I’m going to get a bit hippy on you tonight, and talk about finding your people, because they will come, once you start doing your thing.
What sparked the idea to write about this was a couple of things that happened last week. I was listening to my gorgeous school friend Rebecca Campbell’s Hay House World Summit Talk and she spoke about being in the spiritual closet. She had a clear gift of intuition, but hid it through high shool. She followed the ‘normal path’, working hard, climbing the ladder, until that knock knock came loud and clear. She could not ignore that feeling anymore. To get that THING that is bursting inside of you, to be made, to be shared into the world. When her world came crumbling down, she realised her true purpose and finally gave in and followed that feeling. Today she has built a successful business, doing what she loves, answering her souls callings, of writing, coaching and guiding others to work their light. By doing this Rebecca has called in her people. She is now surrounded by her people. What was once ‘weird’ to her, that she shut down inside her, has become her normal. Her world.
I was nodding and smiling as I was listening along, thinking about how we all need our people. Because you really feel like you are a lone weirdo, until they come. A couple of days ago, I was listening to a friend who told me that she started to create, after attending an art class. I was so excited that she had found her Big Magic, that thing that you lose time in because you just love it. Her paintings were freaking awesome, but she was upset that her partner did not share her enthusiasm for her new found art. I can totally understand. Once we create, or let that initial calling out, it can be a very scary thing. You want someone to tell you that it is okay. That your creations do not in fact suck. That you are granted permission to keep on going, along this scary path of creativity. And when you look for that validation elsewhere, and it doesn’t come, it can be soul destroying. You put your thing out there into the world, expecting fireworks, and in fact, very little happens most of the time. But here is the thing. I started this blog for a similar reason. The words just had to come out of me. I was looking for a way to express myself in a way that was not accessible to me in my work, my relationship and my study.
I needed something else.
Something that was me.
And so I began to write, terribly at first. When I did, I looked for validation of my creative pursuits from those around me. I thought my creations would change the world of everyone around me. They they would be as excited as me, that I had found this thing called writing. They were not. In fact, it was a non response. My Partner, while supportive is engaged in his own photography business and is worried about his own ideas, he didn’t have the space to birth and then worry about mine as well. My parents thought, oh that is nice hobby but this creative thing you are going through isn’t a real job... is it? Friends read the blog, enthusiastically to start, but this dwindled off. Some never did. Some did and always pointed out my early, poor comprehension.
But you know what happened through out this process?
I found my people.
Friends and partners do not have to walk this journey with you. This does not mean that they do not love you or support you.
I found that once I started doing my thing, I found people online, in courses and my everyday life who were on similar paths.
They are bloggers who want to travel and fall in Love with Life, reflect on Living Imperfectly or run and cook with their Thermomix.
There is a a whole freaking community of cat lady bloggers out there. A lot, in fact, which may worry some of you! I have found people that are linked to me for a reason, through school, or running or work, but their purpose has been to remind me to keep on creating. They are the people who are not scared to create, just because, why not?
So get out there and do your thing, because once you do your people will come and find you.
I promise.
Happy Monday!
Ashleigh XXX