Trading Perfection for Purpose

Living a Purposeful Life

Are you living a purposeful life? This is a question I asked myself recently as I was doing some self-reflection. If I was being honest with myself, I would say, "No, not lately." Living a life of purpose is leaving a positive impact on the world, whether that is in your tiny map of the world or whether your impact reaches hearts across the ocean. Sharing our story and the lessons I learned along the way is how I've found joy and meaning in my life.

My Why

When I decided to write my book, "Prayerful Warrior Mom", I chose to share our family's story in hopes that I could help others. As I began working with the self-publishing school that kept me accountable and provided tips for a new author, I was asked to share "my why'. Why was I writing this book? Why did I want to share our story? Who was it for and how will it help them? I had remembered what it was like when I was first thrown into the world of CHD (congenital heart disease). I searched for answers but found few from a mother's perspective. I wanted to know what to expect, how to prepare, and most importantly ... what kind of life would my child have? After twelve years on the roller coaster of CHD, I was ready to share our journey -- both the good and the bad.

Sharing the lessons I learned was my way of giving back some of the blessings we had received throughout our journey. I wanted to give hope to other moms who, like me, are searching for answers. Writing my book was one way of reaching other CHD families. Since writing my book, I've learned that the lessons I shared not only helped CHD families but are meaningful to other moms caring for children with any chronic illness and even moms of premature babies where NICU stays led to developmental delays or struggles.

Barriers to Fulfilling My Purpose

A few months ago, I started an Instagram account to share my testimony of faith and the lessons I've learned. As much as I wanted to help others, I had a huge fear of failing or embarrassing myself on social media. So, I recorded my reels in advance. This was less stressful for me but took up way too much of my time because I was too focused on perfection. I was also not really sure that what I had to say was helping anyone. Then one day someone stopped me and thanked me for the posts I had been sharing. They told me, "Keep it up! I needed to hear it!" This was reassuring so I continued to pre-record my messages - but I did not let go of my need to share flawless recordings.

As you can imagine, the time-consuming effort of recording (and re-recording to fix every mistake) was not a sustainable effort. Anyone who follows me on Instagram will know that it's been quite some time since I've posted any videos where I share my lessons learned. I had taken on the mindset that if it wasn't flawless, then it wasn't worth doing. I tried to share some faceless videos but again, my need for perfection was crippling my momentum.

Trading Perfection for Purpose

Recently I attended the Readers' Favorite awards banquet with fellow authors in Miami, FL. I met some incredibly talented and eccentric people. As we talked and shared our stories, one of the authors shared a profound thought that someone had shared with her: "Don't let your story -- your lessons, die in the grave." I have not been able to shake that thought since. Who will my lessons help if I keep them to myself? No one! Again, I reflected on "my why" and asked myself if I was truly living a life of purpose. The answer? "No, I was not." I was being safe. I was paralyzed with fear and allowing it to make excuses for not moving forward.

Then I received some harsh but honest feedback. I had told someone about my goal of creating a digital course to help others let go of resentment and anger, learn to forgive and live a life of peace. When they asked me what was stopping me, I said I don't have the course fully outlined yet and I don't feel comfortable talking in a live group. I told them how I tried to post on social media but it takes me hours to finish one reel. It's so time consuming, I protested. They called me out on my excuses saying, "you're letting fear of judgment and rejection hold your potential hostage." I shared that I wasn't really sure if a course was God's path for me. Their response rendered me speechless: "God doesn't steer parked cars. If it's not the right path, He will redirect you." Wow! They could not have been more right. That was when I decided to challenge myself to post raw, unpolished videos for two weeks to get passed this barrier. I decided to post live videos that way I am forced not to stop and try to re-record. I want to get back to my purpose. Here's to not overthinking things and focusing on getting people the help they need.

Share Your Thoughts

What do you struggle with? What barrier is keeping you from living the life you were called to live? I would love to hear from you! Email me at heartmom@prayerfulwarrior.com or click on "Contact" from the Menu above.