What lights me up? I grappled with this question for a few years before I started getting clear answers.
And It’s a very important one.
Not asking it for a long time led me away from my creativity and made me forget all the things that bring me joy.
In the pursuit of the life I thought I wanted, filled with external and material accomplishments to fit the definition of success I bought into, I lost sight of my essence.
And it wasn’t just me. Everyone around me seemed to be consumed by the same malaise. Working hard to attain things and status, to then one day be “comfortable” enough to make time for all the things that matter.
And if others weren’t on the same trip, they were reneging it, meandering in the scarce existence of making ends meet, still with very little room for joy, let alone bring their magic into the world.
Whether we want to acknowledge or not, making a difference is what we’re all here for. And as children we knew that. We didn’t question it. We knew what our pure existence was deeply about.
But somehow, in the process of growing up, I ended up selling my soul and even some of my beliefs, but, most of all, my passion for life.
In a lot of ways, the success path I subscribed to felt like a slow death of the soul, but there came a point when I stopped accepting it as normal.
I knew something had to change.
So I went on a quest of rediscovery that lasted a good five years, although, looking back, what seemingly took me off-course was a crucial part of the path back to passion.
In that time, I listened to countless hours of podcasts, I read a ton of books and articles, I listened to advice from many different people, took online courses… you name it! I kept searching and searching and searching.
And (you might relate to this), every time I heard things like “just do what you love, follow your bliss, follow your purpose, follow your passion”, I just wanted to throw up in my mouth. I kept getting this syncing feeling of “that’s great for you, but how the heck do I do that?? How am I supposed to know? Is the answer going to be bestowed upon me one day, if I just keep looking?”
While this is somewhat true, things only started changing for me when I came across the most brilliant piece of advice, one which finally made sense. In her book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert said “follow your curiosity” and that lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. Finally! Something I could definitely do, especially without a radical change.
And slowly, I started making room for my curiosity, playing with it. Half an hour here and there, pockets of purpose permeating my life.
I discovered that my path back to passion and purpose was about remembering. Because they were there all along. If I think back to my childhood, the desire to write was there, my hand-made story books, my thirst for knowledge, my wish to bring us all closer with the power of words, my endless creative energy… It’s just that I’d been hiding from it.
I had bought into the conversation that sometimes we just have to suck it up and suffer through our circumstances, put up with jobs that suck the life out of us, put projects and passions in the back burner, as if we had all the time in the world to one day get to it.
I’m not pretending to have it figured out, but I can now at least recognise when I’m veering off the path of joy and getting seduced by the external success treadmill.
And that’s a damn good start. One that means some of my projects finally left my drawers and started seeing the light of day and that I won’t die with my magic inside me.
And there’s nothing more I want for you. I’m not talking about big things here. I’m talking about you picking up your guitar because it’s something you’ve always wanted to do, or writing that poem, or creating that community project or getting in the water more often. The small things that you know deep inside will bring YOU joy.
Because these small trails of joy inevitably lead you to your deep desire of living an inspired life and spreading this magic around you. It will also lead you to the things you’d regret not having done while you had your chance on this planet.
Now, I could write and write, and write about this, but instead I want to share with you a short episode of the Good Vibrations podcast, with the lovely Phyllis Brown, which I had the honour of being on last month.
I have one wish for you: that you listen to the next 33 minutes and get inspired to do something that brings you joy – and go do it!
As a bonus, you’ll learn:
- Clues on how to infuse your life with joy, little bits at a time
- How to set a powerful context for your experience of yourself
- Powerful clues on how to tap into your divine energy
- How to embrace your femininity as a creative power (if you’re a bloke, the same applies to your masculinity)
- Clues on how to share your gifts and creativity with your/the world
After you listen to the podcast, I’d love to hear what the questions Phyllis and I discussed sparked for you. Were you inspired? Were you challenged? Is there something you’d like to know more about?
Please share your thoughts and ideas directly below – I’d love to continue the conversation with you.
I’ll leave you with a wish that the year ahead is filled with connection (especially with yourself), love and the kind of joy you used to feel when you were a kid.
With love and appreciation,
