Something wonderful happened last week that I want to share with you. I was a partner and keynote speaker at Nitika Chopra’s Summer Self-Celebration and I was in the company of some amazing lifestyle empowerment brands like Hay House, Vikaz, We Are The Light, Jennifer Racioppi and Folk Ayurveda. They were such a bright, fun bunch spreading their joyful products and services with Nitika’s guests. They each shined brightly in their own way – Ayurvedic healers, astrologers, beauty care professionals, coaches, energy workers and self-love experts.
At my table, I signed copies of Messages From Shakti and gave intuitive oracle readings. There was a huge line at my table and all the time slots were filled with more guests asking for additional readings! I was surprised and delighted that all these women wanted to get readings from me. And do you know what most of them asked about? “What’s my life purpose?” “What am I meant to do?” “What’s my gift?”
I answered their questions one after another. Many of them smiled after feeling the relief that someone else had acknowledged their gift. Some cried at the joy that what they were intuitively feeling all along was correct. Some were shocked that they could actually heal and help others with their numerous gifts expressed together.
Your gift IS your purpose. Whatever it is that you love to do. That very activity or cause that lights you up. The cause you are so passionate about.
So when people say, “What should I do with my life?” or “What is my life purpose?” what they’re actually asking is: “What can I do with my time that is important?”
I used Doreen Virtue’s Life Purpose Cards in my readings and I loved the messages that these cards bring. We are conditioned to believe that we can only be one type of person, logical or creative and that our job has to be as one-dimensional as that.
Here’s the truth. We have many gifts, talents and strengths. And when we use them together and express those gifts, we honor our purpose and our passion and what brings us meaning.
Here are all the different gifts and roles in Doreen Virtue’s Life Purpose Cards:
Healer
Music
Crystals
Leader
Artist
Freedom
Spiritual Teacher
Nutrition
Body Worker
Justice
Counseling
Support
Writing
Books
Travel
Children
Animals
Environmentalist
Builder
Strength
Some of the women were so shocked that they could infuse qualities like “Freedom” and “Entrepreneurship” into their lives, even into a full-time job. They were surprised that they could generate the amount of “Passion” and “Drive” to start their own healing practice or business or become an author in the meantime.
I assured them, “Yes, you can.”
And then Nitika invited me up to the podium so I could share my own story of how I found my calling.
In 2010 I was getting divorced. It was an emotionally crippling process that left me lost and broken. At some point in the divorce process, I decided I wanted re-invent myself and change my career direction. I was an advertising executive working in San Francisco and New York. I began to dream of a life I’ve always wanted but was scared to pursue.
One year in the Mediterranean. I imagined a life in Spain. I listened to flamenco music and Cafe del Mar all day long, I had vision boards of “My Life In Spain” in my house and at work, I listened to my intuition on places to visit that matched my inner desires, once I arrived there I networked and created trustworthy relationships with people who lived in a magical island called Ibiza. For months I journaled through my resistance and transformed doubt and worry into passion and purpose. I channeled the joy I felt about this life.
When I journaled about the possibilities of this experience, there were so many voices that cautioned me out of it. What will my parents say? What about my full-time job? I trusted the words that poured out of my soul. I followed that. I trusted my inner voice and my inner vision. I chose that. After hundreds of pages filled with the voice of a woman’s whose soul had been set on fire, I had discovered the ability to follow the voice of my soul consistently and discern between soul and ego. My body was tingling all over. My heart was pounding and I felt excitement and passion flow again through my veins.
I had laid down plans for a new vision for my life. My deepest longings and desires to dance at festivals and concerts the way I once had when I was young girl. To swim in moonlight and dance across the shore of an ocean. I wrote down all the possibilities.
Have you ever felt like your life didn’t bring you joy? Or your job wasn’t completely giving you what you want for yourself? When you embrace the work that inspires you, you want to feel passion and feel alive. And the world needs you to feel passionate and feel alive!
It took me time to journal through my feelings, listen to myself and get clarity.
So how do you get to that clarity and eventually a vision for yourself?
Ask yourself these 4 questions.
- What do I love to do? What’s my passion?
- What makes me come alive? What would I keep doing even if I weren’t paid for it?
- What is my vision? What do I burn to do?
- As a leader, what are some of my unique qualities and skills that I bring to my role? What’s my unique expertise as a leader?
When I asked my community of what they burned to do, here’s what they said…
- A wildly successful podcast. A bold and brilliant blog. And a growable income stream from writing books, teaching yoga, guiding yoga nidra, my audio meditations, and my online classes and coaching program.
- A thriving mindful living coaching business for women who want to go on the inward journey to connect with who they are, what they want and how they can ignite their inner sparkle.
- Growing my business to financial abundance and be able to sustain me, love (both self-love and partner), abundance, travel, new home.
- I’m desiring invitations to collaborate, opportunities to travel, and motivation to create Soul Alignment Retreats.
- To begin speaking after my book “Change Your Movie, Change Your Life: 7 Reel Concepts for Courageous Change” and to begin working on my second book.
- A Sacred Feminine revolution that awakens each us to the power, beauty and wisdom of the Feminine. A hugely successful podcast, inspiring blog and resource book, joyful collaborations and transforming work with clients.
- An amazing community of people who are committed to their own truth, expressing their gifts and honoring the Inner Teacher.
These were their vision statements. Look how clear they are. Each of these women has taken time to surrender to their heart, their intuition and to their courage. They have taken time to journal about the possibilities of what they can do with their gifts and what they can become.
Write Your Own Vision Statement
So here’s your challenge. Journal on those four questions from above.
What comes up for you? What do you think you can do with these talents, strengths and skills you have?
Be creative! Find other people you admire and study their journey. How did they begin? What gift did they follow? What experiences were they open to having to discover themselves in a new light?
Them roll up your sleeves and get out your journal.
Write down I burn to: ____________________________________________________________________
Feel into what you’ve written. Really feel the joy this act brings you and all the people you can touch just by bringing your joy and creativity into the world.
This is why we are here. To support each another, nourish each another, inspire each another and lead. This is beautiful time in history where women are stepping up to express their gifts and become leaders in the world.
This is what I practiced to get clarity on creating a career that brings me joy and makes me feel alive.
I’m so excited to see what you discover during this process. In the comments below, please share 1-2 things that came up for you when you asked yourself the 4 questions and when you created your vision statement. If you have questions, please let me know and I would love to support you.
I wish you so much love and luck on your journey!
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