In order to finalize your timeline, let's take a few minutes to check how it fits the norms and enter any additional descriptions you want to appear on it.

The graph at right (above on small screens) displays the average of many timelines. On this graphic, the the number of years it takes the average person to reach each point is shown above the line, while the average length of the stage (and the range that 85% of timelines fall into) is shown below it.

Comparing your graph to this one can tell you how your timeline aligns with the norms. For instance, say a person creates a timeline where the Lordship Decision is at age 18 and the Releasing stage begins five years later at 23. Our research says that the average time between Lordship and Releasing is 18 years—over 85% percent of leaders place the two at least 9 years apart. A five year span here seems quite unlikely. If this individual began an upward season at age 23, it is much more likely to be the Preparation Stage.

Just because your timeline falls outside the normal range doesn't mean it is wrong—there might be a very good reason for it. For instance:

• Those who come to Christ later in life tend to have shorter stages
• If you fell away from God for a season or just stagnated, seasons can be stretched out
• If you became a Christian as a child, your Natural Promotion stage can be much longer than usual
• Sometimes one stage is longer than normal and the next one is shorter, or vice versa