Finding our purpose.

More often than not, I notice people talking about how they feel like they are not living out their life's purpose, or worse yet, that they don't know WHAT their purpose is in this lifetime. This is a common phenomenon amongst most of us as we we get the college degree, the career, the spouse, the house, the kids, the minivan, etc. It has become the cultural norm that this is the path we must all follow to become "successful" in this lifetime. 

This formula fits some people but I believe that generally speaking it doesn't fit most people. I fell prey to this very path yet there was always something inside of me that said, "This isn't quite right...for me." I went to college, studied Social Work, got the career, poured myself into it, got married, had the kids, got the house AND the minivan yet something within this path that I was following just wasn't feeling right to me . . . until I started Viva la Vida Travel.

I have always been an incurable dreamer. I have always loved travel and exploring other cultures. When I was a social worker, I made sure that the job I had was working with diverse cultures just so I could get that "fix" that I needed to scratch my persistent itch for understanding other cultures. It wasn't until I was faced with a career change due to budget cuts in the non-profit world that took me from my last job that I made the decision to start Viva la Vida Travel.

 I began my business with my love for helping to create better lives for people but by doing so by offering travel as a means to improve one's life.  My heart has always been drawn to helping people become happier humans despite what past and present life circumstances may have been  thrown their way. It was the great Frida Kahlo's life story that inspired me to  name my business Viva la Vida Travel. Her trials and tribulations with love and physical impairments drove her to pour herself into artwork that reflected a deep and honest look at her vulnerability as well as her perseverance and strength. It was a simple painting of fruit where she wrote the words, "Viva la Vida" in a slice of watermelon that moved me to name my business after her work and her life's vision. Albeit  a simple painting of fruit, the words Viva la Vida imply that there is beauty in simplicity and at the end of the day life is meant to be lived in simple joys and inspired by our surroundings and the people we meet. 

As I have moved through the years of nurturing and growing Viva la Vida Travel, I know that I am living my purpose. Every single time I speak with clients and learn about their dreams in travel, I feel the passion well up inside of me. I feel the "flow" that is experienced by being completely immersed in something that speaks to my soul. When I travel and talk about travel, I light up. My whole demeanor changes. When I get the chance to meet people from other cultures and look into their eyes, I feel it. When my clients come home from traveling and they have a lightness in their voice, I feel my purpose.

Is this the end game for me? Nope. Will I always be a travel agent? Maybe, maybe not. Is inspiring others to fuel their passions and purpose through travel and meaningful life experiences what I'll continue to do? Yes, this much I know. I also know that helping people come together in understanding  each other's culture and traditions will always be an important aspect of my personal and professional life. 

So, what's the real message here? Here it is :

Listen to your inner voice because it whispers to you in your every day life. Take the trip that has called to you because it is there you will hear the messages again, but in a much more profound way. Not listening to your souls calling is like living someone else's life. This is your life. You have a unique mission here on this planet and I beg of you to do what calls to you. Do not apologize for your path. 

A good friend of mine once told me ( in Spanish), "Viva la vida pero no dejes que la vida te viva."

In other words, " live life but don't let life live you." There it is folks. . . now go do YOU.

Viva la Vida