Purpose as a part of the wellness journey
I am so thankful for all of the love, support and congratulations I have received since the launch of my new business. Everyone is telling me how courageous and brave I am. I truly am so thankful for all of the kind words. The secret is, I am not that brave. This is not me launching out into my destiny. This is definitely a God thing.
God placed my business on my heart years ago. While doing some spring cleaning, I found documentation where I started inquiring about my health coaching class four years ago. At that time, I was full throttle into my new lifestyle, lost a ton of weight and started to make progress on the business. However, it didn’t go too far because it was costly, and I had just transitioned to public health. I focused on growing my career in that sector for a while until I got the money for my classes. My growth in public health was going well, but then it stopped. I asked God for what was the purpose of me staying in public health, especially for so long. I now know the reason, and it is much different than I thought.
I began to feel like my soul, being and essence was being picked at with sharp tweezers every day I went to work. Opportunities that I thought were mine, just weren’t. Next steps that seemed so obvious did not pan out. I became frustrated and depressed. My job was not horrible; I loved the people I worked with and the mission of the organization, which is vital to me. Yet, I knew deep down that I was not living and walking in the purpose God had for me. I was comfortable. I made decent money, was not miserable and did not hate my boss.
I thought to do something as extreme as walk in your purpose, or in my case quit my 9-5 job and launch my business full-time, you had to be in a horrible place in your life. I thought catapulting into my purpose was going to be caused by a huge, dramatic life event. But no, it was like a slow chipping away at who I was, at my joy, at my confidence. Again, I asked God for guidance. He answered, “I told you what to do.” At that moment, I told myself obedience will be my word of the year.
The crazy part about this is I have never felt less qualified or equipped to take on something like this. I haven’t saved enough money or finished graduate school. I just stopped nursing my daughter, so I am still losing my baby weight. I felt people would not listen to me.
Four years ago when I first inquired about my health coach class, I was younger, weighed less and had less responsibilities. But as my husband always tells me, “God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” So, I am literally functioning on obedience, because the real LB would never walk away for stability and consistency! Then, literally two weeks after my last day at my job, COVID-19 hit. My previous job moved to working remotely, even though they were not open to it prior to the virus. This was one of the main reasons I left.
I started to question my decision. Did I make a huge mistake? Should I have waited? I could be at home working a job that I don’t hate, making decent money and with people I like, even though I don’t love it. But God said, “No, your light was being smothered because you were not walking in the light I placed in you. You were not being your best and healthiest self because you were doubting yourself and your abilities. Your emotional and mental wellness were at stake. You were not doing what I asked you to do and were not being obedient. If you would have stayed a little longer, you have found more reasons to stay because it was ‘not that bad.’”
I am not advocating for you to quit your day job, but to always do the work and assess how you can be your healthiest self and walk in your purpose.
Just because you don’t feel ready, qualified, have enough money or are not miserable enough where you are, does not mean you should not strive to walk in purpose. Walking in purpose is part of the journey to your healthiest and well self.
Discern with yourself and God and listen for the next move. Not ten steps, just the very next step, and then do it. The more you spend time with yourself, the more you will get to know the God within. You will begin to know which next steps or moves to make. Any movement, even if it’s actively waiting, is better than none.
The other day, God revealed to me that the reason I was in public health so long was because I had to learn that living your purpose is a choice. It does not have to be a “jump now” situation. It does not always have to be selected out of a sense of panic or internal chaos. A purpose shift forward into your healthiest self journey can be a decisive choice.
Choosing what God had for me was so hard. Mainly because my job situation wasn’t horrible, and I didn’t feel everything I needed to launch was perfectly in place. Well, things will not always be or seem perfect. However, your journey is because it is yours. You don’t have to be perfect, it doesn’t have to be perfect, but you have what it takes! So if you need help being obedient to your wellness journey in your quest for the best you, I am here. Let me know how I can help.
With Love,
LB