Written by: Imani Missouri, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Faith may appear to be intangible or unrelated to business. It is believing in that which is not yet seen but moving, taking the leap. It is not winging it but rather moving with conviction. Those that are risk-averse or pantomathic, may be more challenged by faith because it exists contrary to logic and readily available details. Faith is a noun, verb, and lifestyle in business and in one's personal life.
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to present a session, Faith In Action, as a part of Christian Business Owner Virtual Summit. In full transparency this seemed fairly simple, it’s what I do, it’s me, yet when it came to putting the presentation I had a moment of stuck. To add additional context, I expressed interest to present at the summit in the spring and was extended an offer to present in August, one month from its launch. I had less than a month to further ideate my session yet, stuck. The content came to me close to 3 hours before I was set to go on the virtual stage. I know you must be thinking, that was pushing it. You are most certainly right! I was being pushed beyond the fog, procrastination and leaning in to trusting that the message would be perfectly packaged for the summit’s attendees.
To further illustrate what it means to put faith in action, I zeroed in on one of my favorite scriptures and anchors for my business, Faith Forward LLC. Hebrews 11:1 AMPC says, “NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].” I was struck by the “NOW FAITH”. Keen on the positioning of “now” as the starter of the verse, I interrogated faith, that which is being modified, from the basis of the adverb, now. I journeyed through an elementary refresher of the meaning of an adverb which is defined as “a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group, expressing a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc. (e.g., gently, quite, then, there ).”
Here is a snapshot of 6 considerations shared during my presentation that can serve as a self-coaching exercise the next time you feel stuck as a leader or entrepreneur. It is my hope that they will serve as degrees of progress from stuck to unstuck, doubt to confidence, cocooning to transformation. It requires a deeper level of discernment and steadily moving through a process of introspection:
NOW to act faithfully means to exercise an expression of faith in relation to
Place: Where are you being called to be?
Time: When are you being led to move on “it”?
Manner: How will you get “it” done?
Cause: What or why is this action uniquely designed for you to fulfill it?
Degree: What is your capacity to get “it” done?
Continue to reflect, reassess and realign in your leadership. An additional thank you to Bernice Loman for putting the event together and for all of the business owners who shared in the impartation. If you’re curious about how you can put faith inaction with Faith Forward, learn more here.
Imani Missouri, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Imani Missouri is the Principal Owner of Faith Forward LLC, where she leverages the essence of faith to coach leaders toward their purpose. She has a number of faith-centered sub-brands that motivate women of color to reach their full potential in the professional sphere and beyond. Some of which include the Forward 40 (4tea) podcast, which highlights the experiences of 40 women of color on the rise in the nonprofit and social enterprise sectors. She is also the founder of The Forward Academy, a faith-centered professional development platform for women of color seeking to define themselves beyond their titles. Her career spans experience in the nonprofit, community development, and education sector. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for DIFFvelopment, a nonprofit that creates historically and globally conscious Black visionary leaders who believe in Black business, take responsibility for developing solutions to the issues Black people face, and have unshakeable pride and confidence in themselves. She is also a member of the Medal and Nominating Committees for Smith College.
