Do you feel like you’re living your life’s purpose? Do you feel like you’re sharing your calling – your unique message – with the world?

I believe that we all have a special purpose, and it’s up to us to sift through the clues, figure out what it is, and then share it with others.

Sometimes we know our purpose when we’re young, and then we move away from it, and then it finds us again as adults.

At least that’s what happened to me. When I was young, I loved writing. Loved it. I mostly wrote poems and super sappy things that included a ton of hearts and swirls. But it was just for fun.

I set it aside, though, because I just didn’t think it was practical. I didn’t think I could make a living from it. I went to school and got a degree in something that I could make a living at: technical editing. I stayed clear of creative writing and personal writing (other than my journal entries). I immersed myself in all things grammar. And I found that I was good at it. When I edited something, I felt like I was going on a treasure hunt – looking for the errors. I liked knowing that it was cut and dry (for the most part). I liked knowing where commas should be, why that sentence wasn’t really a sentence, and how the author and I could turn their rough draft into something really great. I did like it. For awhile. And then I didn’t.

I realized that just because we’re good at something doesn’t mean we’re meant to do it for life (or at all). It doesn’t mean that it’s our purpose. I mean, I used to be really good at jumping rope – cross crosses, double unders, sometimes even triple unders. But that definitely doesn’t mean that I want to be a professional rope jumper.

Editing was sort of like that for me. It was something that I could do, was trained to do, and really wanted to feel passionate about… but I just couldn’t see myself doing it for life. The types of documents that I edited were dry and didn’t feed my soul.

My editing career abruptly ended with a car accident. (You can read more about it here, if you would like.) I now see this as a beautiful gift from the universe. I wasn’t going to leave this career because it paid well and was my security. I had just resigned myself to a life of security and misery. (Yes, I hated it that much.)

Thanks to my injuries from the accident, I had two years to spend a whole lot of time on the couch. A whole lot of time to think about my life, my purpose, and what the heck I was meant to do with myself. What was I passionate about? Why was I here?

But still… I didn’t fall back into writing immediately. It’s not like a huge sign flashed before me telling me that I was a writer. Definitely not. But I started seeing clues, and I started taking steps towards those clues. And that’s what eventually led me right where I am today: spending my days writing.

One of these clues was a journal-making segment on a craft show I saw on TV. A little mini charge went through my body, and I knew I needed to try it. So I did, and I loved it. Shortly after, my husband and I created a company that centered around making journals. We reached some success, but I still didn’t feel completely fulfilled. I couldn’t see a long-term future with it, and I wasn’t sure why. I thought I was living my dream.

We used to sell our journals at craft shows, and our customers would frequently say that the blank pages intimidated them. They didn’t know what to write. They say that the first time you hear something, it just sort of floats away. The second time, it sticks a little bit, but you most likely don’t pay much attention. But when you hear the same thing over and over, you eventually start listening. That’s exactly what happened to me with writing. In an indirect way, our customers had been asking us to write – to help them write. And I was so excited to have finally gotten the message. I sat down and wrote our first Soulful Journal: Journaling Within in about 30 minutes. I couldn’t believe how alive I felt while doing so. I was in awe of the spiritual high that I was experiencing – it felt like a divine download. It felt like my purpose. I had found it.

In that moment, something changed. I looked at my gift business differently. I no longer wanted to make the products. I wanted to write them. The spout had been turned on, and I didn’t want to stop the flow. Eleven other Soulful Journals were written. This blog was created. Ecourses were created. Other books were written. A life was created.

I knew that this was what I was meant to do: write from my soul, tap into my heart, and share from that loving space. And in the process help others tap into their own soul’s wisdom.

I knew this was my purpose and my passion, but I still had to get my brain on board. I still needed that part of me that craved security to realize that I could make a living from this. And that’s where evidence became so crucial. Each milestone that I made as a result of my writing was filed in my brain as evidence that I could actually create a lucrative career out of this purpose. I could get creative and stay open and see where it took me. I could continue following my heart and listening to my soul and see where we end up.

Has it always flowed easily? Certainly not! There have been many lean years where I wasn’t sure how I was going to keep going. And the road has been filled with sharp curves and hills that I wasn’t sure I could get up, but all of that has led me to exactly where I am: living a life with purpose – living a life on purpose. That doesn’t mean that my life is perfect and that everything has magically fallen into place. But it does mean that my inner light is shining. It does mean that I wake up each day knowing that I get to tap into my unique gifts and share them with others. And that’s pretty amazing.

And I wish this for everyone: To find your purpose and then be brave enough to live it and to share it with others. 

I believe that stepping into our purpose is a huge part of why we are here on Earth. And when you leap into your purpose, you’ll most likely want to stay there as much as you can. You’ll likely want to create a life and a career out of it. And I want you to know that it’s possible to do exactly that.

Even if it doesn’t seem like anyone has done it before, or even if it seems that no one is making money at it – you could be the first. It’s up to you and your passion and your drive and your persistence. Because I am living proof that it can happen. I am living proof that you CAN make a living as a blogger, a writer, a community builder. And you don’t have to sell out and do it how everyone else is doing it. You can be YOU through and through. And yes, it takes time. No, it doesn’t happen overnight. But it can happen. It does happen. It will happen.

I’ve seen it over and over again with beautiful souls who start with a dream – a tentative dream. And they turn that dream into something truly amazing. The possibilities truly are endless, but you HAVE to take action. You HAVE to move forward. You HAVE to decide to trust your heart – take a chance – and leap. You have to. No one can do it for you.

The universe is behind each of us. And we all have a unique and equally important purpose to share with the world. Please, please, please be brave enough to step into yours. Please set your critical voice and the naysayer aside for a moment and take that leap. Your soul will thank you, I promise. The world will thank you. You’ll be showing up and sharing what you’re meant to share in the way you’re meant to share it. And that’s pretty special.

My way is through writing, and I’m so grateful that you’re all here to read it. Each of you makes it possible that I continue writing and sharing. And I thank you for that. I’m so excited to learn what your soul’s purpose is. And I’m even more excited to see you share it with the world!

I would love for you to comment below and share what your purpose is. What are you meant to share with the world?

(It’s completely okay if you aren’t sure, and you just write the first thing that comes to mind. It’s also completely okay if you write something down now and then it changes a year from now. There are no wrong answers. The only criteria is that your purpose lights you up and brings you happiness.) I can’t wait to read your answers!

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