Suría Toussaint Calzadilla is a Certified Integrative Health Coach, a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, has a Master's Degree in Organizational Psychology and is the founder of Healing Journey con Suría (Healing Journey with Suría). Her purpose and passion is to support people with their well-being goals in an integrated and sustainable way.
Some people say you are born with a purpose. Others say you create your purpose through life. But what if both can be true? What if you come to this world to impact others through your presence and purpose, and you define (and redefine) your purpose through the different experiences you have in life?
By dictionary definition, purpose is the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. So, if you think about yourself in context with this definition, what is the reason for your existence?
It may be that you have or have not thought about this before. We live in a fast-paced world where we can feel that we don’t have the time to pause and reflect on why we’re doing things or for what reasons are we doing things. We may automatically do things without acknowledging the purpose behind it.
If I take myself for example, I’ve always felt that I came to this world to help and support others. I enjoy seeing people evolve and feel proud of who they are, whether it’s in a personal or professional scenario. Guiding others to live their best life is how I would describe my purpose today. But I didn’t define it this way from the get-go.
Knowing what I was good at and what I enjoyed doing is one thing, but feeling connected to what and why I do things is something different. I would say that everything I’ve lived personally and professionally in the past four years has redefined my purpose from solving or guiding people through their problems to supporting their healing journey and guiding them to live their best life. This is very much aligned with the reason why I think I came to this world, but in a sense, it’s much more defined and grounded to who I am today, what I think I do exceptionally well, and how it makes me feel.
Connection plays a big role in identifying your purpose. You may be great at doing many things, but it’s how it makes you feel that makes the difference. When you connect with what you do, you feel an unexplainable joy and satisfaction when doing it. You feel that it’s not a chore or an obligation, but rather something that feeds your happiness and well-being. This is what confines you to know that what you are doing is aligned with your purpose. Once you recognize this, you start being more intentional in the activities that you do, the words that you say, the content you consume, etc. And this shapes and reshapes your purpose in life.
Living your purpose is an essential part of your integrative health and well-being because when you live with and act through your purpose, you heal. You are feeding yourself with happiness, fulfillment, creativity, excitement, intention, significance, motivation, impact, values, and meaning. There is so much your body, mind and spirit feed off from living your purpose that your mood can improve, your connection with yourself can be strengthened, and your decisions and actions in life can shift for the better. And all of this is health. All of this heals you.
There is no right or wrong way to identify, define, or redefine your purpose. Nonetheless, here are three reflections you can try out to guide you in the process.
Think about what you do exceptionally well and at the same time you enjoy doing.
When thinking about this, recognize how your body feels and where do you feel that emotion, passion, or “butterfly sensation”. This is a good indicator of the emotional connection between what you do and how it impacts your well-being.
Reflect on your values and the impact you want to create with what you do. This is the effect you will have on others when living your purpose.
Remember, only you know what you’re good at, what makes you happy, what drives and motivates you, and what you connect with. Living your purpose impacts others and supports your well-being. It may be that you are 25 years old and already know what your purpose in life is, as you may be 55 and are redefining your purpose because of your life experiences. The key is to, once in a while, reflect on where you’re at and ask yourself “Am I living my purpose?”.
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Suría Toussaint Calzadilla, Certified Integrative Health Coach
Suría Toussaint Calzadilla is an experienced Coach in personal and professional development, focused on guiding people to maximize their talents, potential and well-being. After being diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and undergoing treatment and procedures to achieve full remission, Suría experienced her own healing journey and developed a different perspective on life. She has since completed the Health Coach Training Program with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and continues to expand her skills and knowledge with related courses. She has launched her Certified Integrative Health Coaching career through Healing Journey con Suría (Healing Journey with Suría) and has supported women between 30 and 45 years old to live their best life.
