"Finding your purpose"
Even eight years ago if someone had asked me, "What's your life purpose?" I would have looked at them with a puzzled look and asked them what they meant. Who has time to think about their purpose when knee deep in raising their kids, or trying to make a living while juggling life's everyday craziness?
Who would have thought that when I was diagnosed with breast cancer 14 years ago, it was simply a training ground for what was to be MY destiny. At the time, all I could think of was, "I don't have time for this." When I realized the seriousness of my diagnosis, my thoughts went to, "I may not live long enough to see my kids grow up." Who would have thought that it would actually create the backdrop to doing what I now understand to be the reason why God put me on this earth.
Finding your purpose in life is an amazing feeling. At one time or another we have all struggled with that question. Some go through this process at a younger age than others. Some of us take most of our lives to figure it out. Sadly, some never do until it is too late. It seems that we can go along through life, until one day when we hit the "wall." That "wall" can take many shapes. It can be losing a job we loved, a broken relationship, losing someone close to us, or a life threatening disease like breast cancer. Whatever the personal crisis, something important happens to wake us up to this concept. Some of us are fortunate enough to hit that wall while we still have time to figure it out.
If you are having doubts about why you were placed on this earth and have decided that it is time to find YOUR purpose before you have to hit a "wall," try a little trick we learned in a wonderful workshop we attended while coming up with the blueprint for Breast Friends. Lucy Martin, founder of "Now is My Time" asked us this question: "What would you do if you knew you could not fail?" When we took that question to heart, we began to build a vision for our organization that we never would have dreamed possible. 
Another way to look at this is that we all have a God given gift. Something that we were born with that is meant to be shared. It could be the gift of gab (as Sharon and I found out about ourselves), the gift of compassion, listening, art, music or even financial gifts. It could be anything. But unfortunately, we keep that gift inside a beautifully wrapped box and only take off the lid occasionally – just long enough to know the gift is still there but not long enough to let any one else see it.
We all seem to have mental road blocks - those self-imposed reasons we come up that tell us what we CAN'T do. What would your life be like if instead you asked yourself, "What COULD I do?" Try it and perhaps you too will discover your life's purpose. In doing so, dear friends, you will find happiness and joy that goes beyond your imagination. And the world will be a better place because of it.