By: Sarah Young
I found myself once again perusing Facebook when I saw a question presented, “What would your occupation be if you had followed your childhood dreams?” My response? A dreamer. I never really knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. Anytime I saw that first star out at night, I would only wish for my life to work out as it was meant to. I had no clue what my purpose was…if only I could figure out where to start.
It started with a poetry reading.
I moved about an hour away from home after I left my parent’s house. I went to a bigger city, and the first night there, I started going to poetry slams every week for a couple of years. For those unfamiliar, a poetry slam is a type of competition where individuals would perform in front of an audience and a panel of judges – it was so much fun!
I would watch in awe as people would appear to stand and perform confidently on stage and I wondered if I could do it too. I finally hyped myself up enough to participate, and I performed in front of a very full coffee house…and survived! It was my first step in overcoming stage fright.
It started with a speech class.
On the first day of class, the teacher asked us to raise our hand if we were only there because our degree required it. Most of the class raised their hand. Then she changed the question: “Who is here because they want to be here?” Only two of us did, and I was one of them. I took the class knowing I needed it if I wanted to learn to get more comfortable talking in front of people.
The class stretched me, but I took it seriously. I wrote some rather deep and insightful stuff! I even found myself practicing speaking in front of my church congregation nearly every month. I received positive feedback after every personal testament I bore. It reassured me that I had a voice to be heard and helped me learn to embrace my gift of perspective.
It started with a desire and a recognition of a God-given gift.
I learned to recognize that I offered a unique and fresh perspective – one people were entirely unaccustomed to – and I did not follow any standard path to fulfill my purpose. Honestly, I needed to live my life and before I finally knew what my passion and purpose were. I learned what I really wanted and that it was, in fact, okay to want something and pursue my personal desires.
I began stretching myself to get my voice heard. I joined two one-week-long challenges where I posted “live” videos on Facebook every day, and I was voted “most relatable” both times. I also had joined the guided Mindset Mastery program to help learn to get around my limiting beliefs and found great love for all of the Rare Faith work. I knew when I found this material that I wanted to learn how to teach it. It made sense.
It was during this time that I realized I had already found my path. I was already on it simply by allowing the unseen forces to guide me. I believe that when I am more in line with my purpose, the easier it feels – and it is not about the paycheck. I also believe that everyone is closer to their life purpose than they believe.
As I have shown, can we ever really be sure where it starts? You simply need to look back on your life, grab hold of it without fear, and then you too can stand on this stage and say, “Let me tell you how it started.”
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