Our feature articlethis month, Fashion a Passion-Driven Life: Realize Your Purpose and Feed Your Soul, has reminded me how blessed my family and I have been in our pursuit of happiness.

After one or two false starts, my husband found his passion and purpose in bringing the joys of summer camping to children.  He has created a full life that perfectly matches his talents and touched thousands of campers and their families. My two children are on their way to discovering and owning their passions, as well.  They’ve been encouraged to pursue their interests, rather than money, and their careers and school-lives are unfolding in exciting ways.  Even my mother rediscovered a talent for art and is nowimmersed in creating paintings and pottery.

And of course, I’m thankful to have found Natural Awakenings. It not only allows me to share my interest in health and simple living, and hopefully make an impact on our readers, but the day-to-day tasks of producing a magazine keep me interested, challenged and involved in the community.Is this my purpose? I don’t have the slightest idea, but I am happier now than ever before.

What is hard to remember is how difficult it all seemed at one time.I’ve spent many years in jobs that did not suit me; in fact,it took more than one complete career change to find myself here.  From today’s perspective I can see that it didn’t have to be so hard. The leap toward self-employment and more satisfying work seemed much more frightening before than after. The discomfort of stepping into a new role became confidence as I mastered it; the fear of failure became satisfaction with each new accomplishment; and an anxious feeling of being out of place morphed into a sense of being settled. 

So take heart if you’re still searching. The universe really does provide answers if you allow it to.I’ve learned that if you haven’t discovered your passion or purpose, just relax and pursue your interests. The more you act on those interests, the more doors will open and directions unfold. Thoughts and dreams are powerful things, so allow yourself to have authentic ones.

May you find and live your passion,

Ana