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.

Hannah McDowell

I never set out with the goal of becoming a stylist. As a college freshman, I was interning at a digital marketing agency and quickly realized that working on social media all day was not where I thrived. Being on my phone constantly felt distracting rather than creative, and I knew I was meant to work in a more hands on, people focused way. Read more>>

Cody Smart

I tried for years to fit the mold of what I was told to do. And it wasn’t until I embraced what I wanted to do – tell stories and help others tell their stories – that I truly understood how loving what you do makes you happy and passionate. I get to read and tell stories for a living. Read more>>

Amaris Davidson

If I’m being honest, I have always led sort of a quiet rebellion. It was always masked in the arts and helping, so it looked less like rebellion. However, I don’t have kids and I am not married, which is a societal norm coming from where I am from especially for a woman my age. Read more>>

Franco Gandolfi

I believe this question ultimately points to a deeper inquiry about purpose and meaning; the why of life. Many of us begin by following paths shaped by expectation, tradition, or external definitions of success. These paths may offer stability or recognition, but they do not necessarily provide fulfillment. Purpose, by contrast, emerges when an individual listens inwardly and aligns action with meaning. Read more>>

Charo Toledo

I’m finally doing what I was born to do. The Latina Survival Guide feels less like a project and more like a calling; the kind that follows you quietly through every decade of your life until you are strong enough, wounded enough, brave enough to answer it. Read more>>

Sam Qavah John

I am doing exactly what I was born to do. I wish it looked different at different stages and phases of my life but I am living out the true destiny God had for me. I know I could have been very different. Made very different choices. Stayed in my addictions and become the worst version of myself, destroying everything in its wake. Read more>>

Lillian Lazum

When I chose this path, I didn’t know if I was making the right choice, and I didn’t hear any voices guiding me. But at some point in our lives, we face the unknown, and the only way to cross it is through a leap of faith. Read more>>