When I went on my Italian vacation this time last year, I was on a reading frenzy. I literally couldn't get enough information jam packed into my head. Even though I had brought two books on my trip, I managed to finish both. By the time I was ready to board the flight back to the United States, I popped into a bookstore at the London airport (we had a layover there--by the way, surprisingly really delicious and healthy restaurant there called Giraffe!) to pick out another book for the long flight home.
I quickly skimmed the back of a book called "What's Stopping You" and brought it to the checkout stand. Now, little did I know that book would literally change my life. I was already a maven for information, but what I didn't know was the information I really needed was a concrete reason as to what had been stopping me all those years from pursuing my next venture. (For those of you who haven't read my bio, I closed my first company about 5 years ago.) That's when everything got real for me.
Although I had a vast amount of knowledge in my Nutrition and Holistic Health field, in addition to a vast amount of information on business from the 60+ books I had read on how to create a successful business, what I didn't know was how I had been "getting in my own way" for years. One of the things I read in this book was that I needed to get a mentor in order to get over the fear of what had been stopping me from having the life I dreamed about.
"A mentor? Where the heck do I find one of those?" I thought. I didn't have an inkling as to how one goes about finding a mentor, but the idea of getting one made perfect sense. I started asking myself some really difficult questions. Questions I really didn't have the answers to (even after reading all those books).
One of the questions I didn't have the answer to was, what I wanted to do and be with all my expertise. Did I want to pursue fashion again? Did I want to help others heal like I healed myself? How would I even turn my knowledge of getting out of debt, curing my skin disorders, getting back together with the love of my life (and marrying him!), and how to have a successful business after a even after a failed one. I had all this life experience and not one of them seemed to create the kind of rhythm I wanted from my soul. So, I guess finding a mentor who could help me mold my way to unveiling my true purpose, or dharma was the obvious
What is dharma? I talk about this a lot in my audios and eBooks. Discovering my dharma changed my life. Your dharma is your life purpose. It is what you are here to teach. It is your spiritual path that leaves you fulfilled and keeps you in touch with the Law of Nature. It sounds heavy, but truly it is the fruits of your gifts wrapped up in a beautiful present that needs to be shared with the world. Had I known what my dharma was a few years ago, surely I would have been on a mission to share it with the world, but that hardest part about your dharma is unveiling it.
And more often than not, you need someone (like a mentor) you trust who can ask you the right questions, encourage you when the times are tough, and pull out your genius so your path on this planet is clear... and gives you a starting ground for your talents to flourish and ultimately turn your dharma into a business that showcases who you are and your gifts.
I suppose now all those life tragedies I lived through, the skin disorders I healed naturally, the determination to get out of debt, and the Law of Nature that brought me a career that not only let's me enjoy my life financially, but celebrates my gifts spiritually came full circle. When you discover your dharma, watch out. Life because an amazing ride! You get all excited to wake up in the morning because you wonder what gift life will hand you next. All the lessons you learned were your teachers. The teachers have given you the gifts you need to move forward and unveil your dharma.
Whatever is currently in your way of your dream body, a successful business, or an everlasting relationship is fear. Fear is self-created. Once you get out of your way, get ready to shine. Life takes a turn into the fast lane, and I'm not talking about driving reckless, I'm talking about driving with purpose.