Each of us comes to this lifetime with gifts to share and specific ways the soul wants to learn and grow. Finding your inner genius, your unique contribution and purpose, is central to living a full, vibrant, and satisfying life.

Until we listen to our soul’s calling, we might question what we have of value to offer. We may feel like we’re not reaching our full potential or not making the most of our time on earth.

What we have to give and the way we offer it is unique to our soul. It is not arbitrary nor is it optional. Ignoring our life purpose comes at the high price.

In Care of the Soul, Thomas Moore writes, “The great malady of the twentieth century, implicated in all of our troubles and affecting us individually and socially, is ‘loss of soul.’ When soul is neglected, it doesn’t just go away; it appears symptomatically in obsessions, addictions, violence, and loss of meaning.”

Even the suffering in our life can be a sign of the soul trying to express itself, attempting to move us closer to its aim. No part of our personal history is lost or wasted. The very challenges that plague us can point the way to the longing of our soul and the gifts we came to give.

It’s never too late to discover our inner genius and to create a life of meaning and purpose. As Michael Meade says, “Your calling keeps calling.”

On the path of soul our life “makes sense.” The twists and turns of fate through our lives begin to show themselves not as random events but as guideposts that move us forward (or guardrails that bounce us back) on our journey. The thread of our lives can be revealed, or at least glimpsed, to help us plot a meaningful path onward.

Following the soul’s calling allows us to:

• discover who we really are
• make meaning of our lives
• find our power and purpose
• give form to our desire to contribute
• envision deeply rewarding work and lifestyle
• fill the void so we can feel whole and alive

Thomas Moore also says, “Tradition teaches us that soul lies midway between understanding and unconscious, and that its instrument is neither the mind nor the body, but imagination.”