When you were growing up, what did people expect you to do?  Think about it for a minute.

Were you expected to follow what everyone else in the family did…was your dad, all your older brothers and sisters, Uncle Joe, grandpa Bill and most of the others a policeman, a fireman, a doctor, a lawyer…and so everyone, maybe even yourself, expected you to make that choice as well?

Or perhaps your family owns a grocery store, a restaurant, or some other family business, and you are expected to be a part of it?   Maybe you were told you can do “better” than everyone else…be the first to go to college, own your own business, or even be president.  Or sadly, perhaps people told you that you wouldn’t amount to anything ever or you were worthless.

When we fall short of other’s expectations (let alone our own) we can feel like a failure and beat ourselves up.  Of course, if you were lucky and had awakened, supportive, loving people around you, you were told that you could be anything you wanted to be.

Letting go of all of those expectations and tuning into what you want is the goal and will bring you the most joy.

Once you’ve identified what was expected of you by others, really feel into it.  Are these things you think you SHOULD want, maybe to people please those around you?  Or perhaps you fell into the career path you’ve chosen because you didn’t want to make waves and it seemed easier.  If you are unhappy, this isn’t the path for you no matter what anyone thinks.

If you can release your fears about those expectations, not only others, but yours as well, THEN you can focus on what you DO want.  Your path may be totally different.  Perhaps you’ll go from business to the arts or vice versa. Maybe you’ll turn in your blue uniform to become a therapist.

If no one expected anything from you, what would your world look like?  Start from scratch and really look at it.  What floats your boat?  What would move you and make you love what you do and who you would be when you did it?

Some people call this a life path or life purpose. I call it being who you truly are. Finding your joy and sticking with it, will make your life expand and be so much more than you expect.