“I am a rare species, not a stereotype.”
Ivan E. Coyote
Have you noticed how often we apologise as women? It has become the greatest epidemic of our times and it couldn’t be more prolific in the area of our purpose. Just recently I wrote an encouragement to someone online about their passion for a particular subject. It was a topic that was directly associated with what they love deeply and gives their time to generously.
Straight away she apologised for being so pedantic and passionate. And my reply just fell out of my keyboard “Don’t apologise: you are perfectly purposed.”
As I walked away from my computer I was reminded of how many times I apologise for the things that set my soul on fire. Like how often I post about my family on social media. Or I try to water down my strength, so I don’t make others feel uncomfortable.
Do you struggle in this comparison trap around our purpose and its outworking?
You are a rare species. Uniquely designed, with intention and brilliance. There is a set of algorithms that match your life that cannot be replicated. Your story is profound and your voice is ever growing and changing.
I often run workshops with women and it always shocks me when I find how much our society and particularly online culture silences us from finding our unique story and voice. The purpose of life has been shoved down our throats and often we feel choked by the weight and responsibility of it all.
What if our greatest purpose on this planet was to learn to love ourselves and sing our unique song a little louder every decade?
What if the greatest love story of all was discovering the very heartbeat of our personality and accepting ourselves as whole and okay?
Recently my little girl pulled out from the top of my desk drawer a group of photos tied together neatly with string. They were a collection of photos of a friend who lived out her days with such uniquely purposed perfection. She was loud and she was quiet. She was complex and so very simple. She smelt like rain on a summers day and she was a tornado through a party. I sat and chatted with my three-year-old about my sunshiny yellow friend.
You see my friend was so unique that it is impossible to forget her.
She penned these words in the last couple of years of her life and they remind me often to keep on discovering my own personal why. She also encourages me also to stop comparing my life and voice to what everyone else is doing and to continue on discovering myself.
Wear your Brave Undies Everyday
Don’t dwell in dull tones
Blaze in full colour
Love from the centre
Smile at the future
Live freely
Sing as if your soul depended on it
Speak up for the voiceless
Hug with both arms
Don’t allow fear to cripple your dreams
or intimidation to silence your voice.
We are a vapour
Fragrance the earth well
Ruth Elisabeth Carnegie.
The lesson I learned deeply from my dear friend’s life is that we are all unique and we all are perfectly purposed.
Continue to discover what sets your soul on fire my internet friend?
Your life is but a canvas with a unique flare that no one else can replicate.
Great stuff Amanda