Have you ever sat down to draw up a list of what you thought were “goals,” only to realize that what you really had was a list of things you felt you should be doing – not the things that give you life?
I love the call to action in this quote by the poet Rumi.
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love.”
Letting ourselves “be silently drawn” involves getting quiet and tuning in to the voice deep inside. When I was a little girl, I would watch ministers on TV. I didn’t care at all about religion, but I loved that the message made me feel so good and kept people looking forward. I would think, “I want to do that,” but because I didn’t want to be a minister, I didn’t allow myself to explore other options.
Years later, when I was in education, anytime a keynote speaker would come to the district, I would again think, “I want to do that.” I did not allow myself to be silently drawn to what I really love. I let being “realistic” and doubting myself stop me from believing I could ever be a professional speaker for a living.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the opinions of others that we start to lose touch with what’s truly in our hearts. It’s also easy to get caught up in the voices of our own doubt, which puts limits on our gifts and abilities.
But when we ask ourselves the question, “What would I love?” something wonderful begins to happen…we begin to discover our purpose. I asked myself that question, and of course, the answer was be a speaker, help and inspire others.
Often with that discovery comes “the strange pull,” our inner compass that leads us to make decisions that are not always “rational.” It requires listening to our intuition and a willingness to experiment with trusting our hearts when we don’t always have the answers or know where the resources, connections or the money will come from. It didn’t make sense. I didn’t have a guarantee, but I took a leap of faith and became certified as a coach and resigned from my school district job.
You may not even know specifically what you want to do, but you feel the pull of something more. One way to begin to ease the fear of “the strange pull” is to expand the question to, “What would I love to do that utilizes both my skills and interests and could add significant value to others?” Take a moment now to ask yourself this very question. Journal some of the ideas that come to your mind.
When you follow your bliss in this manner, focusing on impact instead of income, the resources, connections and money will start to naturally follow. I’ve watched this process happen dozens of times in my own life and with my clients. When you live this way, you always create results you’re in
love with. That voice of love can never lead you astray!
You can read this article in our Summer issue
