We live in a world of instant access. It’s intoxicating. It’s ever-present. It’s loud. In the world of social media, we get lost in it and easily enraptured by the content. This happens especially when we take a liking to a particular person or brand. We become obsessed with them and find ourselves checking in daily to see the latest post or story. Their word can feel absolute, and the marketing is always on trend, pulling us in even more. We find ourselves buying the thing featured even if we really don’t need it. Just influencers influencing. And if they are successful, good on them.
It’s trendy now to break with “the norm” of loyalty to one job, one company, and go rogue. “Work from wherever” is very in right now. And it certainly sounds glamorous. And, hey, if you can do it, absolutely do it! Writing a blog post on the Spanish Steps in the middle of the day while enjoying a gelato sounds pretty #enchanting. Answering emails on a beach in Phuket while sipping a local beer and watching the sun set sounds really #magical. I bet we all have a photo like this on our vision boards.
While all that sounds fabulous and dreamy, is that lifestyle for you? How about becoming an entrepreneur? How about being one of those online stay-at-home-moms that allegedly only works 1-2 hours a day and makes $5,000 a week posting ads on different platforms? How about starting your own podcast? I mean, all of these options offer freedom and autonomy and independence from “working for the man.” You create the rules. You get to work from wherever. You make as much or as little as you want. But is it as easy as that? Certainly, the influencer would have you believe that. So, what’s the resistance? Why not just go for it, take a risk? What’s holding you back?
I think the real question is: How do you know if your desires are guided by your own personal influences or at the encouragement of influencers?
I think to answer that question you have to first establish two things. One: What is your purpose in life, i.e., what were you put on this earth to achieve and leave as your legacy? And two: What is your mission statement, i.e., your “why,” that you live by every day and that is the reason for your life’s purpose? If you have established these two things, then when you are presented with a new idea or career or lifestyle you can ask yourself whether that idea or career or lifestyle is in alignment with your “why” and purpose. If you feel that tightness in your gut, the answer is likely no. Alternatively, if your skin tingles and the hairs on your arms stand up, the answer is probably yes. As Oprah would say, “You already know.”
But how do we articulate our “why” and figure out what we want our legacy to be? Can they change and evolve? Should they? What if they don’t? Can our purpose be an emotion versus a fixed achievement? How big does it have to be? Is it bad if it feels comparatively small to others? I think it’s safe to say there’s no right answer here. At the end of the day, it has to feel good to you. After all, it’s your life. You’re the one that must wake up every day and be able to live with your choices. So, you’ve got some hard thinking to do. As I would say, Manifest your life.
In my experience, you find your “why” and purpose when you sit quiet with yourself and escape from the noise that is social media and other people’s opinions. Be that in your favorite chair during a time you have all to yourself with meditation music playing in the background and a journal in hand. Or on a solo hike with only your thoughts filling the silence. Or whatever place and space speaks to you. Your “why” is a part of your DNA. It’s always been there since you made it earthside. It’s not until you give yourself the opportunity to allow your “why” to make more noise than the other voices around you for you to realize what it is. That is why it is imperative to get away from the influencers and be still with you. And I can promise you, it will be profound what you hear. I can also promise you that once you discover your “why” and can articulate your “why” and as a result can formulate your life’s purpose out of that “why,” you’re on the path towards the greatest life you could ever imagine.
Did the hairs on your arms just stick up? Do you feel new energy coursing through your body? Are you already connecting some dots as you’ve been reading this? If so, stop what you’re doing right now and write down whatever you’re thinking. It doesn’t have to make any sense. It doesn’t even have to be full sentences. It can be words, phrases, pictures, moments, memories, an object, a person, a book you want to read, a to-do list item, it doesn’t matter. Start thinking. And think BIG. No small dreams allowed here. I want you to think about the biggest life you could imagine. What does it look like? Where do you live? Who do you surround yourself with? What does your day look like? What do you do? Does it bring you unending joy? Did you make it your career, or is it your side hustle or hobby? What gives you energy, fills up your cup, sets your soul on fire? It’s in answering these questions, and especially the last one, where you start to discover what drives you, motivates you, in living life. When you live in alignment with your heart’s desires, you’ve done more for yourself and this planet than so many ever will. And why’s that? Because people settle every day. They choose less, to be less, to have less. And I’m not saying less can’t be more. What I’m saying is if less is more, the decision to have less must align with your “why”. You shouldn’t settle for less; you can choose less.
Don’t live a life that is just “fine”. How many times do we hear that when someone is asked, “How’s life?”. Live a life that when you describe it, your smile is so big your face hurts after you’re done explaining, and you feel excited and energized to share the details. Could you imagine if we lived in a world where every person was living their purpose? Could you imagine the conversations if every person you encountered understood their “why” and couldn’t wait to share it? “Oh, what a world it would be…”
Now, off you go. “You already know.”
This was delicious! Thank you!