Most leaders understand the importance of vision, strategy, priorities, and accountability at work. We build plans. We measure progress. We decide where to invest our time and resources. But what if we approached our lives with the same intentionality?
In a recent episode of the No Regrets Leadership Podcast, Albo Esilaba talked with Jim Stolberg about a compelling idea: becoming the Chief Life Officer of your life. The goal isn’t to control every detail of your future. It’s to live intentionally while remaining fully dependent on God. Jim describes it as “pursuing intentionality without insisting on control.” That tension matters. We can make plans, set priorities, and take responsibility for how we live while still recognizing that God directs our steps.
So what does it look like to become the Chief Life Officer of your life?
1. Depend on God for Wisdom and Direction
Intentional living begins with dependence, not planning.
Before developing a strategy for your future, make space to hear from God. Jim describes this as making “eye contact with God”—creating regular time to listen, pray, reflect, and seek His direction. For years, Jim began his mornings by immediately tackling email. It felt productive. Today, he intentionally begins his day with God instead.
That change reflects an important leadership question:
What gets your first and best attention?
For some, that intentional time may happen early in the morning. For others, it may happen at another point in the day. The important thing is to develop a consistent rhythm of seeking God before letting the urgency of life take over.
2. Develop a Clear Vision for Your Future
Where is your life headed? Jim encourages leaders to think beyond next month or even next year and consider what they hope will be true five, ten, or twenty years from now. One tool he uses is the 80th Birthday Exercise. Imagine yourself at your 80th birthday surrounded by the people who know you best. What would you hope they say about the person you became?
Not what did you accomplish?
Not what position did you hold?
But who were you?
What kind of husband, father, friend, leader, and follower of Jesus did you become?
That perspective helps shift our attention from building a résumé to building a life. Once that future becomes clearer, it can serve as a plumb line for the decisions we make today.
3. Put Your Strategy in Writing
Vision is important, but vision alone doesn’t change a life. A Chief Life Officer develops a plan for turning that vision into action.
Jim calls his written plan a roadmap. His own roadmap includes several important areas of life: faith, marriage, family, the platforms through which he serves others, and his physical and emotional health. The point isn’t to create a perfect plan.In fact, Jim says his own life mission went through many versions before it became clear.
The important thing is to start. Writing your priorities down forces you to move from vague intentions to concrete decisions. It also allows you to share your plans with trusted people who can offer wisdom, encouragement, and accountability.
4. Audit Your Calendar and Finances
This is where intentionality can get uncomfortable. We can say that our faith, marriage, family, and relationships are our highest priorities. But our calendars and bank accounts often tell a more accurate story. Jim describes our calendars and finances as an audit of our stated values.
If someone examined how you spent your time over the past month, would they recognize the priorities you say matter most?
If they examined how you use your financial resources, what would they conclude you value?
This isn’t about guilt, but alignment. There may be seasons when work legitimately requires more time or when financial obligations restrict your choices. But periodically examining the relationship between what we say matters and how we actually live can reveal areas that need attention.
A powerful question to ask is:
Does the way I spend my time and resources reflect the life I say I want to live?
5. Surround Yourself with the Right People
Living intentionally is not a solo sport. We need people who pour into us and people we can pour into. Jim talks about spiritual overflow. Some seasons we have the capacity to encourage, mentor, and invest deeply in others. Other seasons require us to be strengthened, prayed for, and walked alongside. Healthy leadership requires both.
One practical tool Jim recommends is developing a personal board. Businesses and ministries have boards because leaders need wisdom, perspective, accountability, and people willing to ask difficult questions. Why wouldn’t we want the same kind of trusted counsel in our personal lives?
Who knows you well enough to challenge you?
Who wants to see you become the person God is calling you to be?
Who can tell you when your actions and priorities are drifting apart?
Those relationships are invaluable.
6. Review and Redirect Regularly
Becoming a Chief Life Officer isn’t a one-time exercise. Life changes. Children grow up. Careers shift. Relationships evolve. New ministry opportunities emerge. Health circumstances change. God may redirect our priorities.
That means we need to review our plans regularly. Jim’s foundational mission remains relatively consistent, but his strategies change as his life changes. That flexibility is important. Intentionality doesn’t mean rigidly holding onto a plan. It means regularly returning to God, evaluating where you are, and asking:
What needs to change?
Where am I growing?
Where have I drifted?
What is God asking of me in this season?
Don’t Wait for Life to Settle Down
One of the easiest reasons to postpone this work is to tell ourselves we’ll become more intentional once life becomes less complicated. Once the transition is over. Once work slows down. Once the kids reach the next stage. Once retirement arrives.
Jim offers a different perspective. Transitions may actually be some of the best opportunities to seek God and reconsider the direction of our lives. He uses the word liminality to describe the space between “no longer” and “not yet.” Those uncertain spaces can feel uncomfortable. Our instinct is often to escape them as quickly as possible. But they can also become places where God gives us greater clarity about what comes next.
Instead of rushing through transition, we can create space for God’s grace and direction.
Start Where You Are
You don’t need a perfect life plan. You don’t need every answer. You don’t need to know exactly where the next twenty years will lead.
You simply need to begin. Spend time seeking God. Think honestly about the life you want to live. Write down what matters. Look at your calendar and finances. Invite trusted people into the conversation. Then continue reviewing, learning, and adjusting along the way.
Being the Chief Life Officer of your life isn’t about taking control away from God. It’s about becoming a faithful steward of the life He has given you. And there is no better time to begin than now.
Want to hear the full conversation?
Watch or listen to the No Regrets Leadership Podcast conversation with Jim Stolberg and Albo Esilaba as they unpack the Chief Life Officer framework and practical ways to live with greater purpose and intentionality.
No Regrets Men’s Ministry equips leaders in the church to intentionally disciple men. Explore our Resources and Training.
