I sat down to write this post and the sunscreen song popped into my head. Popular in New Zealand about 20 years ago, the lyrics were based on an essay by Chicago Tribune journalist, Mary Schmich, in which she gave advice on how to live a happy life.

The advice seemed pretty profound back then. Fast forward to today and it remains so.

I recall these words in particular…

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Finding our true north is different for everyone. I believe it dwells at the intersection of passion and purpose. I also think it’s possible for it to change over time or with circumstance.

For some, like my 10-year old nephew, our passions seem to reveal themselves early in life. His sights are already set on being a quantum physicist and building time machines.

For others, the things we’re truly passionate about can lie suppressed or dormant until some life event forces them out of hiding.

I’ve pretty much always known what my passions are. I haven’t always felt the same knowing or conviction about my purpose.

There have been times in my life when I felt I was definitely ‘on-purpose’. Everything flowed, opportunities seemingly came out of nowhere and the right people and circumstances lined up effortlessly.

There have also been times when it hasn’t felt that way – times where I’ve resisted change or denied myself the gift of following my intuition. What I’ve learned in those times, is that sooner or later, the Universe has a way of helping us course-correct.

I spent a lot of time last year straddling two career lanes: go back to full-time corporate or work for myself, so when the New Year rolled around deciding which lane to commit to had taken a front-row seat in my psyche. I chose the latter and set about defining what success would look like.

Here’s what I wrote down at the time:

I am doing what I love and loving what I do. I work when I want, where and how I want, with and for who I want. Every minute of work is pure joy. I am stimulated, excited and passionate about everything I invest time doing and the rewards are amazing!

For the most part, I’m on track. I’m building my consultancy practice, attracting great clients, and have some exciting new business opportunities in the pipeline.

More than ever, I am investing time only in the things I’m passionate about, filtering entirely on quality and joy, and slowly mastering the art of letting go of that which no longer serves.

But as anyone who has made a similar change will know, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. It takes time, patience and courage to create a lifestyle that ticks all the financial, professional, social and emotional boxes, and it’s a constant work in progress.

One thing I know for sure, is when we fully engage in what we love and don’t feel like life is a constant grind, we’re more likely to do and be our best version. In many ways, I think that’s way more important in the grand scheme of things.

We’re all on a journey of self-discovery and as the sunscreen song says, ‘sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself’.

EnJOY.