“The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn’t matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark.” ―Barbara Hall
Have you ever gone through life asking yourself questions like, “Who am I?” “What is my life work?” “What is my special talent?” Well I have and guess what, there are a lot of people in this world that are asking themselves these questions. If this sounds like you, continue reading.
I want to take you down memory lane for a bit. I want you to go back to the time when you were a young child, you know that stage where you were discovering yourself, and all the things you liked to do, the things that made you happy. What did you enjoy the most? Was it drawing, writing on paper, sports, dancing, singing, teaching? I want you to really think about it? Once you remember that special gift that brought joy to your life, I want you to ask yourself this question, “If I start doing that again, that special gift that brought joy to me, during my childhood years, will I be a happier person?” “Would I feel aligned with my life’s work?” If your answer is yes, then what’s stopping you? Before you answer that question, let me share with you what stopped me and maybe you can relate.
At a very young age I knew I loved to teach. I remember being around 7-8 years old playing school with my brothers. Of course, I was always the teacher since I was the oldest and I had more authority, right? Well at least that’s what I told myself, and my brothers. Anyways, I use to force them to sit down and listen to my lessons, although by the look on their faces I could tell that they were bored, but I still kept yapping away and teaching my lessons.
Another special gift that brings joy to my life, is writing. There’s something about writing that makes me feel at one with myself, and brings pure joy and happiness to my life. I love the feeling I get when my fingers are typing away as I'm pouring out my words, while drinking a huge cup of coffee in a quiet room. Nothing but pure bliss!
So, you’re probably thinking, how's my writing and teaching career going? Well, I’m close to my mid 30’s and I haven’t put out any content out there, no written books, no blogs, nothing. You might be saying, "What happened to that girl who had a passion for writing and teaching?" Here's what happened.
As I mentioned earlier, as a young child I enjoyed teaching and writing. When I became a teenager, and if you were anything like me and the majority of teenagers, I focused on friends, fitting in, and boys that I ended up putting the things that made me happy behind me, you know on hold. Before I knew it, I was a young adult thinking about my life, my future, and who I wanted to be. I knew I wanted to be successful, and for some reason, I thought writing wasn't going to produce that success I was looking for. I ended up burying my gifts, and chasing a dream that later on, would lead me to an unfulfilled life. Luckily, about 2 weeks ago, I had an epiphany and came to realize, that I needed to start writing again, because through my writing I can change my life. Now, as I am sitting here typing this, I can say that I am happy that I started writing again, because through my writing I know that I can teach and change lives.
Now that you know somewhat of my story, I want to help you turn that unfulfilled life that you are experiencing right now, into a life of happiness. So here are some tips that can lead you on the right path.
• Ask and you shall receive
Have you ever heard of the phrase “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” in John 16:24. When you ask a question, to the Universe, to GOD, you will get the answers you are looking for. You will get the answer to your question in ways that only you can understand. So start asking questions like, “What makes me happy?” “What is my life’s work?” “What’s my special gift?” you will get the answers, just make sure you pay attention.
• Don’t question it, have confidence.
When I first received the answer to my questions, I kept questioning it. “How can I make a living by writing?” “I’m not good enough.” “People don’t want to read my stuff.” To be honest it was because I didn’t have confidence in myself. I started to work on my confidence, and once I realized that I was good enough to be a writer and teacher, that’s when the magic started.
• How Can My Fear Be a Guide?
“Fear is a call from the universe to guide you to your true purpose.”- Bob Heilig
We are programmed to avoid, the things that scare us. For instance, if you are afraid of heights, chances are you avoid anything that has to do with heights. Our minds resist anything that causes us fear. So, we need to learn to condition ourselves to confront our fears. Rather than avoiding our fears, become aware of it and use it as a guide.
• You will fail
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”- Thomas A. Edison
In any life changing journey, you will experience failure. When people experience failure they think that they are not good enough, or that they suck at it, but that’s not true. When you experience failure, look at it as, you used a strategy that didn’t work, so now you need to find another way.
I’m going to be honest, failing can be discouraging so I want to share with you from CBS NEWS, some well-known celebrities, that kept going even though they failed.
“Michael Jordan was cut from his high school varsity basketball team sophomore year. Good thing failure only inspired him to work harder.”
“Oprah Winfrey’s first boss told her she was too emotional and not right for television”
“In 1923, Babe Ruth set the record for the most home runs in a season…while also striking out more than any other player in Major League Baseball. Over his career, he struck out 1,330 times, according to Seattle Times, but rose above his failures to hit 714 home runs.”
To sum up, we all have special gifts that we are meant to pursue. These gifts, your passion, will bring happiness to you and can help so many people. Don’t let doubt, fear, failures, or other people’s opinion stop you from living your life’s purpose. So go out there and start chasing your real dreams.
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Image Credit:
Who am I: https://wonderingfair.com/2011/07/22/who-am-i/
Back in time:https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/paradox-lost-new-science-says-going-back-time-and-changing-past-might-not-change-present
Alice and Wonderland: tenor.com/u4Q1.gif
Last image: Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash