In South Florida, it is Sea Turtle season, which runs through the end of October. Female Sea Turtles come to shore to select a location on the beach to lay their eggs. The nests are marked with the day and type of turtle by volunteers who patrol the beach each evening, checking on the nests from nightfall into the early morning hours.
I had an incredible opportunity to tag along with a local Sea Turtle volunteer. I had secretly hoped I would get to watch the astonishing hatching and was beside myself when not only one nest hatched that night, but two! I was so moved by Nature that my eyes began tearing as I watched the baby turtles, known as hatchlings, emerge from the sand.
Watching for a nest to hatch is like watching and waiting for a pot of water to bubble. You will see holes appear in the sand, and then, suddenly, there is an explosion of baby turtles everywhere. Many hatchlings instinctively know their way to the ocean, while some are a little disoriented, either by our artificial lights or for other reasons. The volunteers gently guide and support the hatchlings that are off course.
As if being hatched, climbing to the surface, racing to the ocean guided by the moon, instincts, and trying to avoid predators (like birds) isn’t enough of a challenge, once they enter the water, they have the challenge of additional predators like sharks, other fish, etc. They then swim out to the Sargasso Sea (a large area of sargassum seaweed) for what is known as the “lost years.”
The hatchlings will hide and feed in the seaweed for approximately ten years or until they are the size of a dinner plate. Only one out of a thousand sea turtles make it to adulthood. Talk about a living miracle! I can never look at a Sea Turtle the same way again, just thinking about their journey.
If you know me, you probably already know I will bring this conversation back to business! It happens to be my birthday month! I had a mission and purpose in life when I was born, like the hatchlings. I was born with everything I needed within me to accomplish that purpose, and just like some of the baby turtles, I got disoriented along my journey and ended up going in the wrong direction sometimes. I believed other people’s opinions over my own. I bought into societal norms and ignored my true calling. I doubted myself; who was I to have such a big, bodacious dream?
I was challenged by several obstacles outside of my control, like being held up at gunpoint, drugged and assaulted, and a series of unhealthy relationships in which any one of the circumstances could have ended my life. I somehow made it to my seagrass to nurture and grow my self-love and reconnect with my authentic voice. (Shameless self-plug, all of this and more will be shared in my new book Manaholic™, which is coming soon.)
I have learned that without my moon (my vision) and my coaches supporting and guiding me, I could easily have gone the wrong way or made decisions not aligned with my desired results. Like the baby turtles, you also have a unique calling inside you that the world will miss out on should you fall victim to listening to other people’s opinions, or sometimes to the voice in your head. Like mine, who told me I had nothing to say that others would want to hear about.
I work with organizations all the time, co-creating their strategic plan. It is common for businesses to define their vision, mission, and values clearly, but what about you as an individual? Do you have a vision, mission, and values clearly defined to guide you to live the life you are designed for? Do you have someone to hold your vision, to guide and support you along the way?
Roy T. Bennett, author of The Light in the Heart, said, “Be brave enough to live the life of your dreams according to your vision and purpose instead of the expectations and opinions of others.”
How will you fulfill your life purpose, and who will guide and support you along your journey?
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