Leaders often bounce from one job to another, one church to another, or one ministry to another, searching for a role that’s the perfect fit. While each transition brings an initial honeymoon period, the euphoria can quickly turn to dissatisfaction, disappointment or even disillusionment. Soon enough, the internal wrestling match begins again as we look over the fence for new opportunities.

Finding the right fit is too often a roll of the dice. Rather than thinking strategically about what they’re cut out to do, some people pursue titles, perks, shiny opportunities and situations that stroke their egos. Then they move on. But there’s a better way.

Finding the right role doesn’t begin with the role; it begins with you. It starts with a robust awareness of who God made you to be. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Who God designed you to be reveals the good works He designed you to do. When you understand the real you, you’ll know how to choose the right role. Here are three ways to navigate this journey, and find a role that’s right for you.

Raise Your Self-Awareness
If you find yourself jumping from one role to the next, of if you’re standing at the edge of a transition at work, the best thing you can do is raise your awareness of how God intentionally designed you. Because God created you with your purpose in mind, He intentionally placed inside you the raw ingredients you need to fulfill that purpose. If you don’t pay attention to the raw ingredients, you’ll wander into random roles with no rhyme or reason.

In my book, Do Good Works: Am I Doing What I Was Made to Do?, I challenge readers to turn over 10 pieces of a puzzle (what I call “The Good Works Puzzle”) to immediately increase self-awareness. Some of those puzzle pieces are experience, destiny markers, personality, spiritual gifts, abilities, skills, passions and values. The more you understand these puzzle pieces, the more you’ll discover who God designed you to be.

If you don’t intuitively know how God designed you (and even if you do), take advantage of helpful assessments, such as StrengthsFinder, Myers-Briggs, My Passion Profile and Leading From Your Strengths. These tools will increase your clarity and hone your energy in the right direction. Don’t just take the assessment and then set it on the shelf. Really dig into the results, and pay attention to common themes that repeatedly surface.

Recognize the Patterns
After you finish taking some assessments, look for patterns in the data. Typically, you’ll see common themes emerge. For example, when I take a variety of assessments, it becomes quite clear that I have “strategic” strengths, “communication” gifting and a bent toward “execution.” Those themes show up over and over. That’s important to recognize, because that’s how God wired me. He did that on purpose so that I could fulfill a specific purpose.

Finding the right role starts with a robust awareness of who God made you to be.

As you look at your past experiences, you’ll discover additional patterns. You’ll see which environments you excel in, how you make your greatest contribution to a team, and what kind of activities truly energize you. You’ll also discover which situations to avoid, what activities drain you and where you are weakest. Your patterns are like prophets. They reveal the kind of future in which you’ll most likely thrive.

Research the Right Role
Find out where your gifts and passions lie, based on the patterns and themes that emerge as you increase your self-awareness. Then consider what kind of role would allow you to use your gifts and pursue your passions on a regular basis. Knowing the right fit helps you throw out the roles that might look good or sound exciting but simply don’t fit how God designed you.

Someone once asked me to interview for a role on the staff of a church that had quite a bit of appeal. The role included a title that, to be honest, was flattering. I liked it. A lot. But there was one problem. The actual responsibilities of the role were completely outside of my gifts, abilities and passions. I knew I would be miserable. I knew my boss wouldn’t be happy with my performance. And I knew that if I took the role, I’d be looking over the fence in no time.

So, I turned it down. My understanding of how God wired me, and the patterns revealed in my gift mix, gave me the clarity and courage I needed when it counted the most. That’s what self-awareness does. It gives you the ability to look past the glitz, glamour and glory, and honestly assess whether you’re a good fit for the role.

As you select a role, keep in mind that roles fall into four categories. There are community roles (family, community, schools), church roles (those within the body of Christ), career roles (work, industries, career fields), and cultural roles (in the various channels of culture, such as business, education, government, media and the social sector). When you’re choosing a role, keep in mind that there is more than one place you can live out your God-given design. While work is a big role, it’s not the only role.

I often illustrate purpose and roles with an umbrella. When you discover your purpose in life, it’s like opening an umbrella. The umbrella represents your gifts and passions and all the elements that go into who God designed you to be. Once the umbrella is open, you can carefully and strategically choose which roles to place under the umbrella (and which roles to remove). The role is not the umbrella, but the role should help you live out whatever the open umbrella reveals.

These simple steps will help you open the umbrella of your purpose and identify and find the right kind of role. This process will require some time and careful reflection — and maybe even some coaching from a trusted advisor. But it’s worth it. The clarity you gain will help you stop the wandering and hone in on a role cut out just for you.