You Haven't Wasted Your Life. Yet.

You know you were meant for something, but you don’t know what? Or you feel confused because you are good at a lot of things, but you don’t know the ONE thing you are meant to do?

Remember how I mentioned that once upon a time I wanted to be a writer and work for an advertising agency? Well, that didn’t turn out as I envisioned.

I WAS MISSING TWO CRITICAL ELEMENTS THAT MAKE THE DREAMS COME TRUE — BELIEF IN MYSELF AND BELIEF IN MY DREAM.

Because I was told my dream was stupid, I tried a multitude of other things, always looking for my “passion.”

I know now that my passion was for writing and communication so what I was actually looking for was a passion that would be considered acceptable. Just writing that makes me so sad!

WHEN I THINK OF ALL THE TIME I WASTED THAT I COULD HAVE BEEN USING MY INTERESTS AND SKILLS TO LIVE OUT MY DREAM, I FEEL A LITTLE GUT-PUNCHED.

Then I play the ‘if only’ game. You know the game, right?

If only someone had encouraged me. If only I didn’t care what people thought. If only I had a wise grandmother or a fairy godmother pouring into me, I wouldn’t have wasted all of this time.

Then come the ‘what if’ fears. What if I missed my calling? What if I’m too old now? What if no one will give me a chance?

Sometimes I think the word ‘if’ is a bully.

IF YOU’VE EVER ASKED YOURSELF ANY OF THOSE QUESTIONS, THEN YOU KNOW IT’S HARD NOT TO THINK THAT YOU SOMEHOW WASTED YOUR LIFE AND NOW IT’S TOO LATE. OPPORTUNITY KNOCKED AND WHEN NO ONE ANSWERED, IT MOVED ON LIKE THE AVON LADY.

This is a legitimate mental battle, friends.

THE FACT IS THAT IF YOU HAVE FELT UNSETTLED, OR LIKE SOMETHING WAS MISSING, OR LIKE OPPORTUNITY PASSED YOU BY, WHAT WAS REALLY HAPPENING WAS THAT YOUR SOUL WAS FIGHTING BACK AGAINST THE LIES THAT HAVE HELD YOU BACK! THE ANXIETY YOU FEEL IS YOUR SOULS GPS INVITING YOU TO COURSE CORRECT.

Here is the good news: if you are still feeling unsettled about your passion or purpose, YOU HAVEN’T MISSED IT.

I MEAN HONESTLY, THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE ISN’T GONNA DANGLE A PURPOSEFUL LIFE IN FRONT OF YOU AND THEN YELL “PSYCH!”

In fact, what I discovered is that for all the years I felt lost in the desert, I was working on my dreams and building my skills. Interestingly, no matter what I did, my natural affinity for advertising, marketing, etc. would leak into my jobs. I wrote a ton of stuff like poems, or handbooks, or journals. I was using my writing and communication skills the whole time!

Only God. Am I right?

Every wrong job or role I’ve taken has given me insight into people and business that has been invaluable. Because I have jumped around from thing to thing, I have a broader knowledge of how to communicate with different types of groups.

WHAT MY VOCATIONAL WANDERLUST DID WAS GIVE ME A FAR GREATER REACH THAN I WOULD HAVE HAD IF I WOULD’VE STARTED WITH MY ONE THING.

If you are feeling stuck or unsettled, know that your soul is fighting for you and God doesn’t waste anything. There is a purpose even when it seems purposeless. Spend some time thinking about what you wanted to be as a kid and look for evidence in your life that you’ve used some of those skills. I promise you; you learned while you were stuck.

ALL OF YOUR UNSETTLED PLACES HAVE BEEN PREPARING YOU FOR WHAT COMES NEXT.

Coming up, I’ll share about who I discovered is the best person to pull you out of your pit of despair.

For now, leave a comment and tell me about the evidence you are finding from your life that relates to that thing you wanted to be when you grew up!