Living your purpose in life comes with steep learning curves...

In the wake of doing that ‘something’ I am passionate about and 'living my life purpose', I find that there are times when I need to take a deep breath, and some days, I need many of those deep breaths. I need to stop and assess where I am, where I am going. Interestingly, I never need to assess the why? That’s an unmovable constant.

The last eight weeks have been amazing but also a huge learning curve...

THE DETAILS, THE DETAILS….I know that while I am very capable of hitting the ground running with all the passion, enthusiasm and discipline of an Olympic athlete, I am equally capable of neglecting the smaller details. Those small mundane ones, that over time can and will come back to haunt me.  And as everyone who has started a business, charity or project knows, the devil is in those details. 

LETTING GO… that’s a big challenge for me but a necessary skill I must acquire and excel at if this project is to succeed. So I am on it and learning every day to let go of certain expectations, disappointments, setbacks and even people.

THE COMFORT ZONE... now this one is a mixed bag. The Comfort Zone is called that for a good reason – being in my comfort zone I produce great work, have amazing ideas, I talk the talk. Then I step outside the zone, even just a few millimetres and sometimes its like being on the front line….incoming missiles are raining down on me from all sides (in the form of those voices in my head).        

So I came up with a strategy. Instead of stepping outside of my comfort zone, I now push the parameters of my comfort zone further out, a millimetre at a time. It’s working and eventually my comfort zone will be a huge region.

KEEPING MY MOUTH SHUT... when some people tell me the project won’t work but don’t really tell me the reason why not. I am willing to listen to constructive criticisms but just saying “well that won’t work” and then leaving the statement floating in the air, pisses me off (and I quote) “Ain’t nobody got time for that”. But I am working on recognising the difference between those people who are just making noise and those who actually have a point to make.

TRUSTING MY INTUITION... This weekend someone told me ‘that I need to trust my intuition, listen to what my gut is telling me’. One area where this intuition thingy comes into play is ‘time and money’ - I do need heaps more of both and I feel panicked at odd moments of the day and night. Yet, I know it will be resolved, I don’t know how or when but it will and I just need to keep moving forward.

That statement right there terrifies me but I am guessing that learning to trust my intuition also means overriding the negatives and the rational and replacing them with the certainty that all will work out as it should.

Countering all of this is the 'effortless and the happening naturally' of the project- the flinging open of doors, the support I receive every day from people I know and those I don’t, the wonderful people I am meeting, the happiness and calmness  I feel when I talk and work on the project and best of all, the feeling of pure joy when the project connects with the people it is intended to for.

So this is it… what I learnt so far, when it comes to living your purpose in life.

I have had a long standing debate with a close friend on whether needing to live your purpose in life is 'our reason for being' (her) or if its just another 'new age feel good sentiment that is technically a cop out when you are not happy doing what you are doing' (me).

She was right and I was wrong.  James Altucher was right and I was wrong. Oprah was right and I was wrong.

So here goes, this is what I have learnt so far...

I learnt that your purpose in life finds you, you don’t find it.

I learnt that your life purpose cannot be planned or created. It happens when you least expect it and it happens naturally. 

I learnt that it starts with a small thought you had years ago, that stays in the back of your mind and that grows organically over the years.

And I learnt that life is deliberate and our reactions to life situations are usually the building blocks of your life purpose.

I learnt life can be so unfair, so hard, so unpredictable and some times life can be the sweetest and most satisfying experience you will ever have. 

And I learnt that finding your purpose in life will get you more of those sweet moments.

And I learnt that all the planning and preparation in the world is useless if you are not on your way to doing what you are meant to be doing.

And I learnt that people that you come to love and think are crucial to your life, quickly disappear when you get yourself on the road to where you need to be.

And I learnt that when you realise what it is that you need to be doing it is frightening and terrifying.

And I learnt that you when you find that purpose in life you develop a permanent ‘Christmas Eve’ kind of feeling.

And I learnt that you learn to live with the voices in your head constantly whispering (loudly), ‘what the f**k are you doing?'

And I learnt that the moment that you understand and accept what you need to do, it is also the moment you begin questioning your sanity.

And I learnt that a sure way to know you are on the right path is when doors are flung open for you and even thought you are afraid to find out what is on the other side of them, you can’t help but run through them.

And I learnt when it is not 100% about you, it is a scary realisation that you may somehow be responsible for people you have not yet met and may never meet. But that will be positively affected by your purpose in life.

And I learnt that having a purpose in life and living your purpose is not the same thing. Having a purpose is an abstract lovely feeling and living it is really hard work; it consumes you and penetrates every aspect of every minute of your life.

And I learnt that every day you will have a thousand and one reasons not to keep moving forward and it is paralysing; but still you find yourself taking a tiny step every day; you may not always move forward as sometimes you find you have gone backwards, and sometimes sideways but you do take a baby step or two.

And I learnt that when you are doing what you are meant to be doing success and failure doesn’t figure in the equation, making money is not the point even though you still stress about the bills.

And I learnt that you need to keep pushing yourself out of your own way because it’s so not about you.

And I learnt that you find strength where you thought there was none, you share knowledge that you did not know you possessed and you speak with such passion you even impress yourself.

I don’t know where this project will take me but if feels like I was born to do this and everything I have gone through and lived through so far...has led up to this moment. Stay tuned!