By Design

"What is my purpose?!" I shouted to the Universe. In desperate times, I find myself stuck in a moment of solitude and replacing rational thought with faith. As humbly as I could, this time, I continued to speak out loud to the Universe and explain my pain.

You see, it had been months of seeking jobs that will help me make ends meat, whilst believing, deep down that I have a greater purpose for this World. The combination of desperation and longing have all but left me with an insatiable emptiness to figure out what I am meant to do in this lifetime.

"I beg you, Universe, please bring to me a clear sign revealing what my true purpose and path are, so that I can go out and grab it. Please show me a sign that I will understand the moment I see it."

This is what we all do when we're down on our knees, literally helpless from our circumstances, isn't it? But I thought to myself, "We may all do this, but what is it that we don't do to work with the universe in delivering this sign?" So, I took a deep breath, moved out of my own way and I went for a walk.

As I was on my walk, I passed by a community book box on my street that I have noticed and ignored since I moved here. I notice a little black moleskin book sitting on the ground. Intrigued that it did not feature a title or any picture on the cover, I picked it up and flipped it over only to find out it was blank as well.

I opened the book about one third of the way in, landing on a random page.

The page read, "Your Sign..."

My stomach dropped. I read on down the page.

"Your challenge is your opportunity, share it." These were the only other words on the page. Frustration immediately sunk in. I did not understand it at first, but as I took a deep breath, I closed the book. This time, I opened it again, only to discover I had landed on the same page:

"Your Sign...

Your struggle is your opportunity, share it."

As I was in disbelief, I flipped through the pages, realizing that the whole book was comprised of different, "signs". With respect to what I believed this little black moleskin book's mission was, I decided to put it in the box and leave it for the next person. Walking back home, I remembered I had written a writing submission for a challenge! The grand prize was more than enough to get me on my feet as well as devote myself to my dream of becoming a successful writer. Now, I found myself almost running back!

Opening my laptop to the submission page, it was, of all days, the deadline. My opportunity to succeed was in front of me the whole time; I was one proofread and click away from allowing myself that opportunity.

So, with undeniable faith, I submitted my work of fiction to the online challenge. Needless to say, twelve days passed as slowly as watching paint dry, but in that time, I was able to re-imagine my life as the writer I always dreamt myself of becoming. The only difference is, in that moment of letting go and aligning myself with a universal message, I acted upon it and it turned my whole World around. Not only did I see a life of endless opportunities, I also restored my faith in myself that day.

I am sharing this story with you today, because in that message the Universe delivered to me, I noticed it was also asking something of me: to share my opportunities and challenges. Upon the twelfth day, the winners were announced receiving their prizes and in the first place spot read my name and title.