Living On Brand: Aligning Your Life with God’s Calling

What do people say about you when you are not in the room? And whatever they say, is it true? Listen, this is all about having and living out a personal brand. If you have one, great. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you're in the right spot. If you want to improve the one you have, even better. Let's get into it. Hey, my name is Chrystal Hurst, and if you're joining me today, it's because you either are subscribed to my my YouTube channel, following me on Facebook, you're— you've got my email newsletter, or YouTube just showed me to you. However you got here, I'm glad that you're here. And I make it my business to help women of faith live lives that are intentional. If you've ever said, I need a big sister to help show me the way, I need a— I need a big cousin, I need a friend, I need a coach, you have landed in the right spot. But the reason why it's so important today that you landed in the right spot is because, y'all, I have to still work on my personal brand. Because sometimes what people perceive about me isn't actually the real deal. But why is that? Because I have not always been thoughtful about making sure what is true about me is on display. Why does that matter? I don't owe anybody anything. I don't have to prove anything to anyone. But I do want to make a mark on this world for the life that God has given me to live. I don't want to get to the end of my life and not have made an impact that was a part of God's calling on my life. I owe it to myself, and I owe it to the God who made me to exercise my calling in such a way that the impact he wanted me to have, I'm able to have. And that will not happen without me shining my light on a hill. The Bible says in Matthew 5:14, you are the light of the world. And there are some things about me that ought to be evident, that ought to be clear, that ought to be obvious. And so I have made it my business in the last few years to operate in my calling as God orders my steps. Now y'all, calling is a really big word. People get very stressed out about the word calling. They go to church and they're like, oh my gosh, I want to make sure I live my I don't want my life to not have a purpose. And I'm stressed out because I don't know exactly what God wants to do with my life. Calling is so much simpler often than we make it out to be. Calling is simply this, that you get to know God and that you do what he says. That's it. Because if you let God worry about your calling, and if you let God worry about his purposes for you, and if you let God worry about his plan for your life, he knew you before you were born, Psalm 139 says. And he weaved you together in your mother's womb in such a way to make sure that you were uniquely designed and that there would never be anybody else on this earth just like you. So when you got here on this earth, he already had a plan. The thing is, he wants us to connect with him so we can find it out. I've been reading again and again and again the principles of prayer, and in Matthew chapter 6, the disciples said, hey Jesus, will you show us how to pray? And Jesus said, sure, I'll do that. And he started with Our Father who art in heaven. Many of you grew up learning this. Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. So here's why this is so important. God's will is already done in heaven. Here's where you come in. In order for God to do his will on Earth, he uses people. So guess where your calling comes in? Your calling comes in with letting God use you. How does your personal brand come in? How does your calling and your purpose come in? When you align your life with him, with him, with his word, and with his calling on your life, life based on your unique design. One of the reasons why we have as of late been walking through my latest book, 100 Days to Discover the Gift of You— we were walking through that and we had 100 days and we're gonna keep going until we're done, right girls? Right. But one of the reasons why we're doing that is because some of us have never taken the time to examine what God has put in us. We've never said, how did you make me different? We've never said, what matters most in my life? We've never said, how do we nurture ourselves? We've never said how to organize and, and, and see clearly our different gifts. And if you don't do that, then you may be walking around with a suitcase full of things that God wants you to use that you're not honoring. Your personal brand cannot be separate. If you care about your life, your legacy, and eternity, it cannot be separate from God's will and his plan from your life. That is something I believe deeply. And your light that shines on a hill, what people see when they look at you should be a reflection of what he's doing in you. So let's talk about it. There are 3 pillars to living an on-brand life. Number 1, your life should be in alignment with your calling. How do you know your calling? You have to listen to his guidance. How do you know what God is guiding you to do? You have to obey his word. How do you know what God's word tells you to do? You have to read it. You gotta read it. There is a post that I have on my website. It is called 20 Ways to Read the Bible. If you're like, I just don't know where to start, you can start with that post, okay? Just search 20 Ways Chrystal Hurst on Google and you will be sure to find it. Now, the reason why I put that there with a lot of options is because some people want to do this a lot of different ways. They're like, I want a devotional, I want to read through the word in a year. I personally love reading through the chronological Bible, the One Year Chronological Bible, y'all. And once I get off course, I just keep going and write the date I read it next to the date that's next, even if they are not the same. I just keep going because eventually, whether it's 1 year, 18 months, or 3 years, I will get through it. Kay Arthur, who is an amazing woman of the word and who taught so many of us over the last 30 years, 40, 50 years of her life how to study the Bible, she would say you can't understand what God wants in your life if you're not willing to read the whole counsel of the word. In other words, don't just relegate yourself to the verses that are easy to read in Philippians, Ephesians, you know, go eat pizza, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians. Read Leviticus, read the Old Testament. The stories sometimes in the Old Testament are the best. It's kind of like listening and reading to a soap opera. But what you will find is that God used very imperfect people to accomplish big things. Abraham was told to leave your home and go somewhere. He didn't know where he was going, but he was obedient and he just followed the breadcrumbs. I talk a lot about that in She's Still There. What does it mean to follow the breadcrumbs on your life? Sometimes God does not give you the whole picture. He doesn't tell you tell you exactly what the road will look like. He does say, follow the next thing that I want to tell you to do. And if you are obedient in the little things, then he will keep revealing more. You can literally ask, does what I'm saying, does how I speak, is how I'm dressing, is, is what I'm posting, does it— is it in line with what I believe? Is it in line with what I believe? And if not, then you don't post it, then you don't wear it, then you don't say it. And if it is, then you should say it. Some of us shy back from saying or doing things because we don't want to offend We don't want to be the person who, who actually vocalizes what's true. And God is like, but I'm waiting on you. Being a believer is not just about the don'ts. It's actually more about the dos. It's that you're so committed to the dos. You're so committed to what he's showing you in his word. You're so committed to your brand identity for him in action that you are consistently willing to show your light to the world. You can be clear about your calling because you know Christ. And if you don't know Christ, if you don't know him well, if you haven't been to church in a while, if you haven't picked up your Bible in a while, if you read and do all the Bible studies but you don't spend time in prayer, not just talking but listening, then you will never be able to build a light on a hill, a personal brand that actually reflects your best and brightest light. This is what happens when you are not showing your light to the world because you are not reflecting what truly is happening. So how do you fix that? You have to put in what matters. We have a lot of people that are talking about positive energy and being emotionally healthy and making sure that they have their boundaries protected so that they can be their best self and all that kind of stuff. That is so true. But all the world does is take what's already true in the Lord, in Christ, and they take Christ out of it. And that's why everybody's always struggling to come up with it on their own. So here's what you do: you borrow the light. You borrow the light because Christ is the light of the world. And then he said, now you go be the light too. So you get recharged by praying, recharged by reading, recharged by studying, can you borrow other people's light? When you have your sister circle— this is why it's so intentional for you to develop relationships with other people, because when you don't have a light, other people give you light. They celebrate you when you cannot celebrate yourself. They pray for you when you cannot pray for yourself. They tell you what God says when you don't know. This is why discipleship matters. This— they lift you up when you can't function on your own. They have fun with you. They take the trips with you. They go on the cruise with you. They go to the live events with Chrystal Hurst with you. They, they go and do the virtual ones, runs and the talks with you, because we are not supposed to be able to light ourselves back up when the light goes out. Hey, if you're watching this video or listening to this podcast, it is released in June of 2025. And if you are listening or watching during that time frame, y'all, the Summer of Sisters is loading, and I cannot wait because we're going to have such a great time in the Inner Circle, my membership. We're going to spend the summer learning and growing in our confidence, not only discovering who we are but how to walk strongly and boldly in our confidence and in our own skin. Not only that, but in June we're gonna be moving and grooving, working out together. In July, we're gonna be stashing our cash, y'all, saving our money. It's all about those coins. And then in August, we're gonna be decluttering our life so we can see clearly and hear clearly. But all the good things kick off on June 21st with our virtual walk/run. So you can walk, you could run, but whatever you do, go right now to thesistercircle.com/sos for more information about our virtual walk/run. It's free for anyone to join in, and also then you'll be sure to receive information about all of the things loading for the summer. Y'all, it's all about the summer, it's all about sisters, and it's all about us being better together. Some of us are out here trying to generate light by working up positive energy, and some of us are trying to generate light by doing the most, and some of us are generating light by setting boundaries. You know, Mel Robbins is like, let them theory. Listen, if you lock everybody out of your life that's bugging you, you won't have nobody. Nobody. And I'm all for setting boundaries, but there have to be some people in your life who can light your candle when the light goes out. So have a calling and make sure that you're aligned as such. You know, I talked about in the previous, uh, live that I did with the Inner Circle about being demure. You know, the whole thing about being demure. That's very demure, very cutesy, very mindful. And you gotta blend the best of yourself with a real brand, a real light, a real style. But it has to be you, not what everybody else is saying in the world you're supposed to be, okay? If you are loud and fun and you light up the room, don't be demure. Don't, don't. We need your laughter and your joy and your foolery. It's important. Now let me just tell you this little thing. So we are at the— on the verge of the summer, and because we're on the verge of the summer, it's about that time for me to revisit my house rules. Um, when the kids were small, we had house rules. And as they grow every year, we have house rules. And when my college kids come back home, we have to re— re-review the house rules, partially because they've been on their own and they've forgotten that just because you do that in your dorm room, or you do that when you're away working for the summer, that's not what we do here. We are redoing our house rules, and we're doing them in mind for our current age of our kids. Your pillars for living an on-brand life are like your house rules. So house rule number 1 is your alignment should match your calling. How do you know your calling? I get it from being a light because I'm reflecting the light of Christ. I have to know what God says about my life, about how to live life, and about me in order to live in my purpose and my intention. And I am relieved from the stress of figuring it out on my own because all I have to do is follow him. Number 2 house rule: you should operate in authenticity because your authenticity is the gateway. It is the door to your influence. Okay, your influence doesn't start with how many followers that you have on social media, how many followers you have, um, on your YouTube channel, how many followers you have in your real life, how many people you have on your email list. It's not about that. And I know for us who are probably over 40, we may care a lot less about that. If you are under 40, you probably care. Because a world, the world that you live in, has been built around social and how much am I connected. It's not about that. It's not about followers. It's about faithfulness. It's about being where God called you to be in the skin he put you in, being faithful and consistent in what he asked you to do. Now, the more anchored you are in the word, the more free you ought to be to be yourself. God is celebrating yourself. He is celebrating who you are. He wants the word enacted in you. This is what's so important for you to understand who you are, because your authenticity super important to your influence. Your influence is what happens when you have a tree that's planted and you have water that flows through the tree trunk and water that feeds the leaves on the branch. Okay? Your personal branch is what people see. Your personal leaves are what people see. Your influence is going to be how those leaves, how that fruit impacts the world. The trees influence by providing shade. The leaves provide beauty. They provide, uh, the ability for us to enjoy parks and all these different things, right? Influence is what happens because you're bearing fruit, and the fruit should come out of who you are. Every tree is a different variety. Every plant is a different variety. We enjoy the variety of flowers. The summer is about seeing the beauty of all these different fruiting plants shed their beauty with the world, share their beauty with the world, and they do different things. They're different heights, they're different widths, they have different smells. They are all so beautiful, and them being beautiful in their own right in their own right is what gives them influence. You being you will affect your influence, but you cannot produce what you don't have roots for. So you gotta know who you are, you gotta know who you are in Christ, and then you got to bloom where you're planted. And then when you bloom, then you just, in service to God and in service to other people, do what you y'all. This is me doing what I do. This is me tinkering around with tech and playing around with things that I enjoy. And I'm not even an on-camera person. That's why I podcasted for 7 years before I turned on video, because didn't nobody want to get dressed. Did nobody want to do that? And then for the last 5 years, I haven't been, you know, dusting my face. I did y'all a favor and dusted my face this morning. Because I'm blooming where I'm planted with how God made me. Quit apologizing for how God made you and operate with strength and with confidence in your design. If you don't know what your design is, it's up to you to learn it, to examine your life, to look at your life and say, God, what did you give me and how do you want me to use it? So your house rules: number 1, you should concentrate on your calling. Number 2, your authenticity— you being you— that is your influence. Number 3, um, your mark is your ministry. Your ministry will help you to make your mark. All of us want to think that when we're gone from here one day, that people will miss us, that people will talk about us. We would like for many of us to know that our children, or maybe the cause that we so committed ourselves to, a nonprofit cause, or maybe the business that we built, the, the, the things that we did at our church, that it will matter, that us being here matters. But your mattering your, your leaving a mark will first be because you were connected to your calling in Christ. Second, you were connected to your authenticity and influence. But third, it will be because you choose to live on brand. You have a mission. There are things you're doing in your life because it's connected to what God is doing in you. So because I know, and I've known, if I look back at my life, that God wants me to be a gatherer of women, I've known that. Because I could look back in my life and see that me showing up for you today is about my mission. I'm always looking around and saying, in my church, in my real life, online, with my job, with this ministry, how do you want me to show up for women and also create a space where women can connect? The Inner Circle is great, but the Sister Circle is greater. I look forward to how God will continue to grow what he's given me, to, to build this business, to build this ministry, so I can highlight the voices of other women. Because that's what he's put in me. That's me being on mission. That's my mark. If your mark is— if you're like, well, I don't have anything, all I did was raise my children and I'm pouring my life into my grandchildren— that's a mark. A mission does not have to be public. A mission doesn't have to be on camera. A mission doesn't have to have a microphone. It is you blooming where you're planted, in your authentic place, and being on mission for what God has put into your wheelhouse. You are always making a mark. Here's the thing, the question is, is it intentional intentional or is it accidental? Because when you leave a room, people will say something about you. When you leave a room, you will have an impact. When you leave this earth, you will have an obituary, and what will it say? The question is, are you being intentional? Your personal brand should be a ministry tool. Who you are, it should communicate your message, your mindset, your maturity, and all that God wants you to imply about ministry. The good news is you don't have to be big Again, no mic, no camera, but small faithful actions over time can leave a big impact. I was talking about authenticity. It is magnetic because people will admire your talent, but they will follow your truth. They will follow who you actually are. According to Barna, 85% of practicing Christians say that authenticity is one of the most compelling qualities of people that they follow. You want to make a mark for the Lord? You want to make a mark for your brand? You want to make a mark for your person? You want to make a work for the world and for your ministry. Be yourself. Be the self that God created and be yourself that serves other people. Hey there, are you a leader? If so, if you're a woman in a leadership space, I get you. But here's the thing, leadership does not have to be lonely. I get what that can feel like though, because I lead my own company now. I am a leader in ministry and I have led in corporate America too. And I know that sometimes we're just out here trying trying to figure it out, here's the good news. You don't have to figure it out on your own. And I cannot wait to take a group of women who want to learn from me about being a woman who leads well, a woman who has clear vision, a woman who has a strategic plan and knows how to execute on her plans through my next leadership cohort. The doors close for registration June 13th. So if you're watching this video or listening to this podcast and wanna learn more about it, simply go to chrystalevanshurst.com/next. Chrystalhurst.com/cohort. We're gonna walk for 90 days through the best of things I have to teach you about people, planning, vision, mission, values, marketing, strategy, business, income, all the things. I can't wait to give you the flood of information that I have to share with you. And we're gonna be doing that in community. So you'll be learning from me and also other women. There's even an option for personal coaching should you decide to elect to apply for that. So don't wait. Chrystal Hurst.com/cohort. Doors close June 13th. We start July 16th, and I'd love to have you in the room. One of the joys of my life is leading out of what I've learned so that you don't have to be lonely. Listen, I talked about in that other video, y'all, how I tried— listen, there have been 3 times in my life when I've tried to be a cussing person. It hasn't worked out at any point, okay? Even when I tried in high school, the girls said, girl, stop, you can't even do it right. Your personal brand affects how you show up. And even when you make a mistake, because it's a ministry in authenticity, you can be humble and still represent Christ well. So I told you in that Write It Down video— many of y'all have seen that Write It Down— here's the things I want you to write down. What do you want to be known for? What traits or topics reflect your faith? What does not align with your convictions? What do you need to do to release or to adjust? Because here's the thing, I'm gonna say it again, you're gonna have an obituary one day. Those are questions just to get you started. If you really want to be for extra points, why don't you write your own obituary? First of all, that'll be a gift to the other people that don't have to do it when you die. At least you gave them something to work with. They don't have to start from scratch. But I want you to say, what do I want people to say about me? What do I want people to say about me? And then based on that, what do I have to do to make that a reality? And then based on what I have to do over the next how many years of my life, what do I have to do now? What do I have to change now? What do I have to start now? Because you're going to get there to the big things people will say by the little things you do every day. One of the main reasons why we do top 3s in the Inner Circle, one of the main reasons why there's even a whole, you know, planner Because people said, Chrystal Hurst, how do you do all the things? How do you have the goals that you achieve? And I was like, well, I think forward to who I want to be. I think forward to what my brand should look like when I'm gone. And I ask myself, what do I have to do today for that to be true? And I don't always get it right, but I keep coming back to it and saying, house rules. If I want to live in the house that God is preparing for me, then I gotta live in the house that God is asking for me to live in now. What do the rules have to be. I've gotta line my life with the calling of God on my life. I have to be authentic to who he created me to be. I will not get to where I'm supposed to go trying to be somewhere else. And then I have to realize that I will make a mark by serving others. My mark, my mission, is my ministry. I need you to show up in your house with your house rules, and I need you to know that as you do that, you will effectively, even in small ways today, making your mark. And then I need you to know that as you do that, you will be building your brand. And I need you to know that as you do that, you will be deciding what your legacy will be. So where is God calling you to show up more for him? Where is he calling you to show up more in authenticity? And where is he calling you to show up more in ministry to others? Because those are the house rules. And what decisions do you need to make to reflect his light with your personal brand today? Let me pray for you. Lord Jesus, I thank you for the day. I thank you for all the women who are in this room as I'm recording this live, and I thank you for all the people that are watching this live after it is edited, cleaned up, and put out for public consumption. Lord, I pray that you would teach us what it is to live with clarity, to live with character, to live with consistency. Would our lives not just be for applause for personal branding, but for your approval for our personal branding, for your design and for your purposes. Lord, help us to preach through our actions, not just with our mouths. Help us to make a mark that matters for you and help us to remember this, that only what we'll do for Christ will last. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Don't forget, girls, your life is your brand. Your legacy is your post. And your light should reflect what God is doing in you. I hope this was helpful. If you're not yet subscribed to my YouTube channel or following me, please make sure you do that. If this teaching was helpful, share it with a friend, and I will see you around next time. All right, y'all, take care.