Maybe I'm beating a dead horse here but I felt the need to continue where I left off in my last post.
Until you know who you are... what your purpose is... to love you for you.... imperfections and all....you will not fully know how to love others.
How many of you have searched in vain to "figure out" what your purpose it, only to remain frustrated and clueless to this day? Do you want to know the secret??!
Sorry to disappoint, but I have no hard and fast rules, principles or formulas for you to follow. As a matter of fact, I discourage those things.
Instead of bringing freedom, rigidly followed principles and formulas can actually cause you to put your situation in a box and to become unimaginative in your thinking. You may be unable to see other options when there are absolutely limitless possibilities!
“I think you will agree that life's plans are not always tied up in neat little packages. Occasionally we find ourselves at unexpected crossroads with more than one opportunity from which to choose." - Linda Lee Chaikin, Tomorrow's Treasure
That said, on this blog I will often share with you moments that were turning points for me. One of those moments, a moment that offered freedom, was when I was given permission to make mistakes while walking that road to discover my purpose. Have I found it yet? It feels like I may have, but only time will tell.
How will you find yours? I can't tell you. It's a unique, one of a kind, exciting adventure that only you can explore.
Quit fixating on the outcome. Delight in your journey instead of focusing so hard on your destination. Allow things to unravel at their own pace and trust all you are learning will only add to your story.
I began to search myself for what I love to do... what my heart yearned to do... I bounced around from idea to idea. As I said in my last post, I thought I was to look "out there" and focus on helping others, instead of looking "inside me" and focus on what fulfilled me.
I'm blessed to be part of a small group that focuses on encouraging each other, and of increasing our knowledge of who we and each other are. It is from them that I received direction when I was asked "You are creative. How can you use that creativity?" More than one said they saw my writing as my passion.
Search yourself to discover what you love to do, but also ask friends what they see as your gift... your passion.
Along the way I discovered something. I'm learning trust of myself and others.... trust that I'm making progress even when it doesn't look like it. I'm discovering a strength and resilience in myself that I didn't know existed. I'm beginning to admire my willingness to take leaps of faith even if I occasionally find myself dangling from a tightrope of unpredictability.
What I have discovered is, for me, when I write I am totally zoned out to all else. I LOVE digging and delving into my creative side and being allowed to express my observations that are ready to bubble over at any given time. Here they come! Ready or not!
It's a place where I need no one else but also a place where my passion, my purpose, can reach out and touch others. It's focusing on doing what I love, it's focusing on me and my journey, and it can then be used to encourage others.
See how that works? I focused on me... on taking the time to discover who I was... to love me.... and to find out what I love to do for me... write. It's because I focused on me that I can then begin to allow that to flow into encouraging others.
So you see, it IS about you. It IS about putting you first even though we are taught the exact opposite through out life.
I am not talking about selfishness here. A way to be truly successful in love is to study the ones you care for. Learn what makes them tick. Learn what they want... what their dreams are.... what makes them feel satisfied, loved and complete. Shouldn't we extend the same courtesy to ourselves first?
Give yourself and the people in your life an invaluable gift: invest in the time to discover who you are, what you love, what feeds your passion... learn to love yourself. Recognize what a unique gift you are to this world and to the people in it.
Are you not sure what you love... what your passion is? Well, pick one. Any one... Make a choice and go for it. Trust that God will guide your steps. Even if you do not see yourself as a spiritual person, trust your inner instincts that say "mmm.... not feelin' it", or "this is the way, walk in it."
Most of all, don't take it so serious. Relax, enjoy, have fun.... Don't consider any dead end a failure,... consider it learning... an investment in yourself and your future. You can google "inventors that failed miserably before sucess" and find countless stories. Here is one phenomenal story of rags to riches:
"Today he rakes in billions from merchandise, movies and theme parks around the world, but he had a bit of a rough start. He was fired by a newspaper editor because, "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas." After that, he started a number of businesses that didn't last too long and ended with bankruptcy and failure. He kept plugging along, however, and eventually found a recipe for success that worked." Who was he? Walt Disney....
What?! Lacked imagination??? Let that encourage you! Don't be afraid to fail... and fail.... and fail again. As a matter of fact, I don't like the word "fail". Instead I prefer to see it as a curve in the road that is guiding me away from what won't work and directing me closer to what does.
If you, like me, need someone to tell you "It's ok to spend time focusing on yourself", well, I'm giving you permission right now. It's ok to invest in yourself. As a matter of fact, it makes the world a better place when you do because it is then that it can become about others.
It's ok to love you for you.....
