A lil’ background: so I recently posted on my Instagram story asking for things you guys wanted me to write about and this topic was requested a BUNCH! I am so excited to write about this because, as you may know by now, I LOVE to talk about direction and passion and life goals. I think it’s SO important as a young person to decide the direction you’re heading and I also know how tough it is to figure it all out. I hope this post helps you all find that direction you’re searching for & follow all those dreams of yours!
I vividly remember the countless questions I got asked about my future plans during my senior year of high school. Where do you want to go to college? What do you want your major to be? What are your career goals? What do you want to do with your life? And the list goes on.
To be honest with you, I loved these questions. So often I hear people say that our society needs to place less pressure on young people to “have it all figured out”, and by that, they mean we need to stop asking them to give us specifics as to what they want to do with their lives.
And while I completely understand that these questions can invoke fear and agree that we should place less pressure on having it all figured out, I believe we should be placing great pressure on having dreams, goals, passions, and direction.
Direction. There’s that key word. The word that will determine whether we are growing or maintaining a stagnant state; the word that has the power to guide our everyday decisions, big and small. The direction of our lives will determine the path that we choose to take t o d a y.
Maybe you’re a college student, a high school senior, or younger. Maybe you’re wondering how to respond to these questions about your future. Or maybe you simply just don’t know what you want out of life or what your dreams are or where you want to see yourself ten years down the line. If this is you, I pray that this post can help guide and direct you to finding your path. And, just a disclaimer: this post will not contain the answers to knowing how every area of your life should pan out. The only one who knows that answer is God, and while we can most definitely control the direction we take, we can’t plan out every one of the road bumps and great things in between.
Now, that brings me to the golden question: how do I find the direction for my life? I know God has a plan for me, but how do I get on the right path to fulfill the incredible things in store?
Finding your direction is first about knowing your innate worth, second about praying for clarity as to where you have been gifted and how to use those gifts, and third about taking action steps.
Knowing your innate worth will give you the confidence to bring goodness out into the world. Without your confidence, we may never see the incredible things you have to offer. You were made to do absolutely amazing things and this world needs you to know that!
Once you know your worth, you’ll better understand that you were created with special gifts that–if you choose–can be used to bring so much goodness into this world. I have spent, and continue to spend, lots of time praying and journaling and reflecting on where my strengths lie and how I can use these in potential academic/career/personal paths. A lot of people ask me how I know what I want to be when I graduate college, and I’m going to be real…I don’t know exactly! I do, however, know the direction I am heading. Through reflection, I have come to realize just how much I love to write. I have come to realize that God has given me a heart for encouraging and developing the people around me to know their innate worth and to know the incredible things they can accomplish in their life. I have come to realize that I am a very passionate person and I have a positive outlook on most things. I have come to realize that I have a strong growth-mindset. I have also come to realize where I am not so gifted. This includes things like slowing down and letting go of control. Cause, well, I like to control just about everything in my life, but hey, we’re workin’ on that. 😉
So, while I don’t know my exact career path, I know that based off of the reflection and prayer I’ve done, I want to head in the direction of living a life that is focused on leadership, faith, and personal development. I want the direction of my life to include a major focus on speaking truth and encouragement into other people that helps them realize their potential and the amazing things they are destined to accomplish. The career that fits within this direction will just be the cherry on top, because anything that falls within this path will bring me fulfillment and joy.
Your gifts may be so different than mine and that is AWESOME! We need diversity of strengths and talents in this world. The key here, regardless of what your gifts are, is to spend time reflecting on what they are, what you’re passionate about, and the overarching theme as to the direction you’re heading. You might love to draw and have the gentlest, most compassionate heart. Maybe, just maybe, through prayer and reflection, you recognize that part of the direction for your life is to use your art and your gentleness to pursue peace across the nations, big and small. You go girl! I’m rooting you on. Or maybe you are a fiercely loyal, justice-oriented high schooler who loves politics. Maybe you will use these gifts and qualities within you to bring change to the U.S. political system. Once again, you go girlfriend! You got this. I know this is a bit cliché, but it’s so true: find what sets your heart on fire. Find what lights you up inside and gets you so excited to roll out of bed in the morning, and then find direction that includes that thing.
Now, listen up, y’all, cause this next part is so, so, so important. While God has a plan for us, we also have free will. We CHOOSE whether or not we want to live out our God-given potential. So while God has created us with a direction and path that will bring so much goodness and abundance and joy to our lives and the lives of those around us, we also must make the choice to follow it.
Why is this understanding important? Because if you are currently sitting back, not taking action steps to fulfill your purpose and get going in the right direction, you will not see the fullness of what could be your life years from now. And, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to get to the end of my life wondering what could have been! Honestly, the thought of sitting back 80 years from now with big regrets about dreams and goals that I could have made happen scares the living heck out of me. So let’s not have that be any one of us, okay? Let’s live our lives to their fullest potential and create an abundance of incredible dreams and goals and memories!
Guys, you were MADE FOR MORE! You were made to have direction and with purpose! You were made to do absolutely incredible things! Recognize your worth, pray for clarity as to where you have been gifted, and then choose to use those gifts and follow a direction for your life that makes impact. And while you may not know exactly which college you are attending or what your next career move is or even what you are eating for dinner tonight (cause, let’s be real, same.), know your direction! Know where you are heading. Is it towards growth? Is it towards developing a passion? Is it towards a big end goal? These are the questions I would encourage you to ask your friends and would encourage you to take the time finding the answers to.
I believe in you & know that YOU (yes, YOU!) are headed for greatness and a life full of abundance. Now, it’s time you know that, too! 🙂
Always,
Elle