finding my why
If you’re into the self-improvement thing at all, you probably know that finding your “why” is a frequently discussed topic and most people would tell you that it’s crucial for living a purposeful life. It’s also maddening when everyone is saying “you need to figure it out and here’s how” and then you still can’t figure it out. I read articles and blog posts and books. I listened to podcasts and youtube videos. I really, truly wanted to find what would make me fulfilled, but it eluded me.
So I stopped thinking so much about it. I decided that maybe it was better to get on with my life than just sit around waiting for my why to drop in my lap. I let myself get distracted by other things and I’m so glad I did. I can attest to the fact that life can be lived without knowing your true purpose, but I’m also here to tell you that it’s worth the wait to find it.
During Alison’s Brand School, Alison starts with the idea that a brand has to be rooted in it’s creator’s purpose and vision. It needs to meet your personal needs so that it is fulfilling enough to sustain you. I’ve known that growth and contribution are two of my neediest needs for a while. Then we were asked to distill our most dominant need down to a single word that we can attach meaning to. At that point, I started to panic because I’ve done this work a million times and never gotten an answer. And then, after telling my story to one of my group members she said, “it sounds like your word is empower.” I freaking love the word empower. When she said that, it all clicked together.
I want to empower people to live
the life they truly want to live.
I want people to know that they can be, do, and have everything that they want. I want people to stop phoning it in and sleep walking through life. I want people to realize that they aren’t giving enough thought to what makes them happy. I want it to be normal for people to switch careers or move to another part of the world or do any of the things that society would deem unconventional IF that’s what they really want.
I’ve said this before, but fine is not good enough. One day I got tired of telling people that work was fine. I wanted more than fine, so I quit. That was one of the best decisions I ever made. It wasn’t conventional. It was “right” by most people’s standards. It wasn’t logical. But it was what needed to happen. It set me on the path to what was right for me. And I’m so much happier for it.
I am so overwhelmingly grateful a) to have a message I’m truly passionate about sharing and b) to have a platform that makes it easy to do just that. The funniest thing is that I’ve danced around this message for months and the blog content already fits right in. Create a life you love by creating a home you love. Create a life you love by being the best version of yourself. Create a life you love by building a wardrobe you love. But somehow being able to hold that goal in my mind has changed everything for me. I can run after what I want with passion and enthusiasm. I can attract exactly the people who need to hear my message. I can teach and grow and learn in the midst of other people who are ready for more.
If that person is you, welcome! If that person is not you, you’re still very welcome here – and I hope that you might share my work with someone you know who needs to hear it. I love my life and I want everyone else feel the same way. Here’s to creating lives we love!
