“Follow  your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.” Joseph Campbell
It is hard to be someone other than yourself.  It’s a struggle to pretend you’re someone you’re not.  It’s heartbreaking to turn away from your dreams and conform to being someone others, the world, and your fear expects and demands of you to be.  And yet so many of us live our lives telling ourselves we must be practical and sensible, that we must cast aside the idea of fulfilling our longed for dreams in favour of paying the bills and being responsible.  I say bull-pooh to that!  Excuse my swearing.  But seriously, the more I live life, and I am approaching my bi-centenary so I can speak from a modicum of life experience, the more I realise that way of thinking is upside down and the wrong way round.

You see, if you follow your bliss, your passion, you feel happier.  You are not stuck, you are not blocked, on the contrary, you are freely flowing in alignment with your true nature and your higher purpose and therefore your true desire, not borne out of fear, but out of a heart-felt calling.

You have a destiny to live, a call to respond to and when you are obedient to that calling, life, the universe, God, whatever you choose to call it, will help you in all manner of ways.  It is precisely because you are following your passion that you can prosper.

This has certainly been the case for me recently.

Last week, I did my first Public Speaking Event on the subject of Connection.  Of course I was a little nervous beforehand, but when I got up front and started to speak to the people who had come to listen to me, it was effortless and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It felt right.  Like I’d finally found the perfect fit – my true expression of Sahera was being manifest and I didn’t have to try, think or worry.  It all just flowed.  I was in my bliss.  People were appreciative, responsive and inspired and I felt truly fulfilled and grateful.  Of course there was a part of my mind that couldn’t quite believe this was happening, silently asking, “is this really me….is this really happening….are these people really here to listen to me?”  You see, it takes the mind a while to catch up with the reality of living your dream, but don’t worry, it will get used to it!

It has taken me many years to find and live my passion of Speaking and Writing, but all those years have led me to this point.  I can now see that every single job I’ve had, all the different careers I’ve had, in television, training, coaching and more, have all contributed to me doing what I do today.  There is no wasted experience. 

When you follow your true heart’s calling, your bliss, as Joseph Campbell calls it, you are being true to who you are and there is no greater way to ensure success than that.  And there is nothing more likely to block success than turning away from your calling.

Recently, I was in touch with Author and Speaker Robert Holden, who I met many years ago, when I interviewed him for a BBC programme I produced and presented on Laughter Therapy.  I asked him for any tips he could give on marketing my work in the world.  He simply said, “Sahera, follow your passion and do what you love, that’s the best marketing tool I know”.  How wonderful is that.

Have the courage to connect with your heart’s desire, follow your bliss and fly!  A life of peace and fulfilment is waiting.