My grade 5/6 teacher Mrs. Lake was a bonafide lover of the written word. She had a book with her at all times, she made "silent reading" time a daily occurrence, and we were treated to story time once or twice a week where we all got to gather at her feet as she read to us. Words were sacred to her.
One day I overheard her speaking with one of my classmates. My classmate had just told Mrs. Lake that she wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Mrs. Lake said to my classmate, "If you want to be a writer, the first thing you have to do is start writing in a journal."
I remember thinking to myself, "I do not want to be a writer, but I must start a journal." And so I did.
The Nudge Becomes An Outlet
Fast forward 12 odd years and I have about 1,000 journals — all filled with my thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams, fears, angers, and so on. I also now posses the ability to formulate my thoughts into readable pieces of writing. This skill has not only been a creative outlet for me (I firmly believe creative outlets are an integral part of a healthy human life, even if what is produced is never seen, heard or touched by another soul), it was also the catalyst for me to start building the life of my dreams.
You see, about 1.5 years ago I was a Registered Nutritional Counsellor, Yoga Teacher, Trained Life coach and all around good gal working a minimum wage desk job. I had skills and the desire to really help people but no real avenue in which to do so. Or so I thought.
This is when I followed another nudge and applied to be a guest writer for a company called Young and Raw. I had recently become inexplicably obsessed with this company and could not really explain why. All I knew is that I loved them. I contacted them with my ideas, and they immediately accepted my work and published it on their website.
One month of communication later and I had landed myself a work-from-home-job with Young and Raw where I was using all my skills to help people become healthier versions of themselves.
Why Following The Nudges Matters
The ability to form written articles based on my own experiences also enabled me to write a book detailing my journey. I have been able to share my experience of anorexia and what helped me to recover, through the medium of a book, all because I followed the nudge to write when I was 12 years old. I am able to help people who I may never meet in real life all because I can write.
This is how I believe life works. We are all given little nudges in our paths that may seem insignificant at the moment but later earn monumental importance. I have personally experienced several "nudge" moments in my life that I am so pleased to have heeded their call.
It was the nudges that inspired me to get my diploma in nutrition. The nudges that got me into yoga. The nudges that led to me finding the love of my life.
I would like to encourage you to follow your next nudge. This could be something that you randomly overhear someone else talking about that piques your interest. This could be a nudge to sign up for a class or workshop or lecture. This could be the nudge to call in sick to work and read that book you have had on your bed stand for 3 months.
Whatever your next nudge is, follow it. See where it goes. I bet it will lead you someplace you have always wanted to go, but that you never knew you wanted to.
