She told me I gave her hope when she thought all hope had been lost.

When I asked her what her life would look like in 6, 8 or even 12 months if nothing changed, she said she wouldn’t make it that far.

Her statement hit me deep and reminded me of a time when I too had lost all hope.

There was a time in my life when I thought I had nothing to give the world. I keenly remember wondering, “Who am I? What do I have to give? I know nothing about life.” I often thought life was merely a mash-up of responsibilities, work, bills and dreaded adulthood. I thought the best part of my life was what I experienced in my college years and, if that were true, I was in for a dull and depressing future.

The truth is my soul was crying out for more. More love, passion, adventure and definitely more purpose, but I didn’t know what that meant or how to satisfy the urge. All I knew is that whatever life I was living wasn’t what I was meant to do.

There had to be more life for me to live. Come hell or high water, I was going to find it.

It took many years of feeling the urge, thinking logically about how to find true “happiness,” and doing what I thought I should do to finally figure out that’s the wrong way to live. I had a good job, stable income and a great relationship, but I knew something was missing. Deep down, my creative soul was dying a slow death.

It wasn’t until I followed my heart and listened to my inner guidance that I was finally able to tap into my gifts and purpose in this life. My gifts of writing, helping, serving, creating and inspiring others to find their calling emerged and blossomed into a fulfilling and magical career.

You see, if you are reading this, you too have more life to live. You have gifts that must be shared with the world and a soul that is trying desperately to be heard. And despite the fact that you may feel hopeless and as if you have nothing to give, you most certainly do.

You have a gift that no one else can give the world and there are people waiting for you to recognize it so they can experience your brilliance. You have an authentic experience unlike any other that will inspire, uplift and enlighten people you haven’t even met yet.

This isn’t about responsibility or someone telling you what you must do. It’s about you finding what you were meant to do, what you love to do and what you do effortlessly; you don’t even realize it’s the key to true happiness.

And if you are having trouble finding your purpose, I can tell you this: You aren’t going to find your map on someone else’s path.

Instead of looking outside of yourself, answer these four questions.

What do you love to do?
What comes easily and naturally for you?
What would you do for free?
How can you share that with the world?

You, my friend, have more life to live. So find it, live it, love it, and share it with the world.

As for the woman who had lost all hope? Well, she’s inspired, enlightened and ready to rock her purpose because she’s found her map and, as it turns out, she’s had it all along.

~

Relephant Read:

The Mental Health Decision that Saved my Life.

~

Author: Lamisha Serf-Walls

Editor: Caroline Beaton

Photo: Flickr

~

Facebook is in talks with major corporate media about pulling their content into FB, leaving other sites to wither or pay up if we want to connect with you, our readers. Want to stay connected before the curtain drops? Get our curated, quality newsletters below!