August 25, 2025
Based upon my book, The Spirit of Health: Mind-to-Toe Self-Care for Women
From the segment: Tools for Self-Discovery & Life Enhancement
“There is a time for work, and a time for love.
That leaves no other time.”
Coco Chanel
We’ve come upon a time where we feel a driving need to do more in our lives and with our lives; we crave purpose. The past has focused upon credentials as a means of proving our capabilities not only to the world, but to ourselves, with credentials often attained through “higher education.” I am not one to downgrade higher education, but when it’s a substitute for true knowledge and it overshadows our inner wisdom, it can become personally limiting.
Success has become a carrot dangled in front of us, held out by our egos and by society, leading us down a path paved with credentials—usually toward a financial payoff—so that out of 52 weeks each year, we can spend two, maybe three of them, doing what it is that we really love. Far too often, doing well is measured by what you’ve got, rather than by who you are and what you love.
In the Aquarian Age, “doing well” is being replaced by a recognition of our unique gifts, our true talents and our natural abilities, and the use of these gifts to pursue happiness, meaning, and joy in our lives. Witness what’s been dubbed “downshifting” and the “voluntary simplicity movement.” Often called a trend, it’s a reach toward balance, with people examining their lives and their lifestyles, and making conscious choices to spend less and reduce excesses.
“Downshifting” often means taking a lower paying job, but one that allows more time for personal priorities. The benefits include not only less stress and more happiness, but an opportunity to identify your higher purpose! What a concept! I do believe this is much more than a trend; I believe it’s the reflection of a profound change in people’s perspectives.
Socrates told us “the unexamined life is not worth living.” I think people are beginning to deeply examine their lives, and as a result, many people are craving purpose. It is the depth of this examination that brings value and worth to our lives and helps us to discover our passions and our inner vision. As people reclaim their lives and their loves, they’re changing from a job—meaning what you do for a living—to a vocation—meaning what you’re called to do with your life, your higher purpose! Sister Mary Lauretta advises, “To be successful, the first thing to do is fall in love with your work.”
“What you get is a living—what you give is a life.”
Lillian Gish, American actress
In her book, A Return To Love, Marianne Williamson observes that, “Some of the best and brightest of our generation were educated more by life than by school. There’s a mass of talent in our society who have been everywhere and done everything, but few have credentials to show for it. Our achievements have been mainly internal.”
Williams shares her own wisdom by saying, “Our ministries—our new careers—will reflect these internal achievements. They will express a new integration of mind and heart. They will express the consciousness of people contributing their individual resources to a general healing tide. These careers will be created as individual reflections of our unique talents… New forms of employment are emerging in response to new energies… Ultimately, it is not our credentials but our commitment to a higher purpose that creates our effectiveness in the world.”
Our commitment to a higher purpose—think about that. What is your commitment? What is your higher purpose? Do you have a commitment to that higher purpose? Do you even have one?
We often get stuck in a conventional way of thinking about ourselves. Just ponder for a moment about all that YOU know. You may have a formal degree that applies to your job, but you may also have a litany of talents and knowledge that isn’t reflected on a piece of paper in the form of a degree. Or you may not have a formal “credential,” but you may be enormously more skilled than schooled. I’ve known engineers who could not operate a screwdriver, and attorneys with absolutely no common sense whatsoever.
Life is the school we all attend. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get life credit for all we know? Personally, I have an M.O.L.E., a Master of Life Experience, with an undergraduate degree from the School of Hard Knocks, and I speak fluent body language! Perhaps the time has come to give ourselves credit!
Years ago, just for fun, I sat down and made a list of every single job I’d ever done, paid or unpaid, small or large, beginning with the very first: cleaning house for my mom. Going way back into the archives of my mind, I tried to recall everything: babysitting, cleaning neighbors’ houses, working on my grandparents’ farm market, carhopping at A & W, hostessing, cooking, bartending, bussing tables and waitressing—this was all before I “entered the work force” in society’s eyes!
In my opinion, waiting tables should be required for all those who plan to graduate from the school of life—nothing teaches you more about people than serving them their food! I think all humans would be kinder, more humble people if they served food to each other for a living—just once!
My most educational job in terms of life experience was working at three different nursing homes; that’s right up there with waitressing in terms of learning about people, and I learned so much about my own capacity for kindness and humility. For a while, I was a security guard at Detroit’s Metro Airport. That was something I’ll never forget.
Just out of high school, I ran a pneumatic press at a dirty little factory; on the 89th night, the entire midnight crew was fired so they wouldn’t have to give us health insurance! From each and every experience, we learn; and, like the novelist Barrie said, “Life is like a long lesson in humility.”
Try your hand at your own personal history lesson. List anything you did in elementary school, high school and then move beyond. Moving forward in time, try to recall, year by year, the various things you did. It’s surprising how much you can forget, until you start really thinking about it!
When you look at your list of life experiences, you’ll see how amazing you truly are, and how much you had to know in order to do all these things! Don’t forget any volunteer work you may have done, and Girls Scouts count! There is an entire army of people out there with tremendous talents—talents given freely to the world—with little or no recognition for their effort and abilities.
My two most memorable volunteer adventures were teaching E.S.L., English as a Second Language, and working with people with severe intellectual and physical disabilities at a local state-run institution. These types of experiences can create in us a sense of gratitude and appreciation for our blessings and our strengths; we all have so much to give to each other. And I like to think that those whose paths we cross also feel blessed and happy to have us there, volunteering not only our time, but our energy and our spirit. So, consider reflecting on all that you’ve done. It can be very enlightening!
“Anything you’re good at contributes to happiness.”
Bertrand Russell, English philosopher and mathematician
Sometimes it seems our talents have two sides: the conventional side and the creative side. In the past, my conventional side always rested in the realm of court reporting. I have prepared proposals for municipalities and courthouses, offering skills my conventional side could provide. That was simple. But it wasn’t until I had to prepare a “proposal” offering my creative side that I stumbled.
A friend of mine told me to “just explain your philosophy.” My philosophy? How about that! I had never really thought about it before, but when I did, I realized that yes—I did have a philosophy! So, after mulling this over for a few days, it came to me. I was trying to go to sleep, but the words started to flow, and just like you can’t push a river, you can’t stop the flow. I got out of bed, and from about two in the morning until nearly noon my “creative proposal” emerged. What came out was a description of myself I had never voiced before, but one I had felt deep within all my life. I sat back, looked at it, and knew that it was self-revelation! I never saw my “creativity” all in one place before!
I’d never tooted my own horn before, but I liked the sound! This was my “Resume of Life.”
So just what is your higher purpose? In reviewing all you have done, do any particular experiences stand out, or do any patterns seem to emerge? Was there anything that brought a smile to your face because you loved doing it? What are your talents? What has your life knowledge and wisdom grown to include?
What do people ask your advice or opinion about? Usually that’s a big clue to point out what you really know. My niece will call me and say, “So and so just had this weird psychic experience with her dead uncle, and she wondered what you think about it.” People will call me and say, “I’ve started getting this pain in my lower back,” and they want to know what natural remedies they could investigate and consider before resorting to pharmaceuticals. This is part of our personal wisdom, and it has value! Don’t discount any of your abilities!
“Credential” comes from the word “credence;” and credence is something you can and must give to yourself—a “mental acceptance of what is true or real” about yourself. What gives you credence? What is your truth about yourself? From the Latin word “credo,” “creed” is “a set of fundamental beliefs.” What is your personal creed? What is your philosophy?
Remember the many things you have done, and with that review under your belt, think about what you believe in, what you love to do (paid or unpaid) and the talents and passions you could share with others. Think about your life wisdom; use your instincts for this, it’s your gut wisdom. Think about your personal power; what do you know about yourself that gives you confidence?
As a noun, a resume is a personal account of your career and credentials, usually prepared to impress someone and to get something. As a verb, resume means “to begin again something interrupted.”
Let this personal information you’ve been “re-collecting” become your Resume of Life and begin again your “something interrupted.” Maybe it’s what you love to do but never even considered doing as a living. Perhaps it’s what you do best; perhaps it’s what you love to do when you’re feeling your best. Perhaps it’s taking a new and fresh approach toward what you’ve been doing beautifully all along! Maybe that “something interrupted” is you.
“Follow your instincts, that’s where true wisdom manifests itself.”
Oprah Winfrey
