One of the positives of the pandemic was that I rediscovered passions. Some of those included reading, podcasting, music, and HIIT training. Specifically when it comes to reading, I have a dear friend who has been kind enough to share book recommendations with me. Of the many recommendations he has given me, the one I’m going to reference today is Risk Forward. A swanky little gem with fun graphics, digestible for the easily distracted types. When I got back into reading, I gave myself the grace to not feel pressured to finish each book I started [as I sit here, I have a stack of 3 unfinished books]. However, I finished the book Risk Forward within a week [and with a relatively long commute and a full-er schedule, this was quite a feat for me]. I was hooked right away not just because of the amazing message but also the friendly visual approach to spiritual truths. I felt like I was reading a fun party [no, not at a party, reading a party].

There are a lot of little homework items and thought-provoking questions that come up throughout the text, and one of them really struck me. It was this question—the deserted island question—and the essence of it was this: If you were on a deserted island with only one person on the island with you, and you were living your last day on earth, what one piece of advice would you give to that person to live their best life?

And this was my response:

Honey, learn to lead a soul-driven life.

In that moment, I was overcome with emotion. I was struck by the truth and depth of my response. That I had reached down [or up, or in] to my deepest essence of my soul and had just enough stretch to wrap my hand around the purpose of my life. It felt that profound to me.

The capture of this truth for myself sent me into a mental movie of all the soul-driven decisions and experiences I have had in my life. These, to me, are the moments when I followed a sense of knowing or curiosity that led me to some great lesson, experience of love or joy, drive to success, or necessary next step to where my soul wanted to go.

There have been so so many of these soul-driven moments in my life, that as I look back they create a well-designed, dotted web of purpose. I’ll share a few here.

When I had a long bout with post-concussive syndrome in my early 20s, I felt I was in a state of stagnation. I didn’t feel like I was getting much better, and I felt miserable all the time. I felt hopeless. I had no idea how I was about to be propelled forward. Then, I happened across the book The Power of Now Eckhart Tolle, and my soul tugged & begged me to listen to it on audio. It was the catalyst I needed to take the necessary next steps to healing. That book gave me hope.

Which led me to my next leap on my healing journey, which was to attend a spiritual event at a local hotel with my mom. There, I was exposed to a whole new world of spiritual connection and community. In a two-hour stint, everything I had learned in religious education was being tested. That day, those experiences, in May 2012, were the moments that allowed me to get into the canoe that is a soul-driven life and change direction to row downstream. I will forever be grateful for that moment when I decided to go to that event. It changed everything.

There are so many more. Professional and personal.

Here’s the thing about those moments—while I am happy that I was able to seize them and take the necessary steps at the time, there have been other moments that my soul presented a decision to me, and I ignored the nudge of the soul. That’s the magic of learning to lead a soul-driven life. Your soul will present you with little moments that will help you to take that leap to the next step or that joyful experience you need to have at this time in your life. But, we have a choice. We can choose to follow the calling of the soul, or we can listen to the ego, or well-meaning friends and family, or some other sense of logic that feels like the “safe” or “right” thing to do. When we do that, we often feel unsettled in those decisions—if we are tapped in—but often we make them anyway.

Right now, at 32 years old, I’m in a place of practice. I am by no means an expert in leading a soul-driven life. But it is my passion and energy and desire to do just that, to listen to the call of my soul in every moment, small or big, to lead me in the direction of what my soul truly craves.

This could happen in work decisions, in personal ones, or simply what to eat for dinner tonight.

I craved music, so I took lessons and bought myself a karaoke machine.

I saw a car with a license plate that said “NCONWAY” and at the same time a commercial was playing promoting North Conway as a place to visit. Then I saw someone post about visiting there. So, I booked a weekend trip.

I craved laughter, so I took Improv Comedy class.

I craved connection, so I went to an event. And I met my best friend.

Like I said, I’m practicing and seeing where it takes me. The metaphor my soul has gifted me with this week to represent getting into my canoe is to “click in”. I recently started using a rowing machine again, and the visual represents me clicking in my feet to get into the flow of the row. Same applies here. It’s like being at the car wash: you put the car in neutral, click into the power of the track on the ground that is going to move your car as it gets polished, and you have complete faith that it’s leading you in the right direction.

This is the flow of a soul-driven life. It’s clicking into current of the universal stream and letting it carry you. When I’m not in that flow, I feel that desire to control the outcome or push my agenda. That excessive force doesn’t work very well. And I’m no match for that current, so might as well get on board and start rowing downstream.

As I walk down the street, as I drive to work, as I head to a meeting, as I talk to my friends—I click in.

Honey, learn to lead a soul-driven life.