How To Expand Your Vision Without Losing Authenticity
It's a notion that keeps a lot of us in a dead-zone for a long period of time, the idea that purpose work and "the call" can only be defined by a singular vision - you know, the first original spark that introduced us to a higher sense of creative living and deeper life responsibility.
I hope you do not feel alone in this regard. I've been there before, quite a few times actually, with the idea that moving beyond my original plan would be a betrayal to the creative soul work that I had originally anticipated - a let down to myself for a failure of sorts, or the idea of feeling like my voice of authenticity would not lend itself to redefining or expansion of my work.
Did you see what I did there? Lean in a bit closer...you'll want to get this:
I said, "Expansion of my work."
We become stuck in careers, relationships and life expectations because we do not allow or trust in the idea that expansion can unlock our greatest dreams, ambitions and best lives...EVER. Do you hear me?!
Let's break this down: Expansion is the higher level of trust. Expansion is connecting the foundation of who we are, to evolve and grow in to who we need to become in order to reach the highest potential of our self. Expanding the vision is meeting the ever evolving call, that is asking you and your work to reach an evolved world. Expanding your vision does not say that you cannot be true to yourself and your original voice. It's actually asking you to take the authenticity of your voice (better known as your foundation) and creatively engage the world in a space, time and manner that meets the needs of an ever changing world.
There, you will continue to meet your greater self, time after time - moving higher and higher as you respond to the challenge of expanding your area of work. You cannot grow in a field of weeds that require new soil, a new kind of fertilizer, and a new creative ability to move you and your work to the next level.
Yeah, I know the above is cute, but how do you recognize that maybe your Plan A is in need of a creative overhaul or expansion?
- When you are bored as hell, doing what you now consider: dead work
- When you receive feedback that deeply resonates with your intuition, that something needs to change
- When your work no longer feels impactful with your audience
- When you start to fight against your self - namely, when you're starting to fight against change, itself
- When you no longer feel a challenge or growth within your skills, gifts and talents. There's autopilot and then there's auto stagnation. Which one are you living?
Now, grab a sheet of paper and ask yourself:
- If I take the personal out of it, if I am objectively looking at this scenario from an outside perspective, what are the core tenets of my work? (And write those things down).
- What are the areas that no longer excite me, vs. the spaces that your audience/area of work is no longer responding to in a significant or vital manner?
- Are there new spaces that connects the foundation of who I am, to who I'd like to become? Meaning, are there any stepping-stones that could potentially allow you to gain new insights, new skills and challenge your abilities? If so, it might be worth giving it a shot.
This is expansion. This is trusting God, your intuition and life to jet-set you to your greatest dreams. Expansion of your call is not death, it's life.
A renewed life, if we allow the power of it's reckoning to drastically shake our ish up, while maintaining the truth of who we are, LIFE might just become a whole lot sweeter.