Hair & Makeup: Justina Ford

Photographer: Charlotte Wilson

Are you on the Perceived Path or the Soul-Filled Divine Path?

Have you started out in life doing what others told you to do or following this expected path? Then after reaching the perceived goal; realized it wasn’t even what you wanted. So if you’re in a position, a role, a job and you’re asking yourself how did I get here or feeling like something’s missing… this just doesn’t line up, then you’ve come to the right place because I challenge you to find your God-given path.

Currently you are on the perceived path. The question is how long will you stay there?

The Perceived Path is where you pick up at an early age clues centered around what everyone expects from you. You may have said as a child oh I want to be a painter or actor when I grow up and your parents looked at you sideways. They might have even asked, “oh ok but what are you going to get a JOB in?”

Those comments and facial expressions filtered through you and you perceived… “uh-oh, what I enjoy, desire, and find interesting is not ideal or good enough for me”. “What I want isn’t right.” You then begin to internalize the perceived expected path and take that on as your own goal without even realizing it. Never giving yourself time to discover your own desires or interests. At that young age when you said painter or actress etc.. that was your way of dreaming/exploring and it was shot down. You never once considered that the desires in your heart were given to you by God himself. Let’s explore how to be brave and walk in this desire together.

I took all the steps to getting the perfect career to match the education that those closest to me said I should do, but while on this path I felt unsatisfied and incomplete. Something was missing. My actions didn’t match up with my values and my job didn’t fit the overall picture I had for my life.

This was the process of the Perceived Path happening in my own life!

1. When I said I wanted to be a makeup artist and my parents told me, “No, you’re going to get a college degree”. That… was my dream being shot down.
2. We truly have a desire to please others but we cant do that at the expense of sacrificing our true selves desires, passions and talents in trade for corporate dollars.
3. That idea is what propels people into considering soul businesses, there’s also a thing called soul positions or divine positions
4. Even if you aren’t wanting/ready to branch out on your own and start a business, you can still be clever and resourceful at creating yourself a divine position in your current career or new career
5. The key is dream play! You must give yourself ample time and space to do so. Ask the questions challenge the status quo, Reassessing and re-evaluating everything you once perceived as truth. (That’s what I did)
6. Once I stepped out of the perceived path for my life I was able to accomplish some awesome things that aligned with my values and goals. Now that I’ve had success in my freelance makeup business, I’m just bubbling with energy to teach others to do it.
7. Your path won’t look like mine but the steps that it takes to get yourself off that Perceived Path anchored in you from your past are the same.
8. You have to redefine success on our own terms, giving it a value that is unique to you and only you. Don’t base your success off what other people are doing or others expectation.