Purpose is a strong, confusing, and many times debilitating word. We all want purpose, but what if you haven’t found it? What if you see others with purpose and you feel empty? What if you can’t answer what do you want to do with your life?

If this is you….You’re not alone, but want to challenge you. Is it you don’t know or don’t want to face the answer. When I’ve asked the question, if money wasn’t an issue meaning you’d make what you want but you have to work – what would you do? Most people have an immediate answer. The concern is not with the answer, but what the answer would mean for your life. Something is keeping you back whether it is fear, disbelief, circumstances, etc. The question you need to ask yourself is what is your life worth? If there was a price for your life, are you selling yourself cheap?

Believe me, I completely understand the dilemma. When looking at past journals of mine my heart drops. For years, my journals screamed what is my purpose? It took growing up, finding my Faith, and being open to the journey that got me to purpose; which was touching people’s lives through reality and words.

Both of these purposes (people and words) itched at me for years. From a young age volunteer work and poetry were sketched into my story, but never knew how to put them together. Never believed they could happen. Actually had several people who told me it couldn’t happen. I became another person with a different purpose. It wasn’t a bad purpose because it led me to today, but my heart was never into this purpose.

If it was possible to look back at my younger self, my biggest piece of advice would be to listen to my own wisdom and to have the confidence and the courage to walk my path. The confidence to not hold back from who I was. For me, it was uncertainty, listening to others, and doing what was told to me; which created the trap. What eventually loosened the trap was just letting go. It took appreciating my current life, relaxing, and not controlling the process. I loved it when Joanna Gaines from a television show called Fixer Upper said it took listening to God’s voice to be comfortable in her decisions. She said God told her if you listen to me Magnolia (her market) will be bigger than you ever imagined. It is God’s serendipity.

A couple of years back, this would have sounded great, but wouldn’t have felt it and probably wouldn’t have believed it. I would have wanted the serendipity, but would have said this is not my life. Then I listened. It’s amazing when you listen. In the moments when I listened is when people were interested in my book ideas, the artwork worked, and it all came into place.

Right now sitting back and taking this all in it is greater than my head can even wrap around. All encompassing serendipity has not happened yet, but know it is coming. Never in my life has it been so clear. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. It will happen because of listening and not controlling the process. It will happen because the purpose was already there, but it has been groomed, practiced, and God-given.

So if you are asking what is your purpose, my advice is to listen to yourself, God, and God’s serendipity.