6 Tips for Carving a New Life

“Hidden beneath your feet is a luminous stage where you are meant to rehearse your eternal dance.” — Hafiz

Sometimes following the life path of our family and friends fits with our desires. But what if it doesn’t? How do we discover our true desires and step off the beaten path when an interpretation of the “right” way of living has been drilled into us since birth?

In an enlivened conversation with a group of women, the topic of following your desire rose into view. We were talking about learning to distinguish between the social conditioning of what we have been taught and connecting with our deeper desire to carve a life that works for us.

An example of social conditioning:

Go to college. Get a job. Get married. Buy a house. Have children. Retire.

That may be the perfect life for you. But that “perfect life” may also be limiting a deeper desire. Maybe you want a different job or the job you had ended. Maybe you are attracted to a partner who does not fit the image expected in your family. Maybe you don’t want to have children. Maybe you don’t want to “retire!”

My own life has included marrying my college sweetheart, giving birth to two daughters then getting a divorce. Remarrying. Giving birth to a son and daughter. Homeschooling my kids. Using alternative…