Phil Cooke - One Big Thing: Discovering What You Were Born to Do

PRAISE FOR ONE BIG THING

A wonderful read for all agesPhil challenges a material world to think more deeply about the true meaning of life, and he offers practical steps to help answer that question. I think the world is hungry for these answers and Phils book is available at a perfect time.

MEGAN ALEXANDER, CORRESPONDENT, INSIDE
EDITION, TVs #1 SYNDICATED NEWSMAGAZINE SHOW

At the very foundation of all my marketing knowledge are lessons taught to me by Phil Cooke. Phil Cooke is a creative genius.

MARK HORVATH, HOMELESS ADVOCATE
AND FOUNDER OF INVISIBLEPEOPLE.TV

In Phil Cookes book, youll uncover your One Big Thing and then drum up the guts to pursue it!

NANCY DUARTE, BEST-SELLING
AUTHOR AND CEO OF DUARTE, INC.

PRAISE FOR JOLT!

Phil Cooke can help you make disruption and change the source of your successnot the end of it. Jolt! offers practical tips on how to manage circumstances, emotions and unforeseen changes to your advantage. Read it and embrace your new reality.

TIM SANDERS, FORMER CHIEF SOLUTIONS OFFICER
AT YAHOO! AND AUTHOR OF LOVE IS THE KILLER APP

Jolt! may be the best book yet from one of the most innovative communicators of our generation. In this sure-to-be bestseller, Phil Cooke deals with the issue of change in a way that allows us to embrace it rather than fear it, to benefit from it rather than to be hurt by it, and to harness it as a means of achieving a real and positive change in every area of our life. This book is for everyone.

JOEL OSTEEN, SENIOR PASTOR,
LAKEWOOD CHURCH

In todays fast-paced world, nothing stays static for long. Jolt! provides smart ideas on how to embrace change in a tangible and powerful way.

DAN LIN, PRODUCER OF SHERLOCK HOLMES 1 & 2
AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF TERMINATOR SALVATION

The world has changed and nothing will ever be the same again. Most people have reacted by hunkering down and settling into survival mode. In Jolt!, Phil Cooke brilliantly shows us that we were created for something far greater. We dont have to have life dictated to us. We can rise above the chaos and stay ahead of the curve.

STEVEN FURTICK, LEAD PASTOR, ELEVATION
CHURCH AND AUTHOR OF SUN STAND STILL

Todays ever-changing and fast paced world can be overwhelming. Jolt! offers unique and inspiring solutions to problems that arise in the busy and chaotic times we live in. It will equip you with the tools to move forward in life with new passion and determination.

JOYCE MEYER, BIBLE TEACHER
AND BEST-SELLING AUTHOR

When I created the nationwide Get Motivated Seminars, one of my driving passions was to help professionals understand todays rapidly changing business world. Jolt! is a roadmap for understanding those changes. If youre serious about success, this is the book I recommend.

PETER LOWE, FOUNDER OF
THE GET MOTIVATED SEMINARS

OTHER BOOKS BY PHIL COOKE:

Jolt: Get the Jump on a World Thats Constantly Changing

Branding Faith: Why Some Churches and Non-profits Impact the Culture and Others Dont

The Last TV Evangelist: Why the Next Generation Couldnt Care Less About Religious Media

Discovering What You Were Born to Do

PHIL COOKE

2012 by Philip Howard Cooke

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

ISBN-13: 978-1-40027-483-3 (IE)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cooke, Phil, 1954
One big thing : discovering what you were born to do / Phil Cooke.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-59555-484-0
1. Self-actualization (Psychology) 2. Self-realization. 3. Meaninglessness (Philosophy) I. Title.
BF637.S4C657 2012
158.1--dc23

2012002924

Printed in the United States of America

12 13 14 15 16 QG 6 5 4 3 2 1

To my incredible daughters,
Kelsey and Bailey

CURLY: Do you know what the secret of life is?
[holds up one finger] This.

MITCH: Your finger?

CURLY: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and the rest dont mean s***.

MITCH: But what is the one thing?

CURLY: Thats what you have to find out.

FROM THE MOVIE CITY SLICKERS

CONTENTS

1. WHOS PAINTING THE PORTRAIT OF YOUR LIFE?
The Power of Intentional Living

2. DO WE REALLY HAVE A DESTINY?
Lifes Loaded Question

3. WHY ONE BIG THING?
Living in a Culture of Distraction

4. THE POWER OF ONE BIG THING:
The Key to Having Influence

5. THE POWER OF PERCEPTION:
Is Your One Thing About Having a Brand?

6. THE POWER OF VALUES:
Why Your One Big Thing Must
Express Who You Really Are

7. WHATS YOUR ONE BIG THING?
The Question Only You Can Answer

8. THE MAP OF YOUR FUTURE:
Road Signs on the Journey to the One Big Thing

9. BECOME A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH:
Getting Your Story Out There

10. JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE EASY:
Challenges to Your One Big Thing

11. ITS NEVER TOO LATE:
The Time to Begin Is Now

12. ITS NOT ABOUT YOU:
Living Out the Potential of Your One Big Thing

Introduction
THE BIG QUESTIONS

This one thing I do...

THE APOSTLE PAUL (PHILIPPIANS 3:13 KJV)

A ship is safe in harbor, but thats not what ships are for.

WILLIAM SHEDD, NINETEENTH-CENTURY AMERICAN THEOLOGIAN

xiii

Y ou are facing two big questions:

QUESTION 1: WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH MY LIFE?

I believe its a heartfelt question millions ask on a daily basis. Why am I here? What am I supposed to accomplish? What was I born to do?

In one form or another, its the Big Question that paralyzes peoples futures, freezes their momentum, and stalls their promise. It keeps millions of people from fulfilling their potential and making a difference with their lives. I speak at conferences around the world, and afterward people literally line up to ask me the Big Question. In other situations, they pull me aside after business meetings, approach me through social media, or ask through a mutual friend.

The Big Question comes in many ways, but typically Ill hear something like: Phil, Im really unhappy at my job. But frankly, I dont know what Im supposed to be doing with my life. I dont even know what Im good at, so Im not sure where to look or start.