Let it burn baby!!

I'll never forget the other morning. I found myself barely able to drag my butt out of bed, depressed about my life and where I am at with it. I called a friend up to vent, and asked her, "Why does every step have to be so difficult for me?" Without missing a beat, she met my question with another: "Why do you look at it as a struggle? Life is going to be harder some days than others, but on any given day, "Life" gives you what it has--and you just have to do the best you can with that."

Use what you have to move toward your best--so, that's how I try to live my life. I realize now that no matter where you stand right now--on a hilltop, in a gutter, at a crossroads, in a rut--you need to give yourself the best you have to offer in this moment. This is it. Rather than depleting yourself with judgments about what you haven't done, who you could have become, why you haven't moved faster, or what you should have changed, redirect that energy toward the next big push--the one that takes you from good enough to better. The one that takes you from adequate to extraordinary. The one that helps you rise up from a low moment and reach for your personal best.

I believe we discover our destinies in the smallest ways--in a fascination with words, in the thrill a child's laughter evokes, and even in a familiar song we keep humming. If you pay attention to these cues--to the times you've felt most joyous, most fully engaged, most connected with yourself and others--you'll always be guided to the next best place.

I believe that every person in the world has a purpose for being here--a calling. The work of your life is to discover that purpose and get on with the business of living it out. The only courage you need is the courage to find and follow your passion. So, try to ask yourself these questions: Does what you're doing now feel right? Does it fill you up or leave you drained? Forget what everyone else wants for you. This is not your mother's, father's, boyfriend's, husband's, children's or your best friend's journey. Your role is NOT just as your husband's wife, your boss's employee, or your children's mother. You, and ONLY YOU, were there for all the significant moments that hold the clues to your calling.

There's an old gospel song with a refrain I love: "I can feel the fire shut up in my bones." We were all born with this fire, but beginning in childhood, we let others snuff it out. Passion is the log that keeps the fire of purpose blazing. Your work now is to find that fire and rekindle it--and then.....let it burn baby!!