Finding Your Life’s Purpose

Part One

There comes a moment in our lives, when we begin to wonder. What now? What am I doing and why? Should I be doing something else, more fulfilling? Who am I? Why am I here?

What is my Life’s purpose? Do I have a Life purpose? Should I have one?

My personal belief and answer, is yes we have a life’s purpose, everyone does, and we are all on it right now. However sometimes, we take detours that can be quite bumpy and we know it at the time, but somehow can’t get out of it, yet we feel it in our gut, we know in our heart, our soul is not happy, not fulfilled.

But how do you know what your life’s purpose is? How do you know which choices to make to make sure you are going in the right direction?

We say to ourselves: I have to be true to myself. There is something I know I was meant to do… I have this feeling…

You might feel lost, lonely, sad, something is missing and you can’t quite find it, can’t quite define it.

Since I was little, I always felt there was something I needed to do, I had to do. This is something you might feel. As we grow up, responsibilities burden us, take the light out, we begin to lose our way. Then, often around a certain age, some in their 30’s others later in their 40’s or 50’s, either have a wake up call through a health issue, or they just feel so lonely and empty that they need to find something else. 

Caroline Myss explains: “You suffer when you pursue a life or chase a dream that does not belong to you.”

But how do you know what is the path or the life that was meant for you?

What has helped me and guided me through the years, put me back on track when I fell to the wayside or was overcome by life hardships and experiences, has always been yoga, horses and nature. 

Horses can heal you just by being in their presence. Just spending time doing nothing with horses, we learn to live in the moment and just Be, be who we are meant to be, Human Beings and not Human doers. 

Horses live without judgment, without expectation, ever present in the moment and aware. 

They have so much to teach us, if only we sit quiet, still our minds and listen.

Practicing yoga helps you to become aware of your physical body, your breath, your energy and meditation helps to quieten the endless chatter of the ego in your mind, so that you can hear your soul, your spirit. What is spirit, you might ask? Your spirit is the part of you that is seeking meaning and purpose. It is the light within you.

Your spirit is the part of you that feels like hope. You can always feel it there inside, nagging at you, but you can't really hear what it is trying to tell you. 

How can you begin to hear your spirit, so that you can be guided along your life’s path? 

There are as many ways as there are individuals, but to find those ways we need to find ourselves and hear ourselves, what our soul, our spirit is telling us. We need to learn to live in the moment, to be still, to be without judgement of others or ourselves or expectations of the outcome.

That is where horses and yoga can help us, help us to be who we are, to have hope.

As I sit writing this, I look out into the jungle and the giant trees. Honestly sometimes I feel like I am living in a Walt Disney movie! Howler monkeys swinging from the branches, chattering flocks of parrots, toucans swooshing by (yes toucans make that sound, don’t laugh, it's true!) Blue butterflies and hummingbirds, a horse neighs in the distance calling to another, a sloth slowly makes it way up the trunk of a tree. I am truly blessed with the life I live. Yet, I still have moments of doubt, of financial worry or worry for my daughters or maybe a little stress keeping our farm maintained and working. I’m human, things get to me. But what keeps me sane, grounded, present and on my life’s purpose, is being with the horses, walking in the nature, practicing yoga and meditating. Then in the quiet of my mind, with the gentle breath of a horses muzzle upon my shoulder, I feel the love, the unconditional love of life and know that I am exactly where I am meant to be, right now.

So find that moment, that Be-ing, where you can connect with yourself. Find your light within and listen to it. If you are privileged to have a horse, go sit with your horse in a quiet mindfulness meditation, just as a horse does, present, grounded and aware. Or find a special tree and sit there to connect with yourself. Practice pranayama (breath techniques to calm the mind and bring focus) and asanas (yoga poses) to calm and relax the body, to help you travel inwards to who you are.

Have no judgments, no expectations and give up the need to know what happens tomorrow, just for a moment. Be fully present and appreciate all that is in your life right now.

Maybe it is time to take a trip, go on an adventure with yourself, to find yourself and listen to your spirit.

We are all kindred spirits, all looking for happiness, for joy, for peace, safety and connection. Each living being needs this to thrive and function to their fullest potential. We owe it to ourselves and to those around us. Light up your life to light those of others and bring that light into this world where it is so much needed.

Maybe share a moment with us and the horses in the jungle and the Caribbean Sea to find your inspiration for your next step, your next chapter of your life.