COURAGE | HOPE | DESTINY | INSPIRATION | LIFE
The Secret To Claiming Your Destiny
How to discover the passion to live your dreams.
It’s been said authors espouse wisdom on the very topic they need most. My writing gives credence to the premise. Stories lurked in my mind throughout my life, but it took unraveling my secret past to discover my destiny.
Though I typically write fiction, hidden within the pages of every book I weave golden threads to inspire others to find their passion and live their dreams.
My mantra brands my writing––discover the magic!
Once I learned the truth, my childhood passion and destiny emerged with luminous clarity. But I have to admit the first steps were pretty scary. Like the scene from Indiana Jones where his path became visible only after he took a step in the right direction, I had to take a leap of faith.
Taking that first step opened up a whole new world. And when I finally held in my hand my first published book, a memoir entitled Wingless Butterfly, I felt a sense of accomplishment and elation I had only experienced twice before — with the birth of my two children.
Oddly, the achievement held more similarities than one might think. Writing a book, an immortal sliver of myself, propelled me forward on a profound journey, as the pages took on a life of their own. Not only did I know my life would never be the same, I realized my experience had the propensity to impact the lives of others.
As I look back through my life, I can see whispers deep within my soul had tried to get my attention since I was a child. They battled in shadows with a black knight who haunted me, while my mission lay in waiting for God’s timing to be right. For decades, they drifted within my reach but beyond my grasp like a silent mist that hovers before it disappears.
There’s an old Native American saying, “All energy was meant to be gifted.”
My energy was no exception, and neither is yours. Empower yourself and your positive energy will radiate around you.
Each person in this world constantly makes decisions about his or her life. Choose to feed your passion. Surround yourself with like-minded people. Read and listen to positive inspiration. Don’t live in drama that will surely drain your dream.
Across the years the seeds of passion planted in my heart took root and grew, while God prepared my heart.
For years I thanked multiple friends for gifts, wondering why they gave me motivational books I’d likely never read. Among them was The Power of Positive Thinking (Norman Vincent Peale) — a book written the year I was born by the progenitor of the concept — given to me by a friend in my “Young Life” group when I was only sixteen. I stuffed it on a shelf, never reading one page.
Another book, Phycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, was given to me a few years later by another well-meaning friend. That one sat alongside others on my dusty bookshelf for many years to come, again, left unread.
The books each touted positive thinking and how negative habits could be altered, a life-changing concept I had yet to discover.
In my thirties I received Compassion And Self-Hate (Theodore Rubin), a book explaining self-destructive patterns and the emotional impact of toxic attitudes — another addition to my unread self-help library.
In my forties, I actually read Boundaries (Henry Cloud and John Townsend), gifted from my Bible study leader at a low point in my life. That book was about setting physical, emotional, and spiritual boundaries, which mystified the Pollyanna in me into seeing how I’d bent my life around everyone else, forgetting about my own needs.
Ultimately, I was gifted The Secret (Rhonda Byrne) ––and a floodgate opened.
Why did friends constantly give me books that clearly pointed me down a specific path? What did they see in me that I somehow missed…and why did I ignore the messages for so many years?
There are no definitive answers to those questions. Perhaps they were the whispers of destiny nudging me toward my future.
My gifted books littered my shelves for far too long. I wasted a lot of time accepting the status quo and used a bucket of excuses. But that pail leaked profusely, and as valid as my reasons for not delving in seemed at the time, they were simply excuses.
Patrick Overton once said, “When you have come to the edge of all light that you know and are about to drop off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly.”
There will always be something––or someone––to blame for the failures in life, and many people to divert you off course. Misery loves company. Don’t let anyone squelch your dreams. Have faith.
My mother used to jokingly say, “If you want to hear God laugh, just make plans.” But problems don’t lie in making plans, they’re rooted in believing in your dream.
No event needs to happen to enable, prepare, or allow you to find your destiny.
Remember, happiness is a choice. Don’t wait until your 50’s, 60’s or 70’s to follow your heart.
God works in mysterious ways — so if doors keep opening, take a chance and walk through.
- *Side Note: Take a look at my other articles on Medium — like this one: What Secrets Lurk In The Shadows
Connect with me on social media and here on Medium.
Maybe you’ll discover something about yourself that might help guide you to live your own dreams.
My Website, Bookbub, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Pinterest, YouTube, Linkedin, Goodreads
Before I go, I want to tag a few writer friends for you. I think you’ll love their stories.
Dr Mehmet Yildiz, Tim Maudlin, Jeff Herring, Brenda Christopher, MaryJo Wagner, PhD, Vickie Trancho, Jesse-Melva Johnson, Sunita Pandit, Peg Duchesne, Benecia L. Ponder, John Kremer, Jacquelyn Lynn, Kelda Ytterdal, Phil Truman, Nomanono Isaacs, Rick Hoefer, Ellen Mogensen, Dave Kwiecinski, Joan Kent, PhD, Roger Himes Esq., Terri Ward, Nicki Walsh, Susan Joy Schleef, Nancy H. Vest, Dr Jeanne King PhD, Nile Nickel, Cynthia Charleen, Linda Miles Murray, Thomas Anderson, Andrew Poletto, Linda Halladay
