Seeking, Finding, and Following Your Path: A take on Oprah Winfrey’s ‘The Path Made Clear’
“There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honour your calling. It’s why you were born. And how you become most truly alive.”
- Oprah Winfrey
I am a 90’s, “You can do anything!”, Oprah-era-kid.
Every day when I got home off of the school bus, the ritual was to get comfy and watch my daily fix of the Oprah Winfrey talk show, que the music. Ready?
*Run on, Run on, Woah Woah Oprah* Anyone remember that one? Click for a flash back.
Run On was an homage to following our paths, moving forward even when we can’t see what the future holds, we trust that it is held for us already, by something greater. All we need to do? Trust and run on. So good, right?
I’ve always been a creative at heart but it’s admittedly taken me until my late 20’s to really see and accept my path. I just turned 31 and feel like I am where I need to be for right now, I don’t know where my path is leading me, but it feels right. I trust it.
It hasn’t always been this way for me.
Two of my favourite books that I keep out on display at our house are: Oprah’s The Wisdom of Sundays and, The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose.
Lloyd had picked both books up for me at a time when I was feeling what I can only describe as being lost.
I had our first baby, Theodora, in the fall of 2018, and that winter I was experiencing some postpartum issues. I was in love with this little beautiful being that was Theodora and my new role as ‘Mum’, but any inner critic I’ve ever built up over the years was using this experience as the perfect opportunity to sing loud and clear: you are not worthy.
Our little goose wearing an outfit my mum tucked away for me from when I was a baby. A, “just in case”, item that’s been 30 years in the making.
Lloyd bringing home those two books was a sweet reminder of who I was. At my core. My beliefs, my goals, where I’ve been and where I want to go.
Initially an ‘eventually, when we retire’, mantra lover, the arrival of Theodora put things into perspective: how can I raise my daughter to follow her arrow if I’m not making it a priority to show up and honour my own calling? It really ignited our sense of time and provided that push needed.
“...how can I raise my daughter to follow her arrow if I’m not making it a priority to show up and honour my own calling?”
It was that very winter that we decided to go for it and make the leap into the apiary, homesteading, day-dream chasing world: Tuckamore Homestead was born.
Well not right away, we heard no right from the get go, but that’s another story.
Back to the Oprah and reason behind this project.
For this blog post series, I wanted to recruit some local individuals who have been ‘going for it’ and pursuing their passions who hail from the small island we call home: Cape Breton Island, located in Nova Scotia, Canada.
My goal is to conduct some Oprah, The Path Made Clear, style interviews using her book as a guide.
Just one more of our ‘reason’.
I pitched the idea by mentioning my main goals:
highlight that it is not just one type of person (age, body type, personality) that has the permission to seek, find, and pursue their true path. We all have permission. We are all worthy.
I also wanted to focus on locals from our small island.
Oprah has already included heavy hitters like Ellen DeGeneres, Shonda Rhimes, and Deepak Choprah, but for this project I thought about the everyday person.
Those among us that are in every small town, showing up, going for it, and immensely contributing their talents to their communities. Those are the people I want to celebrate, showcase, and learn from.
If we can see ourselves in others, we might believe that we can pursue our own paths, too.
I hope you will join me in welcoming our first interviewee: Michelle Leudy, of Michelle Leudy Photography.
This beautiful soul has graciously agreed to sit down and chat with me about this important topic. I’ve linked her stunning website with the hopes that you will check it out and get to know her before we dive into her own journey to finding and pursing her true life’s path.
As always, thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today. I hope to see you again soon,
-Samantha