Navigating the Tides of Self-Discovery

Miracles, like a shift in the wind that propels a sailboat forward, happen daily. We simply need to hoist our sails and open our hearts and minds to them. Just yesterday, the most amazing news came my way: I made the ‘President’s List’ for maintaining a 4.0 GPA in my MBA program. This feels like a miracle, a true wind in my sails, yet I recognize I helped chart this course. In that powerful moment, I realized I possess a sharper business acumen than I ever gave myself credit for. For too long, I hadn’t unfurled my own sails, kept bound by limiting beliefs.

I was raised to believe that for a woman, higher education was merely a safe harbor for teaching or nursing. A business education, they insisted, was a wasted voyage, the assumption being I’d soon marry and anchor myself to domestic life. So, why bother embarking on that journey? I never did then.

Instead, I fashioned myself to a life of observation, always looking from the outside in, as if watching ships pass from the shore. Occasionally, I’d dip my toes into the turbulent waters of opportunity, finding I could navigate them. Yet, I always viewed myself as an outsider, never truly part of the crew.

But the tide eventually turned. I struggled to push out of that limiting construct, to untangle myself from those restrictive lines. I put myself through school, earning a higher education in project management with an emphasis on construction. I found I thrived in designing and building structures, much like a skilled shipwright crafting a sturdy vessel. In doing so, I discovered a sliver of my ‘purpose’—that unique gift that is truly ours, the very reason we are here on this planet at this time. It behooves us to develop it, to give meaning to our own personal voyage.

For a time, I mistook developing my gift for my ultimate purpose. But that was a misdirection. My true purpose, my compass, is my ‘ability to see’—to see through problems with a clarity that has often felt like an unsettling calm before a storm. Some things I saw, and frankly, still see, have terrified me.

This is who I am. My essence is also imbued with a creative current. Returning to the President’s List, I now truly grasp that I can master business through diligent effort and careful research. My education and experience in project management are not just a sturdy hull, but the very path forward for my work.

Here I sit, writing and sharing these personal thoughts, confident that I possess a formidable business mind. I also work with an organization where leaders see and believe in me, inspiring me to set a new course. Now, I stand at a crossroads, the wind at my back, knowing I must do something with this newfound knowledge. What port should I seek?

While my leader believes in my capabilities, his underlings, by contrast, are like fearful sailors clinging to the rigging. My gift of sight allows me to see why: fear. It controls them, and they use it to control others. But I cannot, and will not, be controlled. I’ve weathered enough of those storms. And I no longer have to remain on the outside, observing from the distant shore.

Initially, as I embarked on this new educational journey, I thought I would gravitate toward the stormy seas of politics. From where I stand, I truly believe politicians could use a seasoned navigator to help them find their true north, to develop their authentic purpose. But today, I’m not sure if that’s the right course for me. Perhaps it is for a few, those willing to cultivate the emotional intelligence to discover and overcome their fears, allowing that weakness to exist without dominating their journey. Perhaps for a select few.

My purpose is to develop my gift, to truly harness its power. Then, I want to give it meaning by guiding others through treacherous waters. I believe my path lies in creating an ‘educational project’—a vessel designed to teach others to see through deception, to uncover the rhetoric and false promises used to manipulate us for votes. My goal is to open hearts and minds, to help people find the power of their voice and understand the true weight of their vote.

Many use fear to steer the ship of governance, and they do not wish for a change in course. They don’t want me to help others hoist their own sails from the bottom, preferring to keep us under their tight control. They are afraid of our potential, and they are right to be. Too many people are angry and frustrated, and unleashing that raw energy without guidance will only lead to destruction, a shipwreck for us all. That is not the way forward.

I now know who I am. I understand my purpose. I am meant to inspire hearts and minds, to guide people toward better governance and toward a healthier, happier life.

I don’t know what tomorrow’s horizon will bring.

However, I know the strength and purpose I will bring to tomorrow’s journey. Do you?

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