Find Your Purpose, Live Your Passion, Follow Your Dream
When I excitedly bought my first small batch of silver, my vision wasn’t to turn it into a business. It was more of a fun little science experiment. The planet had my heart and I was sure that my career was to be in conservation.
But it quickly became clear that designing & handcrafting beautiful pieces of jewellery inspired by what I love most, brought me a lot of joy. This joy I could then emanate, spreading more love to the world.
So I followed this.
I realised that as strong as my desire was to help nourish & sustain the world around me, I needed to find harmony within myself first, and this new way of creating was doing just that.
My trusty sidekick Reggie, constantly reminding me of what’s important.
Fast forward to the present day, and here I am.
I spend my days doing what I love. Sometimes this looks like pouring my heart into creating delicate pieces of jewellery for special people. Sometimes it looks like a solo adventure in the mountains to allow inspiration to come through. Sometimes it looks like a morning of sketching followed by an afternoon of networking.
Whatever it may be, I let my heart lead. I follow my joy while always keeping my deepest held values close to my heart.
I say this not to gloat, but to inspire. I believe that if we were all to pursue our soul’s unique path, we could make the world even more beautiful than it already is. It’s painfully easy to get lost in the fog of what we think we should be doing, and forget that our only job here is to find what makes us shine, and do that.
So for now, Trees of Tomorrow is my contribution. It makes me shine, it makes you shine and thanks to our planting partners at Eden Reforestation Project, it makes our planet shine.
With 1 tree planted for every $10 sold, together we are making great positive change!
And now that you've heard a small part of my journey, let's turn the focus to you.
Are you spending your time doing what makes you shine? Do you know what makes you shine?
I would like to acknowledge that these questions come from a place of privilege, which I do not take lightly.
Many of us are in survival mode. I have been there, and financially I guess I still am. But I've managed to create space to do what I love, and map out a pathway to reach financial stability through that. I knew I couldn't continue giving my life to soul-sucking jobs, And so I worked very hard for a long time so that when inspiration, motivation & opportunity aligned, I was ready.
And so you might not be in a position right now where you can walk away from your day job and follow your dream. BUT I can almost guarantee that there is one small step you could take.
What might this be? What baby step could you take right now in the direction of your dream?
Give this question some space to breathe.
Space to breathe - an underrated necessity in life!
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits (excellent read - highly recommend), put it perfectly;
“Making a choice that is 1% better or 1% worse seems insignificant in the moment, but over the span of moments that make up a lifetime these choices determine the difference between who you are and who you could be. Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.”
For me it was a combination of many small steps & mindset shifts. And of course we are all wonderfully unique and these will be different for everyone, but in hope that it might help or inspire you, let’s explore the three most impactful shifts that helped me on my path.
Daily journaling
To know where you're aiming for, you need to identify your core values. And for me, journaling has been a fantastic tool to understand what truly matters to me, and align my life with this.
Some helpful journal prompts for identifying your core values:
What moments in my life have brought me the most happiness and fulfillment? Why?
Think about a person you admire. What qualities or values do they possess that you find inspiring?
What are the things I'm most passionate about? What activities or causes make me feel deeply connected & motivated?
If I could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
Imagine you have achieved all your goals. What kind of person have you become in the process? What values have guided you along this journey?
Journaling is also a wonderful tool to tune in to your inner desires & passions. Of course, modern life demands certain things from us, and there are times for logic & practicality, but for me, if I'm not following my heart, I will get nowhere.
Some journaling prompts to tune into your heart:
What activities make my heart sing?
What makes me lose track of time?
What activities or hobbies have I always been drawn to since I was a child?
If money and time were no object, how would I spend my days?
What are the moments when I feel most alive and in alignment with my true self?
If my heart could speak, what would it say about my current life and choices?
Try it for yourself. Of course we are all different, but for me, this was a really helpful way of regularly checking in with my goals & values, to get clear on what I wanted, what I needed & how I was going to get there.
Journaling has become a need for me by now. If I go a few days without it, my mind starts to feel clouded.
Get comfortable with change
Change is scary. Leaving behind the comfort of what you know, and entering a space of so many unknowns is not the easy path. But it's the path where the real growth lies.
The first step is recognizing any resistance or fear you may have towards change. Understand that it's natural to feel uneasy about the unknown. Identify & challenge any negative beliefs or assumptions about change. Ask yourself if these beliefs are rational or based on past experiences. Define clear goals related to the change you want to make. Divide the change into smaller, manageable steps, and acknowledge & celebrate each small achievement along the way.
And remember: change takes time, and it's normal to experience setbacks. Be patient with yourself as you adapt to new circumstances.
I found this in an old journal from a few years ago, as I was embarking on this handmade business journey. Thought I’d share in case it helps you.
Embrace failure as a teacher & reshape perfectionism
I used to be so terrified of making a mistake. How embarrassing that I got something wrong, I'd think.
What a ridiculous thought, right?!
Perfectionism has been one of my biggest roadblocks. I guess in some ways it helped me, but it stemmed from a fear of making mistakes, and so whenever I felt it, it fed that belief that I needed to always be perfect to be accepted. But making mistakes is human, and it's through these imperfections that you refine your skills and knowledge.
Failure is not the end of the road; it's a stepping stone on your journey to success. Every mistake or failure holds valuable lessons that can help you improve and make better choices in the future.
I now love making mistakes, truly. I get excited when I make a mistake, and immediately ask myself what the lesson is within it.
I remember this mistake clearly. It was a few years ago, and I was GUTTED. It was in this moment that I realised I had to shift my mindset around change.
I will wrap it up here, in hope that this post has been enough to plant a little seed for you to water. I hope that this post has inspired you to dig deep & find that thing that makes you shine, and reminded you that with patience & intention, you can absolutely get there.
Your path may be winding, but it's uniquely yours, and it has the potential to shine brightly, just as you do.
Thank you for choosing to spend your precious time with me today. Now, I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on your own path. What small step can you take today in the direction of your dream?
