re called to do, there’s one life-defining question that will shape whether you live out or fall short of the life God designed for you.