I recently read through a new book from Will Mancini called Younique: Desiging the Life that God Dreamed for You. It was a good look at some practical tools to help someone live intentionally engaged in the specific mission God has for them to live.
Mancini is great at helping people and churches gain clarity. A previous book called Church Unique was a great treatment of how God has shaped every congregation uniquely and I expected something similar from Younique only aimed at the individual instead of a whole church.
Expectations were met, and Younique could be an incredibly helpful book. It is full of tools and practical thought exercises that can help you determine your unique mix of personality, skills, interests, passions, etc. and how that all works together to reveal the specific work for which God has crafted you.
If you’re tired of living on auto-pilot, this is a helpful resource. The only caveat I would offer is that at times, the deluge of inventories and exercises can be overwhelming. This is not a friend you sit down with for a casual read at your favorite coffee shop. This is a counselor that will help you unpack years of unexamined living to make order out of the chaos your life may resemble from time to time. This is a pastor that can help you find clarity through the tears and a coach that will bark at you when you’ve been running the wrong route.
I don’t know a lot of people who have put the kind of intentional effort into living that Younique calls for. We all have blindspots that keep us traveling familiar routes, but I could see this book being incredibly useful to a small fellowship of people who are committed to helping each other live on God’s mission. I think maximum benefit from this book would require some extended time with a good counselor, discussing the various exercises.
Not coincidentally, Mancini has developed a company designed to do just that as they walk people through the tools in the book to develop their “Younique Life Plan” through various weekend and 4 day events and 6-month cohorts. It looks like a great way to get the most out of the book if you’ve got the funds to join in. Even if you don’t, there are a number of free resources available to help you as well.