Living an incredible life is within your grasp. Use these nine steps as a guide.

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Have you ever had the feeling that you were meant for great things? I have had these feelings a lot.

It’s Sunday night, and I’m trying to find a movie to watch. At last, I choose to watch this movie called “The Family Man,” which is a movie about finding your calling in life and whether we choose to follow that calling or not. After watching it, I began to reflect on my life decisions, and I made a choice.

Was it a coincidence that the movie I randomly chose contained the message that I needed to hear at that moment? 

As I thought about my choices, one got me excited. It just “felt” right when I thought about the possibilities. The idea to quit my job to pursue working for myself by helping others achieve their goals and live a better life was a “Hell Yes” for me. 

My definition of calling is something within that guides you towards your purpose in life, towards your destiny. It feels so right that you just know it. 

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My First Calling  I’m originally from Brazil. The Capitol of samba, beaches and beautiful women in small bikinis. Not a terrible place to grow up by any standards. 

But the first time when I came to the United States, it felt like home. I was walking in streets of Washington D.C., and I had a strong feeling come over me that I’ve been here before. It felt familiar. Like it was where I was supposed to be. 

At that exact instant, I promised myself I would figure out a way to live in the US even if I had no idea what I was going to do there. 

I came back to Brazil. But I couldn’t stop thinking about that feeling I had. And after four months, I flew back to Washington, DC and made it my home. 

Why? 

When you get that close to your goals, you can’t simply forget all the work that you’ve done and quit, you must keep going until you make it. So, I had to believe that nothing could stop me. That it was just a temporary situation. 

There’s a quote from Jordan Belfort that I really resound, it says, “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.”

Fact: 78% of the US population is not happy and fulfilled according to recent studies.

At the same time, let’s face it, it’s not easy to follow your calling, and that is the reason you have to trust your gut and focus on what you want.  

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To cut the long story short, eight years ago I was running a business and things weren’t going well. To be completely honest, it was a dying business, and I knew it was time to close the business and move on. I wasn’t happy with my current situation, and I decided that I wanted something bigger, something on my own, which means starting from scratching again after just losing money in an awful business. 

Inevitably, I told my family and friends what I had in mind, and they were very supportive. So, I started my marketing consulting business all by myself. I was excited about the future even though I had many setbacks. Each time that I failed, I saw fear in the eyes of my family and friends–the fear that I may not succeed and that I should stick with a regular job working 9-5 for other people. 

A scarcity mindset is when you focus on what might go wrong instead of what might go right.

And if you do a little research, you will discover that all those big self-help masters like Tony Robbins and Joe Vitale all needed to discover their circle of support to help them succeed. Most of the time it wasn’t their family. The support came from mentors and friends who were like-minded in their views about success. The important lesson here is to be surrounded by the right individuals who support you while you follow your dreams. Remember, people need encouragement to take action. 

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With that being said, I would like to help you uncover your true calling with these nine straightforward steps.

1. Find what excites you. Make a list of your hobbies or passions. Also, ask yourself. “How would you like to be remembered for? Why?”

2. Reflecting on the past. Look at your review mirror and tell me what you see? Then, start to accept what you learned from acting on past callings and if something still remains alive for you. In case nothing really resonates with you then create space to welcome new callings.

3. List what your calling is. Write out 30 responses to the question: “What is my reason for living?” Do not quit before you reach 30. Don’t worry, your calling will stand out. In my case, I laugh. I sweat. I cry. (Not always in that order.)

4. Use your personal values as a guide. Make a rundown list of your core beliefs. How are you honoring those values in your life at this time? Is your life aligned with your core beliefs? How your core values are connected with your calling?

5. Take Action. To get things done, you need to take action. Don’t hold up for the ideal time to make a move on your call. Don’t come up with all sorts of creative reasons why today just isn’t the right time. Too busy. Too stressed. Too risky. Too uncertain. Too old. Too young. Sometimes those reasons are valid. However we are talking about your call, we are talking about the most important thing in your life: your happiness.

6. Build accountability. Enlist a support team or an accountability partner to help keep you focused and on track. Set up a time to check-in regularly and let them know ways in which they can help, for example, to help you remember past accomplishments and why you begin making these changes in the first place.

7. Reward progress. Set up a reward system to guarantee you celebrate progress and small successes as you come. But let me tell you something when you are experiencing your call it feels so great and so right that this is the biggest reward that you can have.

8. Act bravely daily. Starting today. Total surrender. Regardless of the fact that it is in a trial basis, building momentum is crucial as you start out. So commit to stepping out of your comfort zone in at least once every day, beginning today. It can be something really small. After all, it doesn’t make a difference how quick you are going, so long as you are stepping forward in a direction that motivates you. So make that first step, then another, then another, after all–life rewards action!

9. Just sit and relax. After all this work, that’s my last piece of advice, just sit back and relax. That is to say, go with the flow, relax and let God, the angels, the universe, your intuition, or whatever you believe in, guide you through the process. It’s your time, and it’s your mission. 

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Keep in mind that it’s ok to like the way your life is and simply stay where you are. This is not for everybody and it doesn’t mean that you are not following your calling or not having the life that you want. 

This is for the people that feel that’s it’s time to change and live a legendary life. It’s for somebody that is looking for answers and direction in life. 

It’s up to you to choose whether to continue as things are or to take a look at these simple steps and take action to live the life you are born to live. 

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.”—DR. Martin Luther King Jr.

by Gisele Oliveira