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Copyright 2016 by Ben Tankard
Cover design by Jody Waldrup
Cover photograph by Dean Dixon
Cover copyright 2016 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
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First ebook edition: August 2016
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version ( NIV ). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. (www.zondervan.com).
Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version.
Copyright 1995 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible. Copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2011. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-1-4555-3830-0
E3-20160629-JV-NF
To Jewel, my lovely wife and best friend.
When I first met you I said to myself, The Lord is my shepherd; I see what I want! I never dreamed life with you would be so glorious. You are my love, my biggest fan and cheerleader, and my most trusted adviser. You are so pretty, sweet, and loving that every day with you is like celebrating our anniversary.
To our children, Marcus, Brooklyn, Britney, Benji, and Cyrene; as well as my two daughters-in-law, Tish and Shanira; three grandkids, Diamond, Micah, and Billie (Benja-Mina); and one grandpuppy, Buddy. You all inspire me to be the man God intended me to be. I am honored to be your paw-paw, and I am so thankful for our blended family and legacy of love.
A map is only good when you know your starting point. Tell the truth about where you are without diminishing where you want to be.
H ave you ever driven a car with the low-fuel light on? What a nervous ride! When you know that at any time the car could run out of fuel and force you to walk, it makes for a very uncomfortable trip. Most of us would rather have a full tank of gas even if our journey is not that long. There is a special confidence that comes from knowing you have more than enough fuel for your drive. Your fuel level becomes even more important when flying a plane (there are no gas stations in the sky) and absolutely critical when applied to your life.
Do you have a Full Tank Life?
There are countless books written on topics such as happiness, success, and personal fulfillment. The people writing these books are super smart and many have more degrees than a thermometer behind their name! Yet the secret to enjoying the uniqueness of who you are, where you are, and where youre going seems to elude most people. Obviously, theres no one-size-fits-all formula with three easy steps. We each have a variety of gifts and talents, dreams and aspirations, as well as experiences and opportunities that we bring to life each day. From my experience, the secret to success is simply getting all these items in alignment. Which I know firsthand is not always easyespecially when life seems to place obstacles in your path on a daily basis.
In fact, roughly eight out of ten people in our country are not content with their present lives. In other words, only about 20 percent of the population would say theyre enjoying their lives to the fullest, living what I like to call the Full Tank Life, which is basically just doing what you were born to do. The happiest people in the world seem to be those who have tapped into their God-given talents and inner passions. Theyve grown from their past, theyre engaged with their present, and theyre excited about their future. If people notice how much I enjoy my life right now, its because Im happier than Ive ever been, pursuing the goals that express who I am at the core of my being. Im loving my wife and leading our family, making and producing music, pastoring and mentoring our church, speaking and acting, piloting my plane, and doing a host of other activities that bring me joy because theyre vital to who I am, to the way God made me.
Another big part of what brings me joy is inspiring others to find their purpose and live their best Full Tank Life. And thats what this book is all about. Nothing would make me happier than to sit down and have a conversation with you about who you are and what you want your life to be about. But since we may not get that opportunity face-to-face, I hope that we can begin a different kind of conversation through these pages. Although we may be separated by distance, our hearts will be united in the pursuit of our shared goal: filling your lifes tank and igniting your dreams. My job is to show you how to uncover those suppressed gifts and to set goals to experience a constant path of growth and fulfillment for the rest of your life. Im convinced that once you know your assignment in life, it will strengthen and lengthen every area of your life.