Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?

Culture, economic circumstances, family traditions, local customs and more can often influence us more than we realize. With the benefit of hindsight, we asked some wise and experienced members of our community whether they think they are doing what they were meant to do or told to do.

Michela Melone

I believe I am doing what I was born to do, not what I was told to do. When I was younger, most of the suggestions I received, from teachers, from people close to me, and even from people I never asked for advice, pointed me toward the exact opposite of what I am doing today. The message was always to choose the safe path. Read more >>>

Christina Paganelli

I never set out to own a brand — that opportunity found me. What started as a personal pursuit to support my own health and lifestyle evolved into something much bigger: a business, a mission, and a way to serve others. Looking back, it’s clear that I’m doing exactly what I was born to do. Read more >>>

Stacey Pianko

I am absolutely doing what I was born to do! My close friends in the industry had the same passion for it when we were young children. I was the quirky kid in my class who started a John Travolta Fan Club in suburban Detroit. Read more >>>

Bridget Morrissey

I really believe I am doing what I was born to do. I have been writing stories for as long as I can remember, and even though I’ve taken some detours along the way, I always come back to fostering my imagination and living inside the worlds I create there. Read more >>>

Chase Martinez

I feel like I was definitely born to do what I do. Everything about it has always felt natural to me. There are things no one ever taught me or could teach me, traits and an obsession for music that were just instilled in me from the start. This feels like who I am and who I’ll always be. Read more >>>

Meredith Pominville

I am doing exactly what I was born to do, and I don’t know any other way to do it. I’ve always been a creative, deeply feeling, intuitive person. Those traits, which I have honed into finely tuned skills, have been the guiding force in my personal and professional life. Read more >>>

Madaline Zaragoza

Im definitely doing what I was born to do the path has definitely been a wild road and sometimes i cant even see where the path is leading but the journey is what is important, Im so serious when I say that i know im supposed to be a singer, since i was a little girl its been my dream and when i think of anything else it just feels wrong ( I still have a normal job and stuff lol ) but Music full time is the dream and what truly makes me happy. Read more >>>