It’s never too late to shift your purpose… yes I am talking to you!
What is motivating you today? What was driving you to get out of bed this morning, get out the door, and start your day? Was it career, money, your family, your passion? If it was all of the above then you are living the dream! But I’d take a bet it was one of the above… and most likely not your passion…
Why is it that we lose sight of our calling and allow ourselves to be distracted by what life is “supposed” to be? We are “living”, but are we actually LIVING? Can you honestly say that you live your everyday in a way which is true to you (mostly)? Obviously a large portion of our day to day will be menial, but we can translate even these menial activities into little baby steps towards our true purpose… the key is in taking those baby steps.
Stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and focus on what could go right. – Unknown.
It’s very easy to say “I’m not as talented as those people I admire”, “Maybe people won’t believe in my vision in the same way I do”, “I’m too old to do this now”, “I can’t make a living following my passion” – I said and do still say these sentiments to myself all the time.
But to you I would say:
“I’m not as talented as those people I admire.” – Why? Says who?
“Maybe people won’t believe in my vision in the same way I do.” – Maybe they wont. But maybe they will?
“I’m too old to do this now.” – You are never too old. What you are is too young to be giving up on yourself and your ideas.
“I can’t make a living following my passion.” – How do you know? Have you tried?
The only time the above statements and judgments have any place is when you can look yourself in the mirror and know you have 100% given everything to try and make your passion in to your every day reality, and have failed. For most of us, it’s this fear of failure and embarrassment that stops us from even trying. But isn’t it more of a failure to NEVER EVEN TRY? I think you get where I’m going here… the only person we let down by not putting ourselves out there is ourselves. The people around us that matter will love and support us no matter how hard we fall.
Twelve years ago I pursued a career thinking money would make me happy, and *huge spoiler alert*, it didn’t. No matter how much money I made it didn’t fulfill me and I still had this huge empty hole in my heart and stomach. I was depressed, and was turning to any possible distraction to fill this hole – substances, people, material possessions. And the only thing these distractions made a dent in was my pocket, mood and mental health.
There are only so many times you can repeat the same idiotic behaviours before you hopefully start to listen to your mind, body and heart…
So about eight years ago I started Pilates to help my mood, and fell in love with the way the centering breath and movement made me feel calm and strong. I became obsessed, and took my joy one step further and studied Pilates so I could understand more of the science behind it, with no intention of ever doing anything with it. Once I was certified I figured I may as well try teaching, and I was hooked! I absolutely loved the feeling I got from helping others feel strong, heal injuries, and most of all feel happier in themselves. After a few years teaching I went on to have my own studio, and created online workouts. Due to the incredible feedback I got and the reach of being able to help people all over the WORLD (technology can be used as such a powerful gift) I now have my own online Pilates channel.
I still have a long way to go in living my passion, and all my dreams, but I am proud to say I am now taking steps EVERY day to get closer to them. And that’s all I can ask of myself.
What excites you? What makes you smile? What makes your heart sing?
So I ask you, what excites you? What makes you smile? What makes your heart sing? Write it down. Start doing more of it now. Send that first email. Make the call. Every day. Take baby steps. Take that BHAG and break it down into little bite size chunks. And do one every day, every week, build that momentum. Taking these steps makes you accountable to yourself, and more driven towards your vision. I guarantee that the more of those little goals you can start to reach, the more synergy will start to shift in your direction, and the more motivated and positive you will feel. And eventually those limiting statements will be replaced with confident statements about all the achievements you are realizing. And you will be able to proudly feel that you are being driven every day to get out of bed to get that one step closer to making your passion your reality.
Caity Veth is the founder of Caity Veth Pilates, a nutritionist and lover of the ocean and adventure. Caity’s mission is to help people build their self esteem and overcome mental health struggles through physical movement. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or at www.caityveth.vhx.tv.
Image courtesy of Clem Onojeghuo.
