Contributed by Justin Clapp, Reinvention Coach
I want to ask you a question…
What is your deepest desire in life?
It’s a powerful question. It centers you in the present moment. It changes the reference from outside to within. From doing to being.
What is your deepest desire?
Mine has always been freedom. Breaking away from a career I no longer felt passion for. Having a location independent life and business. Exploring the world. Living in a creative free spirit. What is it for you?
Our desires are messages of truth.
They are windows to our soul. Vignettes of our essence. They call us home to a place of passion.
A place of purpose. They offer a clue to our North Star.
Our desires provide solace in the face of hardship. A place of comfort to turn in the darkest of nights.
Our desires provide excitement for the future. A destination to aspire. A reality waiting to be created.
A dream. And dreams are the fabric of creation.
But how do we make our dreams a reality?
How do we bring them to life? How do we give them wings and teach them to fly?
It begins with setting goals.
And the secret lies in the way we create these goals. Desire marks the destination. Goals are the stepping stones of the journey. They show you the way. They mark your progress. They keep on you the path. On your path.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that goals must come from our deepest desires.
If we set goals for the sake of external achievement alone, we work and toil with no set destination. It’s a journey of vanity. When our goals are driven by our deepest desires, we work toward our visions and dreams. We align with our truth. We remain on our path. We follow our passion and purpose.
I have experienced this firsthand.
From the outside, I was the picture of success. From a young age, I had an innate drive to succeed. A drive to keep growing. To keep moving forward and expanding.
And I saw the fruits of my labor. I was living in luxury buildings, driving new BMWs, collecting original art, and shopping in designer boutiques. Each prize is another incentive to keep running faster.
Yet deep within, I was unhappy.
I would wake each day with existential dread. Was this all there was? I felt I was an actor playing the role of someone else’s life. I felt I was on a treadmill, running faster yet going nowhere meaningful.
In my darkest hours, I was questioning everything.
My career. My purpose. What I was passionate about. I was questioning the very foundation I built my life on. I was questioning the business I had created and built from nothing. It wasn’t until I looked within my heart and soul and asked what I truly wanted – what I deeply desired – that things began to change.
I was craving freedom.
Freedom from a business I no longer felt passion for. Freedom to live a location independent life. Freedom to explore the world. Freedom to live in true creativity.
And then, the path forward became clear.
I knew my destination. I had a vision. I had a dream. And I was able to see the stepping stones along the path to that destination. I was able to create and see the goals that would take me there.
My goals came from my deepest desire for freedom.
What I began to work towards was in alignment and service to my vision – my dream. And now, I see the fruits of my labor again. But this time, it’s a journey driven by passion, purpose, and freedom. I’m living in alignment with my truth. With my North Star.
So, I invite you to explore your deepest desires in life.
The landscape of your dreams. Cartography of creation and manifestation.
To begin, print out the attached worksheet and grab your favorite writing instrument.
Creating Your Deepest Desires Worksheet
Have fun with this. Let your creativity dance. Let your curiosity flow. Always remember that you are the architect of your dreams. You are the creator of your reality. The journey begins by looking within.
Contributed by Justin Clapp, Reinvention Coach
