Pushed Into Purpose
Boardwalk: North Myrtle Beach, SC
"Sometimes our lives have to be completely shaken up, changed and rearranged to relocate us to the place we're meant to be."
-Author Unknown
As it is often true in December, last year, there was so much hope as the old year started to wind down and the new year began. There is always something very special in the air before a new year and with the upcoming year, being the infamous 2020, many were exclaiming some version of "Vision 2020/2020 Vision" or “2020: The Year of Clarity.”
It was very easy to assume that our paths and sight would become clear, without either us or life, having to do the work to clear the things that were blocking our vision in the first place.
Our lives have been shaken up due to a global pandemic, racial unrest, and a lot of loss and tragedy, on top of what so many people were already dealing with. Some of this “shaking up” was necessary to reveal what was lying under the mask of freedom and unity for so long in the United States and around the world. In the same breath, with the shaking has come some settling into what many would call a "new or next normal."
Our lives have been changed in many ways forever. I don't know if anyone will ever truly go back to life or business as usual. Often, people do not like change that they do not initiate. However, when managed correctly, change can be a very good thing for all parties involved. One question that we can all ask when change happens, is "How is this change happening FOR me and not just to me?" Changing our mindset to understand how we can benefit from a particular shift in our lives can allow us to not only navigate that change in healthy way, but to also thrive from it.
Our lives have also been rearranged, which means to change the position, order, time or locations of things. This year we have changed our position and mindset on issues or gained clarity in areas where we may have been stuck or ignorant in for a long time. Some, who were social butterflies or the life of the party, were forced into solitude for the first time. People have gone from in-office work to remote and many conferences and events have gone from in-person to virtual. Families have rearranged jobs, schedules and entire spaces to allow for both parents and kids to be able to work and learn from home. Others have put safety measures in place in schools so children can return to in-person learning. Whatever your current routine looks like, it is highly likely that you had to do some rearranging since March 2020.
The truth is we never really know how resilient we can be until being resilient is our only choice.
When challenges, tragedy or the things that test our faith arise, we start to realize what's really important to us. It is also when we become clearer on who we really are and what we're truly made of. Who we really are is what rises to the surface when we're under pressure and that is not easy for many people to face. The distractions in this world often enable us to ignore who we are: the good, the bad and the ugly, but what 2020 has done is brought it all to the forefront for us to acknowledge, see for what it is and to move through accordingly.
I can honestly say that my vision has never been so clear, but it is not because this year has been easy. Despite of and because of the challenges:
I am clearer on my purpose for being on this Earth.
I am clearer about the relationships in my life and how I prioritize who I spend the most time with.
I am clearer about how I need to invest my time in order to achieve my goals.
I am clearer about the strategy and vision for my business as we continue to equip a more diverse future workforce.
And most of all, I am clear about who I am and how I am meant to show up in this world.
Who knows what the rest of this year has to bring? None of us definitely could have predicted what has transpired so far. Many have called these "times of uncertainty", but the truth is that life is never really certain. We never know what may happen from one day or even one moment to the next.
This year has been a reminder to live our lives with purpose and intention, to not take life for granted and to make our days and our lives count. As you continue to move through the fourth quarter of 2020, may you be reminded of these things and allow 2020 to push you into your purpose!