One of the hardest things for me to learn in life was to take the things that were difficult to accept about myself and see how they were strengths divinely given to me so I could do my work in the world.

Who you are is the same. Every aspect, detail, and quirk about who you are has been divinely scripted so that you can lead your tribe.

Here are 2 examples from my life. And the lessons that have shown me that who I am (exactly as is) makes me the ideal vessel to give my purpose.

Grateful for the autoimmune disorder I struggled with in my life.

As a kid I had Rheumatoid arthritis and Reynaud’s syndrome. My joints would swell and I was in so much pain I could barely complete my homework. When I was finally diagnosed with lupus at 21, I decided I wasn’t going to live the rest of my life on painkillers. I changed my diet through listening to my body. And my body began to heal itself. Now I’m symptom free.

Purpose lesson: This has taught me that my body is constantly communicating what it wants and doesn’t want. All I have to do is listen to get access to my full power.

Grateful for being a minority. In several senses of the word.

Woman. Black. Bi. The older I got, the more minority boxes I could check off. The more different I felt, the harder it was to fit in anywhere. But now as an adult, I can see that this isn’t just my story – it’s everyone’s story. Everyone feels different on some level – most of the time in ways others can’t see. Everyone wants to belong. And like my teacher told me: when you stand out, you can hide (which never works) or you can lead.

Purpose lesson: Everything about how I’m “different” is central to my ability to understand my clients’ uniqueness and the tribe they were meant to lead. Without these experiences, I wouldn’t be so good at understanding my clients and exactly the right market and brand for them.

These examples from my life illustrate how I’m uniquely built to do what I do. But if I got stuck in the difficulties each challenge brought I would never have gotten to the gift.

Your life is the same: the very things about ourselves we think are “curses” are actually tools that move us toward our purpose. And unique aspects of your brand.

I know my life purpose is to help people see and celebrate themselves.

My encouragement for you is to find the things about you that you wish you weren’t and find the gift in each one. I guarantee it’s there. And the better you see it, the stronger your messaging and storytelling can be for your brand.

We’d love to hear from YOU…

How can your struggles aid you in discovering your purpose? What’s one clue you can glean about your purpose from one of your current challenges? Leave your answer in the comments below! 

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branding, business owner, entrepreneur, life purpose, March 2016 Issue, online business, purpose, women in business