Find Your Life’s Purpose Through Nature and Birding

Written By: Scott W. Holland

Finding your life’s purpose can feel like you’re chasing something that’s always just out of reach.  For many of us, our early years may not have offered the guidance or support needed to understand what it means to align our ego with our soul. When we live in harmony with our soul, we attract deeper relationships and more meaningful experiences, naturally. To begin this journey, we must start with honesty.  You must be mature, reasonable and willing to look inward. Not at the surface or outside characteristics of yourself, but at the core of who you really are. As Wayne Dyer once said, “Decide who you are, then live it”. This is the first and most critical step towards self-realization. It is the foundation from which everything else is built upon.  Writer Robert Greene, in his work on mastery and purpose, emphasizes the importance of discovering your “life’s task”. A calling, that is unique to you and you alone. A calling that aligns with your inclinations and passions.  But this discovery doesn’t happen by accident. It requires stillness, reflection and intention with a willingness to listen to and trust in your soul. 

This is where I believe nature and birding in particular, can offer both clarity and wisdom.  By watching the birds focus and determination. Seeing their unquestioning belief and self-reliance, we can begin to understand the rhythm of our own soul. That bird’s independence and industrious nature are not just admirable, they’re instructive and guide us to greater self-awareness.  If you believe like I do, that we are all connected by single source or spirit, then it follows that the traits we see in birds, trust, belief and intention, are also embedded in us. Birds do not need, nor are they looking for permission to be who they are. And neither do we. By internalizing the qualities of that bird, its focus, its self-reliance, its quiet confidence, we can begin to build a life that reflects our true purpose. Know this, aligning our soul with our conscious mind does not happen overnight. It takes courage, persistence and daily practice.  But with each step, each passing day, we move closer to our true purpose. When we start living in alignment with our soul, something powerful happens. Our life’s purpose begins to reveal itself. You recognize signs, messages and opportunities that were always there, but now, because you’re outwardly conscious mind is in alignment with your soul, you’re ready to receive them.

So, take the time to sit quietly and calm your mind. Watch the birds and listen to your inner voice. Be honest with yourself about where your passions lie, what it is you value most and what you’re calling is. Then, like that bird, take flight and build your life, one purposeful day at a time. Once you do, there’s no limit to what you can achieve.