By Kathryn Hogan / 12.19.2016
What It Feels Like To Live From Your Heart
Destiny. Mission. Purpose. Karma.
There are many different names for that certain something. That thing that drives us, that feeling that pulls us. That thing that feels so right when we are pointed towards it. That thing that cannot be replaced by anything else.
That thing that lights us up just thinking about it, that feels amazing, that brings us joy. That thing that, when it is absent, leaves a pain within us, a feeling that things just aren’t quite right.
It takes tremendous courage to try and put a name to this thing. Sometimes it cannot be named. It’s more of a magnetic pull, a direction or a single point of light, an idea, a navigational aide. Something constant and shining, like the North Star. Maybe it’s a feeling. That incredible, peaceful joy that occurs when we’ve found it, and the aching sense of loss when we turn away from it.
Finding Your Destiny
When we are following that North Star towards our soul’s purpose, our reason for being on this Earth, and going in the direction of our destiny, then miracles happen. This may sound silly or like New Age nonsense, unless you’ve experienced it yourself.
When we are following that North Star towards our soul’s purpose, our reason for being on this Earth, and going in the direction of our destiny, then miracles happen.
Then, you know what I mean. Coincidences start piling up. Serendipitous meetings, opportunities, events, big and small, help you along your way. There’s a feeling of magic. There is magic.
Some people would consider that just dumb luck, or even convince themselves that they deserve it, that they worked hard, and got what was coming to them.
The Miracle Of Life
But here’s the thing. As Alison Armstrong points out in the Queen’s Code, if you’ve earned something, then it is a payment, not a gift. If you want to believe that people have to earn everything in this life, you will inevitably find yourself and others coming short.
None of us could ever possibly do enough to “earn” the lives of the plants and animals who sustain us as food, or the miracle of oxygen invigorating our cells, or the devotion of parents, or the miracle of life itself. We would all come up short. We would all be found undeserving.
Believing that everything has to be earned is a very sad way to look at the world.
You Don’t Have To Earn It
The North Star sits right over my heart, representing the unwavering guidance towards my soul’s purpose. I navigate by the light of my heart towards the things that light my heart up.
Those things — food, air, water, family, love, and life itself — they aren’t payment. They’re not our due for getting good grades and working overtime on weekends, for sacrificing our dreams to work in an office, for making our mortgage payments on time and always being faithful.
They’re not something that must be earned and that can therefore be taken away if we don’t do enough, or well enough. When we get sick. When we are working on something that someone else doesn’t value. None of us could possibly earn our keep on this good Earth, if the universe were keeping tabs.
The Gifts You Bring
Those things are gifts.
Friendship, love, peace, joy, dancing, trees, fresh air, water. All the best things in life, whatever those are to you, those are all gifts. All of the best things in life are. All of life is.
All the best things in life, whatever those are to you, those are all gifts. All of the best things in life are. All of life is.
You don’t have to deserve a gift. You don’t have to earn it. The whole point is that it is given to you because you are lovely, inherently. You are good enough, just as you are. Because you are here for a reason, because what you have to give is special and important and needed by the world. Not what the world has earned, not what others deserve, but the gifts that you bring. We are all giving to each other, deeply and selflessly, simply by existing.
Your Soul’s Purpose
When we connect with our heart’s purpose, our soul’s destiny, our reason for being on this earth, we are able to give so much more, to ourselves and to others and to the entirety of creation. And so, all of creation gives to us, too.
We deserve that. Not because we’ve earned it, because we never could. But because life is beautiful, and so are we.
Sometimes it takes a while to find your purpose. Sometimes, there are challenging steps along the way, suffering that doesn’t seem like a gift at all. Sometimes, that star disappears behinds clouds, or guides you into dangerous, dark waters.
Not Always Easy
I’m not saying this is all going to be love and light.
It won’t be.
It will be really, really hard sometimes. For me, writing is a big part of my mission, my purpose. I couldn’t write at all for nearly two years after a car accident that left my brain injured. I had to work hard, every day, to heal and to retrain my brain so that I could handle the cognitive strain again. At first I couldn’t even remember the right words, and just the effort of trying left me reeling.
Because of my hard work, I can now do 30 – 60 minutes per day. And that involves working in spite of severe and constant headaches, dealing with the memory loss and fuzziness associated with heavy painkillers, and setting timers because if I work for too long, my brain can’t handle it and my already brutal pain becomes unbearable agony.
It Is Worth It
It’s worth it. It feels so good and it makes me so happy. Everyone has struggles. Everyone has things that hurt. Everyone has stuff happens that knocks them off their feet. And that’s OK. It may even be part of your path. Do what you’re meant to do anyway.
Sometimes, part of following our path is becoming the type of person who can. And that’s hard. And it’s scary.
But it is always worth it.
When you are moving in the right direction, things will work better. You will know that it’s right, deep in your bones. You have a gift, that only you can give. We need it.