Over the years I have heard people like Oprah, Iyanla and others speak about standing in your truth. I listened to many conversations and read many books to make sure I fully understood the statement. I now know that standing in your truth applies beyond your professional life to every part of your life. It makes no sense at all to apply this rule in one area and not in all. Doing that would lead to an unbalanced life. I love the way Oprah explains it:
“Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it. Every time we have seen a person on this stage who is a success in their life, they spoke of the job, and they spoke of the juice that they receive from doing what they knew they were meant to be doing. We saw it in the volunteers who rocked abandoned babies in Atlanta. We saw it with those lovely pie ladies from Cape Cod making those delicious potpies. … We saw it every time Tina Turner, Celine, Bocelli or Lady Gaga lit up the stage with their passion. Because that is what a calling is. It lights you up and it lets you know that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be, doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. You have to live from the heart of yourself. You have to make a living; I understand that. But you also have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world.”
For many, including myself, this requires a lot of honest conversation to get the answer. We often say we want happiness but we stay in the job or with the mate we don’t like because it is familiar and we are scared of change. You have to ask yourself some tough questions:
– Am I happy? If not, why?
– What do I feel passionate about?
– Why do I want from my relationship or mate? Do I like my mate?
– Does my job challenge me? Do I like my job?
– What do I value in life? What are my beliefs?
– Am I willing to be uncomfortable to be comfortable?
– What motivates me?
– Do my friends and/or family motivate and encourage me?
– Am I willing to be honest with myself to get what I want?
Once you start answering these questions you may realize that your passion may not pay you a lot of money, you may have to relocate to get where you want to be, you may have to get new friends, you may need to get a new mate, or you may have to change your focus.
At forty-six, I am still growing, developing and realizing that I may need to make some changes. Things don’t look the same as they did one year ago and to be honest, things don’t look the same as they did yesterday. I am on a mission to stand in my truth both personally and professionally, and in my book one cannot operate without the other.
The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are. Joseph Campbell