You may have heard me talk about purpose and how to discover our Soul purpose in the past. When I speak about my own journey of discovery about this, I often mention how while I’ve had a huge range of careers in my life, they have all had a common thread (except perhaps for that one time I worked at a beauty supply shop at the Stanford Mall for two months;).
In my case, I’ve had jobs and experiences ranging from alpine climbing guide to body worker, midwife, death doula, integrative psychiatry, life coach, professor, psychedelic-assisted therapist…and more!
On the surface, it might be hard to see how any of these have a common thread at all. But I’ve managed to have the blessing of having held onto a thread that weaves through all of this: being with people through challenging times and helping them see their strength, their own power and their own capacities to do difficult, painful, even scary things.
My guess is that this is true for many of you, too – that you’ve seen a thread woven throughout your life; that piece of authenticity of your unique gift that is carried throughout everything you do.
Remember: it may not involve a job or career – after all, our purpose isn’t our career or our skillset. It’s so much more than that.
Maybe it was just a part of you that’s stayed consistent throughout your life. For many of us, it was a part that was very much ALIVE when we were younger (I had a Double Dare club as a kid, where I dared people to do scary things!). But often this was discouraged and repressed, so we never got to know it very well. Our life circumstances placed us in an environment where it’s extremely hard to listen to that small voice inside of us.
Whether we really know what that thread is for us or not, sometimes we may veer from it, like I did at the beauty supply store… 😉 This is usually when we aren’t in coherence or out of alignment because we aren’t listening to our true heart’s desires. Or we were just doing what we needed to survive without the privilege of choice in available jobs or in the safety for authentic connection.
So while I’m all for being a rebel and upsetting the status quo, we also have to use discernment because for some of us that expression of our authentic selves in the wrong environment puts our physical safety at risk, or that of our family’s well being.
When we do veer from this thread, we tend to feel a bit lost. Maybe we’re also bored, anxious, depressed, or disconnected…feeling like we lack meaning.
That’s because this thread is our North Star, but more embodied. We can feel it in our bones when something is off. When we follow it, we feel connected and plugged in. And when we’re not, we feel all those alarm signals I just mentioned.
If you’re reading this (or listening to the full episode 😉 and you’re thinking that you have no clue what your thread is, or if you even have one… I can tell you that you DO. We EACH have one. A unique one that is deep and mystical and mysterious and totally necessary for this Earth and these times. A unique way that you love this world.
How do you walk upon the Earth and connect with all its creation – other non-human beings, mountains, rivers, trees, rocks, lizards and coyotes?
What’s the unique message you convey with your music or your poetry or your painting or your baking of delicious cakes? What do you infuse it with that only you can do in your special way?
When you find that thread – that unique way that you love this beautiful planet and its creations – don’t let go.
And if you haven’t found it yet, get curious and start wondering, leaning into the question of what it might be. Explore and experiment. Spend time wandering, trying new things, listening to your heart AND your body.
Find that thread and marvel at how it’s weaved its way through your life and hold on. It will guide you and help you stay true to your reason for being here.
You will learn:
// A new way to define Soul Purpose
// How to find the thread woven through your own life
// What happens when we veer from our purpose
// What we can do to help find and explore the way only we can love this world
Resources:
// Episode 71: How to Find Your Purpose
// Episode 99: Rebel Purpose
// If you want to explore soul purpose – and the deep personal inquiry that’s required to do so – come join us in the next cohort of the Adventure Mastermind. We start at the end of January with our first retreat in Hawaii in February.
Registration is officially open. So head on over to AdventureMastermind.com and grab your spot now!
// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!
// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.