Getting lost & the path back to your purpose
- becca
- Apr 28, 2020
- 5 min read
I started reading a devotional a week or so ago, thanks to an old friend of mine, and it has, unsurprisingly, been pretty eye-opening. We can so very easily get lost in the day-to-day of our everyday lives; get lost in the shuffle. Everything seems to be whirling around us at 100MPH and we lose sight of what's really important.
I've had more going on in my life recently than I have in a really long time. I started writing this blog AND took on a new business a month apart from each other. With that, I've been highly focused on improving my social media following; I've been chasing followers and chasing "likes". I've found that I can handle writing this blog. And I can handle a new business venture. But I cannot handle chasing followers. I cannot handle chasing "likes".
I've written about this before...when I first started blogging. But during that time I still placed an extreme amount of importance on those things: followers & likes. I'm slowly starting to let that go. Because you know what I've realized since starting this devotional? Pretty much 100% of my stress comes from social media. I enjoy writing. I enjoy sharing my story. I enjoy putting content out there. I enjoy making a "pretty" feed. I even (sometimes) enjoy going LIVE. I do not enjoy constantly checking my phone to see if I have any updates. I do not enjoy following people for the simple hope that they will follow me back.
On day two of this devotional, I was asked to reflect back on what I'm taking on that may not be God's fit or design for me. Chasing "likes" immediately came to my mind. The unhappiness and stress that this brings me was not what God designed for me; it was not in his plans. I do believe that starting this blog and sharing my story WAS in His plans, but chasing popularity on social media was not. I've realized that the two do not go hand-in-hand. And BOY does letting that go feel like a giant rock has been lifted off my chest.
God will put my messages in the hands of people who need it. I have to start putting more trust in my purpose & the path that God intended me to take to get there; not try to inorganically create a path through "follow-for-follow" loops or "like-for-like" posts.
"When I understand that everything happening to me is to make me more Christlike, it resolves a great deal of anxiety. " - A.W. Tozer
I am now on day six of this devotional (missed a few days in there, unfortunately), and every single day my reflection has had something to do with social media. And the bad taste it leaves in my mouth. I do believe social media can do us good; it is an incredible way to share our story. But we shouldn't be sharing our story for any other reason than to hopefully bring some good to someone else's life. And while this was my purpose for creating this blog and starting LimeLife to begin with, I've noticed that I always have that thought in the back of my mind, or forefront actually, where I'm hoping that this particular piece (whatever it is) gains a lot of traction; that it gets a lot of likes or views.
My original intention is always to help someone, but on the backside of that comes my selfishness...hoping this content will improve my following or my business. I believe that only when I'm able to let that go, will success really come my way. And I think that's true for a lot of people. Only when your intentions are TRULY pure, will you be guided on the path to success.
Day three talked about glorifying the busy lifestyle; constantly having something on your calendar. We, especially as women, admire those who seem to handle the craziness with such expertise. We think, "Oh, she's got her sh** TOGETHER" *insert hand clapping emoji*. We also tell ourselves we're lazy bums if we want to take a Saturday to just relax, watching Netflix on the couch with our pups. Naturally, those of us who wish and long for success tend to take on too much. We push ourselves beyond our physical and emotional capacities.
"We have bought into the lie that we can have it all, do it all, and be it all - all at the same time. We were not designed for that. We were designed to have to make choices. To prioritize." - Shaunti Feldhahn
"We were not designed to be Superwoman." - Shaunti Feldhahn
Anything we take on beyond a certain point, just adds negativity to our lives. God did not intend for us to take on the world; that's His job. When we take on too much, our batteries start to run low. We don't do enough to recharge before we take on the next big thing. We also tend to turn to the wrong things to attempt to recharge those batteries. We turn to things that will never bring us true peace and prosperity. Aka...a larger cup of coffee, a friendship that isn't healthy, "likes"...
Turning to a higher power and plugging into our purpose is the only thing that is truly going to recharge our batteries to 100%. I'm hopeful that paying less attention to my social media success (or lack thereof) will bring me peace and an open heart to embrace those things that DO lead me on the path to fulfill my purpose.
Life is going to throw things onto your path that will attempt to mislead you; to point you in the wrong direction. It may be difficult to recognize when those things happen initially, so we must then take a deep breath and lean into God (the universe, the spirit, YOUR higher power) to guide us. It's also important to remember that if something is clearly causing you stress and/or anxiety, that that THING is likely not supposed to be a part of your life's work. Plug into that feeling and be okay with letting it go.
Growth is constant, right? You're going to make decisions and some of them may be mistakes. But the most important thing is that we learn from them. Reminding yourself to lean into God and your purpose is going to be constant; it's very easy to lose sight of that. But keep bringing yourself back to that reality. It'll only get easier the more you do it. A devotional, I've learned, is an amazing way to bring yourself back to what's truly important. It's an everyday reminder. If you do get lost, that's okay. It happens. Just remember there's always a path back to success, health and happiness.
XOXO,
Unapologetically Blog
A place to be #unapologeticallyme
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