SHUT OUT THE NOISE AND THINK! Part 1

Every one truly desires to find their path in life and what they have come to the earth to do. While our counterparts in America and Europe seem to come up with new ideas a dime in a dozen, it seems like an audacious task for us in Africa!

A conversation in our recently organized bsof (Business side of fashion) mentor’s series got me thinking; the lady asked ‘how do I find out exactly what I am supposed to be doing in fashion’? My answer to her was: shut out all the noise and look within and really think about what you are passionate about.

I must confess; following my passion has not been an easy task! I can spend all day and night inspiring and motivating people especially women to be all they are called to be, but at the end of the day there are bills to pay and responsibilities to take care of and  they constantly give me a reality check. I am still on the journey to find out how to fully live my passion and make money ‘completely’ doing what I love and I think I am getting closer almost 5 years down this road…..

So what makes it difficult for people to find their passion, their path and live their dreams?

1.      Hunger: This is one of the top challenges in Africa with the prevailing levels of poverty. The average person is thinking; I had better find ways to survive and feed myself and my family, before I start thinking any lofty thoughts about passion. And the rule of life is that your life goes in the direction of your most dominant thoughts; if quenching hunger is what it is, little wonder we are still faced with the hunger problem in Africa!

2.      Opinions: Everyone who has some influence over your life has an opinion about who you are, can be or should be! From the time you were little, your parents told you how good a Lawyer you would become because of your natural curiosity or how good a doctor you would be because you were constantly pretending to have a stethoscope. While those opinions might be inkling to what you should be doing with your life, sometimes it can distract or derail you from your true path.

3.      Comfort: If you are one of the lucky few who have overcome the hunger problem and have attained a certain level of comfort; that can also be a hindrance to finding your passion, especially if the comfort was attained doing something you don’t really care about or don’t have any real interest in. The thought of sacrificing the comfort to follow your path can discourage you from even venturing and cloud your mind totally.

4.      Fear: This is the famous ‘four’ letter word that sends shivers down people’s spines. I was told yesterday that 90% of what people fear would never happen. And from my own life experiences, I have learnt that sometimes things you could never even think/worry about or fathom actually happens! So fear is a waste of time but it is one of the greatest bondage that holds people captive from reaching out to find their passion or their purpose. Fear can range from fear of failure, to fear of uncertainty to even fear of loss of control.

You might also find let go and find you self helpful, click this link: http://thefivestarwoman.blogspot.com/2014/03/let-go-and-find-your-self.html

5.      Pride:  This factor is one that saddens me a lot because pride does not allow you to tell yourself the truth. It blinds you from your reality and sometimes you become delusional. Unfortunately pride gives you a false sense of self importance and therefore hinders your from humbling yourself to see the real picture of who you really are so you can improve yourself. I personally believe that all of us need that ‘moment of truth’ that comes from a sincere self-assessment. If we allow pride to rule our lives the moment of truth might never happen willingly.

All the factors above are noise!and they hinder us from reaching to our inner selves and thinking! I am going to take time to meditate and search to see which of these have hindered me and hope you do the same. The part two would focus on overcoming these factors and my suggestions of how you can find your ‘eureka’ moment.

Suggested reading: http://thefivestarwoman.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-to-create-future-you-desire.html

I would love to hear from you and please share this with your friends.

Peace and Love,

Tale