“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Howard Thurman
I feel like I have spent the last forty years figuring out how to overcome the fear that was conditioned into me at a very young age, realize my worth and come alive. It was a process where I peeled off layer by layer, making space for my brilliant light to shine into the world, coming alive in a way I would never have imagined possible, through finding my voice and becoming a writer and a poet.
Connected to something bigger I let the momentum of a growing purpose move me. When I became a physical therapist 21 years ago, it was not really my purpose to heal the world. I really just wanted to figure out how to fix a rotator cuff tear or a knee sprain. Looking back, I can smile at how The Universe placed me exactly where I needed to be to pull off a much greater plan.
It is amazing how we can look back at our past with either sadness and regret, or with an attitude that we had every experience perfectly placed on our path to bring us to this very moment in time. The difficult, and sometimes abusive moments of my past were the experiences I was given, as gifts, to build me into the warrior I have become. Moving through the fear and conditioning, even if it took me forty years, was the means by which I found a way to express myself and share my gifts and this process gave me the way to help others.
Coming alive is about getting clear on what you want and doing that means connecting with something that lights you up inside, that you feel great passion for, that pulls you out of bed in the morning without an alarm clock. These passions we have are the compass that points us toward our purpose. We have to become skilled at reading our own compass.
I knew from a really early age that I wanted to help people, and to teach. I was doing both of those things every single day in the jobs I held as a physical therapist and I was enjoying those aspects of the job, but still I felt miserable and stuck inside. I would go through the process of trying to figure out why I didn’t feel happy with my perfect life and career for almost twenty years before realizing I had the tools, and the motivation, and ultimately the power to transform everything.
The journey that I have been on, attempting to answer that question, using one key tool of awareness has played out for me recently in a magnificent string of magical events. What created the transformation? Stepping into the power of self worth, self love and trusting the feeling my passions were creating inside of me.
The years of seeking, feeling, moving through deep fear and shame, and allowing myself to be vulnerable were hard, and if I had known it was going to take this long I may have given up long ago. But the rewards for my perseverance have been worth the wait, and the voice I have found that is super boosted by discovering the connection to my essence is that of a strong, confident teacher, the one that I was called to be so long ago.
Coming alive into the expression of my light…that is what Howard is talking about. It is a light we all have inside of us just by being born into this world. The experiences of our lives can cover it up with layers of fear, shame and unworthiness. Healing yourself and your life doesn’t mean that you have to fix anything, it means that you have to peel off the layers to uncover your brilliant light, so that you may realize your own healing power.
Finding my voice through the art of writing and poetry was one of the biggest gifts I have ever been given. A few close friends of mine have reminded me that I was the one who made that gift happen by following my passions and letting them light a fire in my soul. I believe that learning how to listen when my soul speaks to me was the secret, and now that I hear her, I will be able to teach others this beautiful language, ultimately fulfilling my life’s purpose by just shining my own light as I go.
As you are pondering how to come alive in your own life, consider a few key steps that will assist you on your path:
1. Learn the tool of awareness – it is the greatest gift you will ever give yourself in the realm of healing and transformation.
2. Check in with your attitude – it is wonderful to be aware of your negative thoughts, but another to actually change them.
3. Get clear about what you want – it’s easier to stay stuck in fear and confusion. Try trusting yourself and your intuition and start defining what you want for your life.
4. Take massive amounts of action toward your dreams – coming alive starts in your head and ends up as your life, but if you never take action toward your dreams you will not experience the changes you want to make.
Above all, know you are perfect, whole and complete, right now, right this moment, the way you are, with whatever experience you are having. There is nothing to fix, nothing is broken. Coming alive inside of yourself is what you were born to do. You will find your light shining deep in the center of your soul – all you have to do is work on peeling the layers, one at a time, until you feel it, and let it move you.
