Following the Breadcrumbs: The Path Toward Your Soul’s Journey
“What is my purpose?”
The age old question that kick starts either an existential crisis or a blissful spiritual awakening (or both!).
I began asking that question years ago, not knowing where it would take me. I thought there was some simple singular answer to what my purpose in life was and if my unhappy existence was all that was destined for me. Turns out, it’s more than just an answer. It’s a journey.
What I’ve discovered and my belief now is that the answers come to you in the form of breadcrumbs. The miniscule things that go on in your life lead you to something greater, as long as you have the faith and the awareness to follow the nudges. The interesting part about this is that sometimes (and especially in your earlier years), you are aren’t even consciously aware that you are doing this. As you go on through life, you’re given small clues that will guide you forward until eventually you have experienced your soul’s intended path, so even if it feels like you’re not making any progress, trust that this is part of the journey. Each moment, each step, each breadcrumb will lead you to something greater. It could be a massive revelation. It could be another part of you that you discover along the way. It could even be another piece of your shadow that you need to work through in order to step toward your soul’s purpose. It ultimately inspires you to take action so you can move on to the next step.
Inspired action is the result of following your intuition. It doesn’t have to make sense but it will lead you to a greater truth or something in alignment with your soul’s journey. So how do you know what is aligned for you? You feel it or just know it. You may have a physical or emotional reaction to it. Even if you don’t understand why, there is something within you that knows you need to explore it and go for it. One recent example: I started singing Lukas Graham’s song, “7 Years” out of nowhere. I couldn’t remember the lyrics so I looked it up while I was listening to it. There were a couple of lines that sent shivers down my spine and another (“cause I know the smallest voices they can make it major”) that brought me to full blown tears.
I had no freaking clue why it brought me to tears, but I allowed the emotion to flow (something I’ve been working on). I allowed myself to feel it and release it because clearly I was holding onto something I didn’t need to. Toward the end, the word “fear” came up. It reminded me of my fear of speaking up & having my voice be heard. I’ve been aware of and have been working through this fear for some time now, I’ve had flashes of insight as to where I could go, and I know it’s something I need to take action on to overcome. It’s what inspired me to take action and write this post, even though the doubts and fears of what others will think and if it is good enough creep up.
The breadcrumbs may come in the form of challenges, but those are exactly what are needed in order for us to learn from this path we have chosen. Your learnings lead to growth which prepare you for manifesting what it is you desire. Getting everything you’ve ever wanted without developing the maturity to manage it tends to lead to self-destruction rather than cherishing what it is you’ve received. Your learnings in life and personal growth are paving the way for your success and your ability to create the life you desire.
We all have an inner compass, our intuition, that will guide us throughout life. Distinguishing between intuition and conditioning is usually one of the biggest challenges to overcome, and by following conditioning more than intuition, people tend to end up stuck. This is part of the reason why I feel so strongly about shadow work or therapy, and what I hope to help others with through my coaching. It brings awareness to us about how we may be subconsciously acting that causes us to live out certain patterns. It is only by bringing awareness to it and shifting the way you perceive it that you are able to make space for the intuition to come through.
Every soul has their own unique journey. Sometimes it can feel like things move at lightening speed and other times, you groan to yourself wondering if the growth and challenges will ever end, but know that everything is unfolding as it should. You will get your next breadcrumb, and you will see the changes and progress so long as you are willing to listen and take action. When you take action on the things you feel in alignment with, your purpose will begin to reveal itself, and your journey will become all the richer.
