SNS 132: Saturday Night Special – Life Coach and Kingdom-Minded Entrepreneur Tom Hermann

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Welcome to tonight's Saturday night, special episode 132.

[00:00:05] Tom Hermann: I'm Tom Hermann. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent and your treasure is to live out your calling, having the ability to discover your unique God-given purpose is key.

[00:00:19] And one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this. The inspired stewardship podcast with my friend Scott

[00:00:26] Scott Maderer: Maderer.

[00:00:28] Tom Hermann: I would say that's what I would want to be known for is helping people redeem the time and break away from the striving survivalist mentality and walk in that kingdom mindset and living that life that Jesus came for us to have, right. A life to the full health, to the full finances for the full relationships before all of it, that the idea of shelter.

[00:00:49] And I'd want to be known for helping people walk in that.

[00:00:53] Scott Maderer: Welcome. And thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcasts. If you truly desire to become [00:01:00] the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in the inspired stewardship podcast.

[00:01:10] We'll learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that. Can impact the world.

[00:01:19] It tonight Saturday night special. I interview Tom Herman about his own change towards finding his calling as a life coach. I also asked Tom to explain why sometimes we hold ourselves back from our God designed life. And Tom also shares with you the key to find that. What you should be rather than what you should do.

[00:01:42] One reason I like to bring you great interviews. Like the one you're going to hear today is because of the power in learning from others. Another great way to learn from others is through reading books. But if you're like most people today, you find it hard to find the time to sit down and [00:02:00] read. And that's why today's podcast is brought to you by audible.

[00:02:04] Go to inspired stewardship.com/audible to sign up and you can get a 30 day free trial. There's over 180,000 titles to choose from. And instead of reading, you can listen your way to learn from some of the greatest minds out there. That's inspired stewardship.com/audible to get your free trial and listen to great books the same way you're listening to this podcast.

[00:02:32] Tom is a kingdom minded entrepreneur who is helping Christians find their life purpose and succeed. And their God given assignment, Tom and his wife, Katie are both certified life coaches and founders of attractively different coaching using cognitive behavioral therapy, neuro-linguistic programming and the truth of God's word.

[00:02:52] They help their clients discover the truth of who they are. And live accordingly Tom's life mission is to help people overcome fear and [00:03:00] confusion so that they can live rich, purposeful lives that are attractively different. After discovering this calling from leaving his former career in the financial service.

[00:03:10] Welcome to the show, Tom.

[00:03:12] Tom Hermann: Thanks for having me, Scott. I'm excited to be here. Absolutely.

[00:03:16] Scott Maderer: So you, we talked a little bit in the intro about how you had worked in the financial services industry. You had done a work like that, and then you pivoted and began. Coaching folks. And I'm always interested in hearing when people make a big pivot like that, what is it?

[00:03:37] How did you know that it was time to make a change? How did you feel like your calling changed? Where, how did that come

[00:03:44] Tom Hermann: about? Yeah, that's a great question. It was a series of events, right? Like most things are, it's not just one big and I'm the picture I have coming to my mind is like back to the future, I guess it's back to the future one where it's doc [00:04:00] has this lightning bolt moment where it's sends them back to the future.

[00:04:03] Right there. Wasn't like this one, like lightning bolt moment. But I was in financial services at the time. Maybe. Eight years into my career there. And I was very passionate about leadership, still am passionate about leadership. And I was managing a team of about 20, 25 people. And I was really just struggling with this fulfillment.

[00:04:22] Just dissatisfaction. I enjoyed the leadership aspect of things, but just being in a corporate space, the politics that come with that there were just moments where it's and even a, kind of a revelation where I was doing certain things or I would be creative and I realized man, anything that I create here.

[00:04:41] As working for fidelity at the time, it's actually owned by fidelity. I could come up with this great idea, like what I'm building here, the impact that I'm making is enhancing Fidelity's legacy, which is great, but it's like, could I do that for myself? And so in all of this, I just had the idea as I want a lens.

[00:04:58] I want some type [00:05:00] of, yeah. Some type of lens to look through. Am I doing what is going to bring me the most purpose. So I took time to write my own personal mission statement and I want it to be usable. So like it took me three or four months to bring it down to one or two sentences. And what I came to is that I want to help people overcome fear and confusion to live rich, purposeful lives.

[00:05:24] That are attractively different. And so that was my lens that I started looking through whatever I was doing in life. Is this helping me? Is this helping people overcome fear and confusion to live rich, purposeful as they're attractively different. And so that was maybe 2018 timeframe. And September, 2019, my wife became a life coach and I saw her working with her clients and it was like, oh my goodness.

[00:05:49] This is almost the definition of my. Purpose statement, right? She's helping people overcome fear and confusion to live rich purpose flies. They're attractively different. I started to see the results that she was getting [00:06:00] for her clients and in leadership, I was doing very similar things.

[00:06:04] Like I was raising up. Representatives of fidelity to my vision was it's if I could help them be the best version of themselves, they're going to be a great employee. I didn't want to teach them how to have a great. Sales conversation or client conversations like, no, I want to help them be better communicators.

[00:06:21] I want to help them be better with relationships. So the things I'm going to coach them on and the things I'm going to teach them on. If they take these and apply them at home, they're going to be better husband. They're gonna be better wife. They're going to be a better parent. That was my vision for it.

[00:06:33] And so as I saw my wife, like impacting her clients, it was just wow, My personal mission statement is this. And so over time it took probably about six months or so for me to then become a certified coach. But I started to see the impact that it could make. And God prompted us to move into, to leave corporate our corporate job and move more into building this full-time.

[00:06:55] And so it really started with just having this desire to have a lens of [00:07:00] how to bring more purpose, how to bring more fulfillment. And once I got that clarity, it was like, these, this opportunity popped out to me. That's it. I need to start moving in that direction.

[00:07:11] Scott Maderer: so you don't let me say some things back to you and make sure I'm I'm not off base with this, but.

[00:07:17] It doesn't sound like it was that the job that you were doing with fidelity was completely out of alignment with your calling. There were definitely things within it that you were able to express what later became your mission statement? And you wrote your mission statement while you were still working for them.

[00:07:32] There's probably some. Alignment there, but rather you left to do this full-time because you felt like this allowed you to be even more in alignment with the calling. Is that an accurate way of putting it or

[00:07:46] Tom Hermann: absolutely. And there was a desire to create something of my own, right. There was this desire.

[00:07:52] And especially as I'll say this. I was doing really well in the role that I was in, but there was a stirring in my [00:08:00] heart, a stirring in my spirit that was taking a lot of time away from my family and my kids. And I thought if I'm leading better in the workplace than I am in my own home I don't really like that idea.

[00:08:12] And not that I was leading poorly in my home, but it was like, there was just a lot of time spent leading this team. And. So I started to think differently and think, okay, how can I lead? Do both right. Have a, both and mindset, not either, or either have the results at work and not at home.

[00:08:30] How can I do both? And so as that vision started to grow, it led me to the place of. The vision that I have for my family and the vision where we want to go. I don't know if working in the corporate space is going to do that. So it started us looking for different opportunities to have more of an entrepreneur mindset.

[00:08:49] So like I said, it was a series of events of just a stirring of how do I have both

[00:08:53] Scott Maderer: well and the opportunity aligned with the calling as well? Absolutely. [00:09:00] Yeah, let's flip that because I've got a very similar story and the listeners have heard it before of being in a job that I loved in many ways, but then there were things I didn't and transitioning out to run my full-time coaching business and doing all of that not dissimilar.

[00:09:16] And yet I've also especially as a coach and I'm sure you've seen it too. I've seen folks holding themselves back from living. What they seem to feel is the life that God's designed for them. They, they've got this calling, they've got this stirring in their heart as you put it, and yet they're holding themselves back from it.

[00:09:35] Why do you think it is that we sometimes hold ourselves back or take you, why did you take the time you took before making the change?

[00:09:46] Tom Hermann: Yeah I think there's this misunderstanding. In the sense of what life is supposed to look like and how, especially if you're a believer how God wants to like co-labor [00:10:00] with us to create something great in this life.

[00:10:02] And and what I mean by misunderstanding. We were all raised with this programming, this thinking of a survivalist mentality, right? Instead of thinking first, what is my assignment? We think that our assignment is to go gather and to survive right. Where we're working to stop. We're working towards retirement, we're working towards the weekend.

[00:10:22] It's just this survivalist mentality of I'm just trying to survive, whatever that looks like. There's practicality of my desire may be more in this area. I don't know how to make money there. So I'm going to push that desire aside and maybe a skill set aside to go do this, because this is more practical.

[00:10:40] And yet as I started to like, get in the word and see what God says, it's like in Hebrews, it talks about Jesus, is our Sabbath rest. And there's pictures in the old Testament of the Sabbath rest. Like the only way to Sabbath rest is possible is because. God provided more than enough, for them to rest on [00:11:00] Saturday or whenever the Sabbath is right.

[00:11:02] They had to give a double portion of man. And the day before, there's a Sabbath year where they couldn't work the land and God says, I'll provide more than enough for you to live through. There's all these things. And so as I started to see, like, When I'm in my assignment that God has for me I can't think in a survivalist way of thinking, I have to think kingdom.

[00:11:23] I have to think the way God has laid it out where I do have a Sabbath rest, where yes, I will gather as I pursue my assignment. But my assignment is to not go out there and gather and survive because he's going to provide. More than enough. And so that's no, no faults is somebody who is thinking in that survivalist mentality.

[00:11:44] It's just the system that we've grown up in. It's a system that we see around us. And yet, as I learned more about God and his character and who he is, I started to see what if I actually believe that this was true? What if I believe that God had assignment for me and that he would provide more than enough [00:12:00] so that I could pursue my assignment wholeheartedly.

[00:12:02] Scott Maderer: And I think it's interesting because that a lot of that comes out of how should I put this? It's the balancing act of faith, right? We're back to the boat. And you said that earlier, I use that phrasing a lot as opposed to the either or it is faith, passive or active.

[00:12:25] Is it doing something or being something and I think we put it up as a false dichotomy. We put it up as an either or when the answer is. Yes. And I think that happens to us a lot when we're pursuing our calling to what would you add to that or say

[00:12:41] to

[00:12:41] Tom Hermann: that? Yeah, I there's definitely wisdom in what we're pursuing.

[00:12:45] As I started to get a stirring and thinking about my story as I started to get a stirring in my heart too, to be more entrepreneurial, I learn about these things. There was. There was a process that I had to go through to actually become the [00:13:00] person who could do that. So much of, I think, where I've seen my clients get stuck and that we work out of, and most people it's this mindset of, I just need to do better.

[00:13:09] I know what I need to do. I need to be more disciplined. I need to work harder. I need to spend more hours and it's no, you actually need to become the person who can do these things. Now there's a small nuance in that. One is. One is more reactionary. I need to do this. Here's my to-do list.

[00:13:26] And when we're in a reactionary state of mind, We can't create. And the first thing we learned about God and Genesis one, one is that he's a creator and we're made in his image, like we're called to create. And so as I started thinking, okay, who do I need to become to be an entrepreneur? need to learn how to administrator and manage certain things.

[00:13:44] I need to be a self-starter. I needed to become someone who has a vision. I need to become someone who can share my vision. It's. It's not necessarily, oh, I need to do this checklist 1, 2, 3, and all this will happen. And as I shifted my mindset of becoming as opposed to [00:14:00] doing it allowed me to go through this process where, when it gives room for imperfection, but there was a process of that becoming process was the preparation to then step into it.

[00:14:12] And so I think we get in this mindset. I want to do this now, and I'm going to do these things, but we miss the preparation. Of learning how to step in and go take the land. Even thinking about like the Israelites, when they went and took the land, like they were taking it one, one piece at a time, right?

[00:14:30] God's you will conquering these people and the land won't be bankrupt because if it was, it'd be overrun my animals, right? Like they had to step into their full promise. They had to do things one step at a time, but that's where the faith came in. We're going to conquer these people.

[00:14:44] We're going to conquer these people and then eventually we'll have the land. Yeah. Learning how to administrate and step into that becoming process and not get discouraged of this isn't happening now, right? There's a two year process of becoming before I went full-time and [00:15:00] left the corporate space.

[00:15:02] Scott Maderer: I think that's important to call out. Why do you think it is that we concentrate so much on the doing instead of the becoming why is that the question we ask.

[00:15:13] Tom Hermann: Yeah, I think that's, I think that's our natural tendency, like what our brain goes to, right? Like we're not taught to I'll say this, the quality of our questions will determine the quality of our answers.

[00:15:28] And so the reality is. Who do I need to become is one question that produces a result and how do I need to do this? Or what do I need to do as another question? So there, there are questions that we ask ourselves, but they lead to totally different places. Because when I asked the question, what do I need to do?

[00:15:47] Or how am I supposed to do this? You need to maybe open up an LLC. You need to start getting clients. You need to get generate leads. And now I've become so overwhelmed because I don't know how to do those things. I move into a state of mind, that's fearful. And like I said, reactions. And that [00:16:00] creates a downward spiral where we become so overwhelmed that we end up not taking any action versus asking the question, who do I need to become?

[00:16:09] Creates a result of wanting to become someone who has a vision. I need to become someone who is able to share that vision. I need to become someone who's so passionate about my prospect or my clients that it's this is a mission. Like I'm going to write an out of that becoming process there.

[00:16:27] The to-do list starts to come out of that. What does it look like to become someone who has a vision. I need to figure out what I'm passionate about. There are to dues that the flow out of that, but it puts me in more of that creator mindset. And I think it's, so I think we're so quick, like no one teaches us, how do I need to do this? What, or to ask the question to become, it's more of what do I need to do? How do I do this? And those lead to a state of mind, that's hard to create similar, just like our brain is just like a Google search engine. I can enter [00:17:00] in, I can type in what is paradise and go look at Google images and see a beautiful ocean Palm trees, Sandy beaches, where I can type in what is death and get skull and crossbones dark images.

[00:17:12] It's what we're inputting. This determining the output. And unfortunately, when we grow up in this survivalist mentality and that's what we're taught, it's how do I do this? What do I need to do? How do I, like we don't ask the question, who do I need to become? And so it's it's just what we're raised in is why I think we go there so quickly.

[00:17:32] Scott Maderer: So thinking about your own faith journey and your own faith actions, how did. How did your faith background help you make that two year transition and begin to concentrate on becoming rather than doing

[00:17:45] Tom Hermann: that's a good question. I, to me, it was just this, I was, I really believe that God had something bigger for my.

[00:17:55] And so I didn't necessarily know what that was, but I remember in [00:18:00] college, I wanted to, I was thinking about as a business major and I was thinking about transitioning to doing some type of ministry work. And I was talking to my dad about it and he was saying like, He was like, you just want to make sure that is what you're called to.

[00:18:13] Cause there's a lot of sacrifice that comes with that. And anyway, I just have this stirring in my heart of man, I feel like God's preparing me for something big. I don't necessarily know what it was, but there was just this belief that came from John 10, 10. I would meditate on that verse and think when Jesus is like, the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy.

[00:18:32] But I came to give you life and life into the full or some versions say life abundantly. And I just kept thinking like, If she just came to give me life into the full and I feel discontent at my job, I feel like I don't have enough time for my family. Is this an alignment with what he wants for me, what he wants for my life?

[00:18:48] What is life into the full mean? And to me as I would like meditate on that verse. I feel like I'm more in line with stealing, killing and destroying. When I feel like I don't have enough time, I'm not leading my [00:19:00] family as well as I want to. I am struggling to feel like they're enough.

[00:19:04] We had plenty of resources, but it's there was this idea not enough lack. This belief system seems to wind more with the steal, kill and destroy that Jesus says from the enemy more than life and life into the full that Jesus said he came to give me. So I think that was the seed of what does it mean to have to live life in life, into the full, in my health, with my relationships, right?

[00:19:26] With my finances, like all these things, life, like all of these things and the idea of Shalom, it was just that kind of pushed me forward. If this is what God says, he wants for me. If this is what Jesus said, he came to give me his life and life into the full. Then I'm going to do everything in me to make sure that I actually have in life, what he died for me to have.

[00:19:47] If he came to give me life in life, into the full, then I need to understand what that is. And I want to pursue that. Not that he would die in vain, but just this idea there was a great sacrifice that he made. And if I'm going [00:20:00] to live in this like mediocre state of mind and fear of lack, all these different things, like that's not why he came.

[00:20:05] He came to give me life and life to the full. And so it's gonna look differently for everybody. But I think that was the, just the curiosity in me of what does that look like? And how do I receive that? How do I step into that? Just taking advantage of everything that he came for me to have.

[00:20:23] Scott Maderer: So how did how does prayer fall into that understanding of our God given assignment?

[00:20:31] Tom Hermann: Yeah, I think for me being married, it was always this, my wife, Katie, and I really wanted to be unified in everything that we were doing. So if. There were times where I've felt like, oh, this is where God is leading me. And I remember having one conversation, this with four kids where it was like, I don't know if were going to be missionaries.

[00:20:54] I don't know if we're going to be pastors or whatever. There was this still this like stirring in me where it's I feel like God is [00:21:00] preparing me for something big and she just wasn't on board with it right there. Wasn't a unity in that. And I feel like had, I like forced that. That could lead down a road that we didn't want to go to.

[00:21:13] So for us to be praying individually for us to be receiving things of, yes, this is our family vision. This is where we're going. And when we made the decision to leave the corporate job, it was, we both, one day we both prayed about it. And it was like, as we felt like the spirit was leading us, we both came out of this prayer time.

[00:21:36] Unified it like, yes, this is where you feel like the spirit is going. So I think it's definitely a combination of, and if you're not married like just did, I think there needs to be like a peace in the sense of like the anxiety that like, oh my gosh, like everyone, like that's not from, that's not from God.

[00:21:53] It's he's the prince of peace. Even though there was uncertainty, there was a piece. And like the steps that we were [00:22:00] taking that were in alignment with our vision, that we both felt like we'd received from prayer in prayer and there was unity in marriage. So I think the combination of those two is really what prompted us to take the next step.

[00:22:13] And for me in my journey, as I've prayed about things and had these desires. I feel like there's a shift where I know that I know that if I don't take action, it's being clearly disobedient. Like I know that I need to take this step and there's this feeling of I don't really want to do it, but there's also the stirring of I don't really like that because I know that I'm being disobedient.

[00:22:32] If I don't do that. And so it wasn't so much of do I need to do this? It's I don't know if I want to do this, but I really feel like if I don't do it. I'm not in alignment with where he's leading me. So I think, I don't know if that answers your question, but

[00:22:47] Scott Maderer: no, I think it does. And you've mentioned a couple of times fear and you just alluded to it again that, that time when we feel like, okay, this is clearly the action that I'm supposed to be taking.[00:23:00]

[00:23:00] I don't really want to take it so how can we work on and develop confidence, develop overcome those kinds of inertia moments or those fear moments and move forward more effectively?

[00:23:13] Tom Hermann: Yeah. I think what we feed are given to right is going to. It's going to grow. So I don't know if it was exemplary, what we feed or what we go into.

[00:23:28] Like it's it's going to grow. I don't know if there's an allergy from Zig Ziglar, but. He talked about, I've heard this analogy of these two dogs, right? Like the, if they're going to be fighting, one's a black dog, one's a white dog. The dog that is fed the most, like if you feed the white dog, like it's going to win the battle over the black dog.

[00:23:46] If you feed the black dog, then it's going to win the battle over the white dog. And so in that idea, it's if we're giving into our fear, if we know that Hey, [00:24:00] this is going to be disobedient. If I don't do this, but it's so scary. So uncertain, I'm just going to stay in my comfort zone.

[00:24:05] It becomes harder to take action. Versus just developing the muscle of doing things that may be uncertain. So in a sense, like how can you go throughout your day and make decisions? I think that's one thing too, is learning how to make decisions versus giving yourself choices. And when you look at the word decision, like the word, the first part that does the D E means of an incision means to cut, right?

[00:24:38] So we're cutting off from something. And when we make a decision, it's basically cutting ourselves off from all these other choices, right? It's like the burn, the ships mentality, I've made a decision to move forward versus giving yourself choices. It's this may work out, but it may not.

[00:24:56] So now I'm going to jump to this choice and we become reactionary, become [00:25:00] double-minded. So even thinking of how can we start making more decisions, even in the small thing. So that when it comes to the big things, we've already worked out that decision-making muscle, where we can make a decision and move forward.

[00:25:15] And yeah, there may be fear involved. There may be some uncertainty, but you've trained yourself to make a decision and move forward. And you've actually given your brain evidence to support like, oh, this is going to work out. Like I'm not going to die. Versus if we're walking in fear and it's this is so uncertain, I just want to be secure.

[00:25:33] You're actually creating more evidence. That your brain is going to prove to you that no, you shouldn't because here's why. And then you keep working, you keep moving into this uncertainty space. So I think learning to make decisions, risks, giving yourself choices and be like, Hey, I'm going to not going to go back on this.

[00:25:48] This is my decision. I'm and learn from it. And it's I think so many times we're afraid that we may fail or what failure may mean. You can also shift your perspective and be [00:26:00] like, what if there's no such thing as. But if I'm going to learn from this what if this actually sets me up to do something greater?

[00:26:05] What if this is just feedback? What if this tells me something about myself, I'm learning to shift your perspective. So I'd say to boil that down, start making decisions, even in the small things to build up that decision-making muscle versus saying, oh, what are all my choices? But also just.

[00:26:21] Hey, there's no such thing as failure. It's either feedback. It's a learning experience, right? It's a setup to something greater, reframe what that could be in a positive light versus, oh my gosh, this is going to destroy everything. And coming to the worst case scenario, I'm going to be living on the street, holding up a sign, begging for food, right?

[00:26:38] Is that really going to happen?

[00:26:40] Scott Maderer: And I have been neurologically we. We look at social death, quote, unquote, the same as physical death. In fact, actually in some ways it's worse. Which is why people will say oh, if I had to do public speaking, I'll die.

[00:26:58] What they're really worried about is social [00:27:00] deaths. That somehow or another there'll be ostracized, there'll be made fun of that there'll be put out from the group. And it's it's not a realistic fear usually. And yet we make it a very realistic. As well.

[00:27:13] Tom Hermann: Absolutely. Yeah.

[00:27:15] Scott Maderer: So one of the questions I like to ask everybody, my brand of course, is inspired stewardship and run things through that lens of stewardship.

[00:27:24] And yet I've discovered over the years that's one of those words that a lot of different people have a lot of different they hear a lot of different things when they hear that word. So for you, what does the word stewardship mean? And what has the impact of that meaning been on your life?

[00:27:38] Tom Hermann: Yeah. I love this question because I'm really big into defining words. And what does this mean? Even asking my clients when they're like, something's hard, it's define hard. What does hard mean? Like it says a lot about the meaning that we've given to something. So when it comes to stewardship, I makes me think of like, where did that?

[00:27:57] What was the original. [00:28:00] Steward. And it's, there's a person who like managed a property or the affairs of another entity. Or like they, they were basically looking over something that, that wasn't theirs. And so the idea for me, it's yes, it makes sense to do, to look over like stewardship is so associated with money.

[00:28:20] I feel like in our culture today especially in the Christian story, But I think that what about like these ideas, whatever these desires that we have that are from God. So when I think about, if I'm overseeing something in my life for God, it, especially if you're a believer, right? What does it look like to oversee that and manage it?

[00:28:42] If God has given me certain desires and if we're called to be creators I really believe that a big part of like our God-given desires are a way that he wants to express himself into the world. And because we're made in his image there's an image of the God that [00:29:00] I carry and an expression of God that I can put out in the world that you can't and vice versa and someone else.

[00:29:05] So the impact that idea has come from me about being. Someone who's overseeing something that isn't mine, these desires, or like this mission statement that God gave me. Like part of that is pursuing that so that God can be fully expressed in the world because he wants to co-labor with me.

[00:29:24] And I love the verse in Isaiah 61, 3, that the talks about this as we will be called trees of righteousness. Like weird to be called, like these trees that are, and I think the NIV says Oaks of righteousness, right? Like the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified. The idea that my life should be this something that's.

[00:29:46] And I only want to use the word magnificent as in the sense of so great. But it's there should be something attractive about it that will bring him glory. That there's like this majestic thing about it. And whether that be someone pursuing a [00:30:00] desire that they have, or time, freedom or fame like these relationships that I have. So I think the impact that it's made on me. Yes. I need to handle my things my time, my resources, my money in a way, but also these desires that God has given me, I need to manage them. That's part of being a steward of managing them well, so that God is fully expressed in the world through me and that people get to see God in the image that I carry of God.

[00:30:25] Just by the way I live my life and what I produce and what I create in life.

[00:30:28] Scott Maderer: And magnificent you use that word means comes from the root of, Magnificant, which is great in deeds. So again, it's about doing something it's about creating something. It has that root of creation that like you said, I believe God is a creator and that means we've got to be creators.

[00:30:54] That doesn't necessarily mean you need to go build a app or that's not what I mean by creator, but we're [00:31:00] creating things into the world when we act in that way. Absolutely it's important to realize. So here's my favorite question. Let's say I could invent this machine. And I could pluck you out of the seat where you sit today and transport you into the future, maybe a hundred to 150 years and magically, you were able to look back on your entire life and see all of the ripples, all of the impact that you've left behind.

[00:31:24] What impact do you hope you've had on the world?

[00:31:26] Tom Hermann: Yeah. That's a great question. And what's coming to my mind is probably about a year ago. I was studying the verse in Ephesians that we are called to redeem the time because the days are evil and it's what does that even mean? And so I was looking up the Greek words and just trying to, like I said, I'm really big into defining the words and it's if I don't understand what the words mean, it's like, how can I really understand what the verses meaning and the word redeem?

[00:31:54] Is to either buy back or rescue from loss. Okay. That makes sense [00:32:00] to me. And this is redeem the time and I looked at the word time and in this dictionary is it said that it's a Greek word where there's no English equivalent. So it said that it's not a succession of seconds. It's not a succession of minutes.

[00:32:12] It actually means unique opportunity. So there's not an English equivalent to say, but we have this unique opportunity. Okay. So I'm called to rescue from loss or buy back this unique opportunity. That makes sense. Okay. Because the days are evil, it doesn't mean the days are evil. I looked at the word evil and the root word for evil means strife.

[00:32:31] So all of a sudden I had this verse here. It's I need to buy back this unique opportunity rescue from loss, this unique opportunity, because the days are full of striving. And it was like, wow, we're trained. There's the enemy is out to steal this unique opportunity. And he wants my, he wants me to spend all my time in this state of striving.

[00:32:54] And then God has called me to rescue it from loss to buy it back. And [00:33:00] so I became really passionate about that. I think that's a big part of my coaching. But I would say to answer your question, if I were to like, look back at my life, if it were defined by helping people rescue that unique opportunity from loss to pursue the desires that God has given them to create something, to break out of this survivalist mentality.

[00:33:21] I would say that's what I would want to be known for is helping people redeem the time and break away from the striving survivalist mentality and walk in that kingdom mindset and living that life that Jesus came for us to have, right. A life to the full health, to the full finances, to the full relationships, to the full, all of it, that the idea of Shalom I'd want to be known for helping people walk in that.

[00:33:44] Scott Maderer: So what's coming next for you, as you continue on this journey what's on your roadmap or on the agenda for 2022.

[00:33:54] Tom Hermann: Yeah. It's actually very much in line with what I was just saying. I have another [00:34:00] company that I have a partner in we're being in the financial services world for 10 plus years.

[00:34:05] We have a company that is originally like we started earlier this year where I was helping people trade in the stock market. We, I had helped him and he had produced profits. He took $25,000 and turned it into $250,000. And it was this idea of wow, like there's opportunity for people to buy back their time to rescues opportunity from loss.

[00:34:30] The only way, in my opinion, the only way you can buy back your time. Your unique opportunity from loss is through profits. That's profits through a business profit someone else because trading time for money, the only way you can make more money to buy back your time is to spend more time, right?

[00:34:46] You eventually run out. When you think in the terms of profits, like I can sell same selling a book. I can sell one book in 10 minutes. I can sell a hundred books in 10 minutes. So there's this opportunity. For [00:35:00] people to learn how to think differently, how to potentially create a business, to learn how to trade or create some type of income with profits to buy back their time.

[00:35:10] And so in that idea, we're with that company, we're thinking through, what does it look like to have a platform, to have a business of helping people believers or non-believers embrace this mindset? My unique opportunity. Like someone's out there actively trying to take that away from me. How can I buy back that time and equipping them with resources to either build a business or to create profits through trading and stock market, whatever.

[00:35:37] And yeah, we're just had a call before I met with you where it's we're brainstorming what that looks like. And so yeah, I think 20, 22 is going to be. Expanding on that vision and pursuing that kind of creating ways to help people walk in their assignment and breaking free and thinking differently from maybe just trying to survive or living in strife but no buying [00:36:00] back their time and using their unique opportunity to pursue the assignment that God has put on their heart.

[00:36:04] Scott Maderer: You could follow Tom over on Facebook as T R Herman that's H E R M a N in or on LinkedIn as Tom Herman. He's also over on Instagram as Tom Herman coach, or find out more about his coaching and services on his website, attractively different.com. Tom, is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

[00:36:29] Tom Hermann: Yeah. I think if any of this has stirred and you write like pursuing your unique assignment, buying back your time, rescuing it from loss, right? I would encourage you to really look, to see, look at your desires, right? Cause I think desires, especially in the Christian culture can have a negative.

[00:36:53] Connotation to it. I think people look at it and be like, no, those are bad. Those are fleshly. My heart is deceitfully [00:37:00] wicked. Yeah. As I've gone through my journey, I've realized no, God has placed certain desires in me as almost like a roadmap to part of my assignment. And so I would encourage people as you're if you do have the idea of I don't know what my assignment is, I don't know what my purpose is, but this is all resonating with me.

[00:37:18] What are those get really curious about your desires. And see where they're coming from. And it's. They're not all bad. I really do think the spirit plants, those seeds in our hearts for us to steward them and cultivate them. There may be a growing as a growing process to like really cultivate them.

[00:37:39] But I would encourage you to just get really curious about your desires, take them to the Lord and be like, Hey, is this from you? I used the example before, like someone may have a desire for a 10,000 square foot house. And as I say, that's oh my gosh, that's very materialistic. But what if their desire is to have a space to bring in [00:38:00] eight or 10 married couples and do marriage coaching and restore marriages.

[00:38:04] And they're creating a space to do that, right? Like that may be a great. But if I need a 10,000 square foot house to have the big flex and pump out my chest to be like, look how great I am. That's probably not a desire from the Lord. So it's like the 10,000 square foot house is just a neutral thing.

[00:38:20] So I would just encourage people to get really curious about those desires and see where God may lead you.

[00:38:25] Scott Maderer: Thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast, as a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoy this episode. Please do us a favor. Go over to inspired stewardship.com/itunes rate.

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