Why Not . . . Discover Your Purpose? Part Trois

Discovering your purpose, your passion, in life truly can feel as though a burden has been lifted off of your shoulders regarding the pressure you may have been putting on yourself to succeed.  Once you know what you want to succeed at, you know the direction in which your energy must be spent, and that knowledge isn’t always easy to come by. 

So I’d like to begin the third and final part of the Discovering Your Purpose series with a pat on the back.  If you have taken the steps suggested in Parts One and Two, you have overcome a huge obstacle already – you’ve decided upon your direction and where your focus will be.  Bravo, my friend.  Each day you are doing something to chip away at the desired result and each day you are gradually getting closer. Celebrate the victories, no matter how small they may seem.

Today’s post is focusing on handling and navigating the external obstacles you may run up against.  Let’s get started.

Become Unstuck

Last week the discussion revolved around action, and making sure to do something every day, but the reality for some people is that once they know their purpose, they talk themselves out of going forward.  They get in their own way, talking themselves into settling for the reality that they know now and letting their dream remain a dream. One step at a time.  One step at a time.  With just one step, you become unstuck.  As long as you are not stagnant, you will never become stuck.  Even when you run up against frustrations, momentary setbacks, or any of the obstacles discussed below, you are not stuck because you had to do something to run up against them in the first place, no? Continue to remain unstuck by being perpetually in motion toward your dream.

 

Don’t Be Swayed

People will most certainly have their opinions about your dreams, and while they have a right to their opinions, you have the right to ignore them.  You do not need to mold your life around what they believe you should be doing because, after all, you are the only one who lives with your decisions day in and day out. A perfect example is Henry Ford, who was told by his father that his dream of creating what we now know to be the first car was “stupid” and he was crazy for being a “dreamer” and leaving such a high paying job.  Look who appears to crazy now.

 

About the Money

Lack of money will often be used as an excuse that appears to be legitimate at the time, however, if money is truly what is needed to continue to propel your dream forward, there are ways to find sponsors, support, or a loan.  Get creative.  Start having confidence in your dream and that you will be able to pay back what you are borrowing at the moment.  Or become even more creative and find a way that doesn’t require as much money.  Better yet, have patience and start saving regularly – that change you find in your pocket everyday, start dropping it into a jar. The point being, if you have the will, you will find a way.

Fear

External obstacles are those things that are not produced from within, and so I recognize that fear, at first glance, shouldn’t be a part of this list, but hear me out.  If you are deciding whether or not to relocate in order to follow your heart, your dream, your passion, you will most likely feel a bit (or a lot) of fear, but you may also have fear projected onto you because of what others don’t understand about your decision.  By placing their fear onto your shoulders, the fear you were initially feeling is intensified.  So hopefully you understand why fear can be external as well as internal. Now how to deal with it.

You might remember what was posted a few months ago about fear on the blog (Your Fear is Speaking), what you are most fearful of not happening is actually your dreams wanting, aching to become your reality. This fear, this feeling, I hate to say it, but it will remain unless you act on your dreams and ambitions and look them in the eye. Dr. Barbara Rose states, “Everyone is scared in the beginning! That is just a great sign that you are moving out of the old comfort zone of your ego – that loves to cling on to the past – and you are moving in the direction of your heart and soul – which will NEVER let you down!”  So, give in to your fear and chase your dream.  Chase down that life of living your passion every day, making it your reality.

It is my intention and hope that you found some grain of inspiration or motivation to continue, or begin, to move in the direction of the life of your dreams through these last three segments.  I know in deciding to create and daily work with The Simply Luxurious Life blog that I am pursuing my dream of writing, and I can’t imagine a day of resting my hand. However, it took me time to discover and have confidence in this fact. I would love to hear your successes, your questions, your thoughts on this topic because it remains dear to my heart.

I am in the process of narrowing down ideas for my next Why Not series, so if you have any suggestions or ideas, let me know.  I’d love to hear.  Have a beautiful Wednesday, and my thoughts and cheers are right behind you in your pursuit of your simply luxurious life.

Read the previous segments of the three part series:

Part One – What is Your Purpose?

Part Two – Getting Started

Images: (1)  Fashion Served (2)  Fashion Served (3) Fashion Served (4) Shes a Carnival (5) Fashion Served

Why Not . . . Discover Your Purpose? Part Deux

Have you made a list of your passions? Have you discovered what makes your watch stop and your mind race? 

Last week we began the series of discovering your purpose with help in nailing down exactly what you are passionate about.  If you missed last week’s post, click here to get caught up.  Once you have figured out, without a doubt, what you are passionate about, the next step is to figure out how to begin your journey to make your dream of spending your working hours immersed in doing what you love.  Be forewarned, it will take time.  It doesn’t just happen over night, but something absolutely beyond your imagination is waiting if you are willing to work every day until it comes into fruition.  Let’s get started!

 

Do Something Now

Rome was not built in a day, and neither will your dream manifest in such a limited amount of time. However, it will never become a reality unless you stop contemplating and start executing your plan.  Go!  Write that first sentence, contact the bank about a loan, start the process whatever it may be.

Every Day

If this truly is a passion for you, you won’t be able to stop thinking about it even when you’re not involved in it.  You may become exhausted during your day working toward your goal, but your mind will never shut off about what you could do tomorrow, the next day and on and on.  While it is okay to get excited, make sure you are doing something, no matter how miniscule, every day to further your progress.  Just thinking about it won’t plop you down at your destination. Even if while you’re on vacation, write your thoughts in a journal so that you can come back to them later, do something every day that benefits the cause.  These little things add up like a puddle that becomes a pond.  Eventually you will see growth, but for now, keep your nose to the grindstone and take it one day at a time.

 

Eliminate Excuses

You’re tired?  You have plans?  You can’t possibly believe the ginormous dream you thought you could accomplish will ever become a reality, so why bother?  Stop making excuses.  A person’s own mind is often the biggest obstacle they have to conquer in order to be successful.  So ask yourself, are you getting in your own way?  And if the answer is yes, ask yourself this – is this something you really want?  If you are passionate, if that fire will not be allowed to be extinguished no matter where you move or what circumstances you’re involved in, you’ll be able to get out of your own way.  Trust me.

 

Ask Questions

You won’t know how to conquer your dream with regards to all the detail when you begin your journey.  You will need help along the way, therefore, you must ask for it. It is very telling of someone when they can’t muster the courage to ask an expert a question about the dream they wish to achieve.  Looking back on my past as to why I didn’t take the time to ask certain people questions, I realized (at least for me), that I was afraid they would see through me and know it really wasn’t a passion, it was simply a want, a trophy I wanted to say I had accomplished. 

With this in mind, if you want something because it is your calling, your purpose, the sincerity will be there without having to create it.  Have you ever wondered why some teachers during their first few years of teaching get eaten alive while others soar?  The children can see through the surface – they know whose heart’s in it.  With that said, put your heart into to it and start asking questions!

 

Find  A Mantra

Consider your mantra your fuel.  There will be days that you doubt yourself.  Days where you question your ability.  Rest assured, you’re not doubting your passion, absolutely not, but sometimes a long journey without any reassurance can give a blow to your self-confidence.  In these times, you need a boost, and one way to add your own boost is to have framed on your wall or written by your computer or something where you can’t miss it, a mantra that you believe in that will lift your spirits.  My mantra has always been Henry David Thoreau’s “If one advances confidently in the direction of [her] dreams, and endeavors to live the life [she] has imagined, [she] will meet with success unexpected in common hours.”  It gets me revved up again every time I need it. 

Now get started, take that next step and continue doing something, big or small, every day.  The next and final step  by discusses more defense mechanisms when it comes to dealing with obstacles that may land in your path to your dream.  Click here to read part three and finish the series. I hope you’ll return. 

Images: (1) Flickr (2) Becoming ONE (3) Source (4) Tumblr (5) Tumblr