Romancing The Stone of Your Life

It was obvious I was lost in translation on this path of finding my purpose. I spent years trying to search for what fulfilled my soul but I was clueless. I needed something to reignite my fire. What was I missing? Uhm….it dawned on me, I was missing passion.

If I could retrace my steps, I lost my passion at the end of 2006 while stationed in South Carolina. A series of negative things kept happening in my life and consequently South Carolina became my arch nemesis. I truly wonder why I chose such an isolated place away from all the people & things I loved.

When I finally finished my 9yrs of military service I was left with the decision to leave or stay. Honestly, I wanted to run as far away from here as I could but I was hurting. I needed a fresh start but I didn’t believe this would be the place of my new beginnings. However, God’s plans for my life was greater than I could imagine.

So, the journey started as the walls came tumbling down brick by brick each layer exposed a deeper part of my pain. I was left naked with the pure ugliness of who I became over the last several years.

While I kicked and screamed my way through the journey I became tired of the misery. I was tired of the circle of insanity and often begged the Lord to let me leave South Carolina. I was angry; I wanted God to tell me why I was here. But I had no idea that all the misfortunes were just preparing me for my purpose. I was challenged to romance the stones in my life and change them into diamonds.

It’s funny; as much as I wanted to leave God used this place of transition as a place for me to become whole. Whatever, I thought I was looking for found me. And as I continue to heal I am feeling more alive everyday embracing the passion that sets my soul on fire!

Live Your Dreams!

 

On a starry night I watch the clouds part easily, making a path for the moonlight that glistened upon my face. I thought about how dreamy and magical the moon danced across the sky. The moon was captivating all own its own. It did not need any special entrance because it did what it was supposed to do every night. I found myself thinking how the moon was not sacred to be itself among the other stars. In some crazy way, the moon knew how special it really was to the solar system because without it nighttime would not be the same. 

Just like the moon, we could learn that our dreams, purpose and passion in life have a specific role in the universe. When we defer our dreams we minimize who we are solely to become a figment of someone else imagination of what our life should embody. Many of us wanted to become someone great before we started to believe the lies about who we were not. We allowed the lies to shape our world so we became a stain glass, beautiful on the outside empty inside. The emptiness is due to the fear of living our dreams. For some of us it has become easier to live in a comfort zone than to defy the odds and explore the thing that sets our soul on fire.

I can fondly remember when I decided to leave the military lifestyle and venture out into the wild….the real world. I was uncomfortable because the military lifestyle had become a safety net. The military was a place where I had a support system and endless resources to accomplish my career goals. However, after nine years of serving in the US Navy I was no longer happy with the career path I chose to pursue. I knew I needed my personal freedom to do what I wanted to do on my own terms. So, I created my wings of bravery to live out my dream of being an author and writer. I cannot lie to you I was afraid, I failed plenty of times but I could no longer just exist.

You may wonder, did I allow failure to stop me? Well, to be honest for a moment the failure did stop me but then I wondered what I learned from my failure. I learned what success was and was not. It helped me become wiser, stronger and confident to try the journey again and again until I accomplished my purpose in life.

When we decide to not live our dream we hinder other people dreams. How so you might ask? Well, when we live our dreams in spite of the setbacks we give other people permission to live their dreams unafraid. We give them hope, inspiration and courage to do what they love no matter what other people think. In 2016, I challenge you to defy the odds and live your dreams no matter what happens. What do you have to lose? Nothing at all! 

Tweet: It is better to try & attempt to live a dream than to have a dream deferred!