Eva Bozimo: Finding Your Purpose is Not Just About You

Finding your purpose is a topic I’m extremely passionate about, because it’s the major thing that drives me. I don’t believe in working hard for the sake of working hard; I believe in direction.

A lot of people work hard, and are stagnant in life, so hard work really doesn’t cut it. You need to know where you’re going. Everything in life has a purpose; from cars, to houses to roads even phones. So you can imagine, us, as humans who rank as the top in the world, we also definitely have a purpose.

Your purpose on earth is probably one of the most important aspects of life. It is the real essence of our existence. A lot of people place marriage on a high pedestal, but I believe you have absolutely no business getting married if you don’t know what your purpose is. Your partner in life is meant to help you fulfil and then complement your purpose. How can they do that if your vision is still uncertain?

There are two kinds of people in the world: the ones who know from a very young age what they were put on this earth to do, and those who have no clue, but figure it out along the way. I belonged to the latter.

I used to get so jealous of people who were passionate about something. These people are so self aware, and aware of their talents and abilities. Have you ever spoken to anyone about their vision for their life and by the time they were done you wanted to stop all you were doing to join their dream? Yep, that used to be me. I had no sense of direction. I never felt like I had any “talents” so to speak.

We look at musicians, actors and dancers and get frustrated because we don’t have those abilities; but we all have gifts within us. Every one of us has what makes us unique. A lot of times, we think we lack talents because our search is shallow, but not all talents are visible. Sometimes we have to deliberately search ourselves, try out different things to find ourselves. Sometimes we have to go through a lot of adversities before realising the gifts within. Your trials in life aren’t to frustrate you, but to stretch you. You grow a lot when you’re uncomfortable and you learn a lot about yourself. Think of the hard things you go through in life as a juice squeezer that’s trying to get the good stuff out.

This generation mocks the idea of being alone, but this is actually the best way to get to know your self, what you like, how you think and why you think that way. I’ve discovered that people who have several gifts, talents and passions tend to struggle the most. I’m one of those people.

I started to write after going through a lot of emotional pain. Writing came as a form of healing. Prior to that, I never wrote. I never even thought I loved to write. I had so many ideas in my head prior this moment. I never knew how to bring them all together, but writing helped me. I have started working on novel and script writing.

I found myself through writing, and life’s trials helped me discover my passion for it. I’ve recently started exploring other interests but i can’t speak on them right now. Yes, I still have moments of uncertainty, but I believe that’s part of the process.

The world is evolving so rapidly and a generation that has been birthed with access to global opportunities like social media, following your passion is definitely easier. Africa, Nigeria in particular has this way of making people too realistic when chasing their dream. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, because bills have to be paid, but no fulfilment comes with that. Your passion/talent might not bring in money or the money you expect initially but as you persevere and continue to perfect your craft it all plays out beautifully. Value attracts money, so you have to make yourself a person of value, work on your gifts and eventually the world will seek you. There are different challenges to face, so most times you feel you either have to be too practical – which is getting a job you aren’t passionate about, or going after your dream and ending up broke.

In order not to lose both ways you can balance it out: get the job that is responsible for your survival and also chase your passion by working on your craft. Save up as much as you can, even if it takes you a couple of years. And when you believe you have saved just enough, take the leap of faith by quitting and following your dreams.

Your talent might not be a skill, but an idea. It might not be the most conventional, but it’s yours to bring to this lifetime. When you drive down the street and see buildings, stores, cars, the laptop or phone you’re reading this from, the bed you’re laying on, the clothes you’re wearing… realise you’re looking at people’s dreams.

Everyone has a purpose and we are all connected. If you’re a fashion designer, the dress you spent 48 hours making could be the dress a man buys for his wife to put a smile on her face. You’re an artist and the music you put out could heal someone with a broken heart, could remind someone of the first dance they had with their late father. Your song could be the reason for the craziness at a teenage party. You’re a motivational speaker and your words are the reason millions of people don’t give in to life’s pressures. You’re a furniture maker and you are the reason we don’t all lie on our floors at home. You’re a doctor, and your job is the reason for someone’s healing. You’re a soldier and your job is the reason for your country’s peace. You’re a vlogger and the make up content you put out is the reason for a lot of young girl’s new found confidence. You’re the founder of BellaNaija and your platform is used to showcase all kinds of people’s accomplishments and talents to the world, which then inspires more people to follow their dreams.

It’s a cycle. The universe is waiting to do something. Your purpose in life isn’t just about you, but for the people connected to your path.

Here are some tips to follow your purpose:

• Trust your heart and intuition; they already know where to take you.

• Choose the path that you believe to be right; if there’s no path, create one.

• Don’t just wish for your dreams, but creatively visualise yourself already in the role of living your purpose.
• Rejection is direction
• Take ownership of your gifts. They are yours to use in this lifetime
• Forget about being liked, you’re here for purpose not popularity.
• Your future is your calendar; if you don’t plan for it you’d just arrive there, or worse, be built into someone else’s future.
• Stay humble, focus on your craft and your God. You won’t have to do anything for attention; He will make your name great.
• Focus yourself on those who add to the vision, the negativity is a distraction.
• Some people won’t be ready for the elevated version of you. Leave them where they stand, you’ve got higher places to go.
• Even when it seems like your grind is going unnoticed, just know it’s not and somewhere somehow it’s adding up.
• Don’t cry over spilled milk. Accept the challenges life has sent and use it to strengthen your weaknesses.
• Life has a weird way of preparing you for everything you were meant to be.
• Everything you will ever be is already in you, you have to see the tree inside your seed.
• Explore any idea you have, any interests, talents, you have no idea where your 1% lies

When your purpose becomes clearer your process begins to make more sense. You will understand why you followed this path and why it took so long. All your trauma in life has prepared you for this moment. It has equipped you with the tools to reach your destiny. Your job is to figure out how to use it to bring you closer to your destiny. Your darkness is your light.

You are allowed many lives in this lifetime, more than one career, more than one path, more than one moment. Good luck!

Love & Light xo

Photo Credit: © Sdeva | Dreamstime