What is it that drives you?

I woke up this morning three hours before light would even hit the windows. I snuggled in a soft blanket, curled into the over-sized faux fur chair I splurge-purchased for $200, and opened my computer. The white screen blinked back at me in the silence of the morning, and as soon as my fingers hit the keys—I began.

There are few things in life that push me: my writing, my heart, and my loved ones. And more often than not, the writing comes first. The writing was there for me through all the difficult moments with the ones I love. It was there in the heartbreak and in the downfalls, there in the moments where I wasn’t sure who I was or could be. When I close my eyes, words sing me to sleep. In the morning they are what gets me out of bed first, before anything else.

I’ve known, since I was a little girl, that writing held value for me. While other people dreamed about being CEOs, or dancing on stages, or putting on a police uniform, or putting out fires, I dreamed of my name on the cover of a poetry collection, or speaking my thoughts to life in an intimate open mic night.

Writing was what gave me wings, even when I was young.

And so I let it drive my every move, my every choice, my career trajectory, and eventually my life.

That was the most valuable decision I ever made.

In discovering my love for writing, I learned this fundamental truth about life: There is something unique inside all of us. Something that will push us forward, teach us valuable lessons, shape the way we interact with the people and things around us in remarkable ways. There is a passion that’s written into our veins. And sometimes it takes a while to discover it, sometimes we have to trip and fall down quite a few times before we walk the path, but once we understand the road we’re meant to be traveling along—everything changes.

For the first time, our days have meaning. We move forward knowing, without a doubt, that we’re exactly where we’re meant to be.

There will be days when friends and family betray us, when we lose a job we thought we were meant to have, or find ourselves faced with a decision we never thought we’d make. There will be moments when everything feels ‘off’ and even moving forward one step feels like a chore.

But it is in these moments that we must focus on the things that have brought us here—the passion, the heart, the grit—even the failures. Each time we said ‘yes’ to an opportunity, we moved closer to where we are now. Every moment we kept going, rather than folding, we learned what we were capable of.

As we pursue the things that make our heart burn with excitement, we find there truly is no one else who can do what we do. There is no one else who can create what we’re creating, who can make the world change simply with the sound of our voice.

So if there’s one lesson to be learned in this life, it’s this—focus on your truth.

Find what makes your soul sing with joy and try to make that happen as often as possible. Listen to the inner-workings of your mind and be honest with yourself when things don’t feel right. Leave what doesn’t sit well and walk into new relationships, connections, and places with open arms. Forgive yourself for the shortcomings you’ve had (or think you’ve had) and celebrate where you will go next.

And most of all, know that what you have to offer this world is valuable. And no one else can do it.

Featured Image Credit: Taylor Wilcox