The truth is, neither were we.
When I reflect back on how different our lives were just three years ago, it hardly seems possible that we have changed almost everything about our lives, our careers, and our homes. We even gained a family member (Roxy Vincent, VP of Animal Testing).
How did this all happen? What was the catalyst for this transformation?
It's a mystery to me, but I can tell you honestly that I feel like Russ and I have found our calling. We have found our life's purpose. We have found the way that we can contribute to the world.
We're in our 40s. Is that surprising?
“Those who succeed in an outstanding way seldom do so before the age of 40. More often, they do not strike their real pace until they are well beyond the age of 50.” ― Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich
Well, thank GOD! That takes off a whole lot of pressure, doesn't it?
I think most people expect to have found their calling well before their 40s. Colleges require you to declare your calling (aka "your major"), but most people in college aren't even 21! I'm not saying people shouldn't give their life direction from the very beginning, but the pressure to do meaningful work is really heavy.
I think sometimes the pressure to have a career and know your life's calling in itself makes it impossible to figure out your life's calling.
"I wish I could find my 'soap'." - lots of people
I hear that a lot. I hear it from people who have been in their careers for more than a decade. I hear it from people who love their jobs and I hear it from people who hate their jobs. I think I've even heard it from people who make soap!
They're not talking about soap, of course. They mean they wish they could find the thing that ignites the kind of passion that I have for my work - The thing that they're both passionate about and can pay their bills.
The thing is, when I found my "soap," I wasn't even looking for it. I was working in a lucrative career in Los Angeles. Russ and I had just gotten married.
But I always had a mission.
That mission was to help people live their best lives. That has always been my mission, even before I had an awareness of who Oprah was, and definitely before I worked there.
And that mission that led me to my life's purpose.
To find your "soap," identify your life's mission.
This will be a central theme that has run through your whole life, whether it is helping people live their best lives, making sure people have sustenance, taking care of people who can't take care of themselves, beautifying the world, or bringing order out of chaos.
Once you have your life's mission, exercise every opportunity to pursue it.
Does everyone whose mission is "helping people live their best lives" make soap? Hell no (ahem: Oprah). Do all soapers help people live their best lives? Nope! Some are dedicated to helping people practice self-care, some to promoting health through all natural ingredients, some to making people laugh.
Applying that mission to every aspect of your life is the important thing, not what aspect you're applying it to.
This is the key to personal life satisfaction.
And I truly believe the universe takes care of the rest. It will put the opportunities in front of you if you show a willingness to pursue them.
It's ok if it takes years, because they will be happy and satisfying years.
What is your life's mission? Have you found your "soap," and what is it?
