We live in a world that teaches us how we are to think, grow, act, create, and plan (and exist) based on templates and past examples.

Flashback to 3rd grade English class when you first learned how to “write a paper” using the 5 paragraph method (intro — don’t forget the hook!, body 1, body 2, body 3, conclusion).

And how many people end up hating English class because they are constantly being forced to produce writing that is out of flow with who they are, what they are interested in, and how they naturally express themselves… then go on to hate and dread writing for the rest of their lives?

Sure, it can be helpful for the person grading papers to receive assignments all within the same format.

Sure, it can be a tool students can use to organize their thoughts, build a thesis, state their claims, back it up...

But what are we actually teaching them?

We are teaching them to follow a pattern.

Something that is not inherently who they are or how they naturally express themselves.

And then we give them examples of how others have created the same work in the past...

“Here’s what it’s supposed to look like. Make yours fit.”

This same concept applies to everything.

Templates for writing a business plan.

Templates on websites.

Templates for writing a bestselling novel or producing a hit track.

Templates in jobs, in schools, in religion.

Templates in relationships.

“How it should be.”

All can be “useful” (for some).

All can be “successful” (for some).

All can help you “learn” (for some).

All can get you started in a direction…

AND all can seriously hinder your natural creation, expression, authenticity, and path if you continue to use someone else’s templates and examples to navigate your life.

What if you are someone who is called to be different?

To break the mold?

What if you have ideas, goals, and visions that you’ve never seen done before, you have no template for, and you don’t see any true examples outside of you showing you the way?

What if it’s up to you to create the way yourself?

I’m not going to hand you my strategy, because you aren’t a painter, singer, producer, photographer, designer, consultant, event facilitator, writer, and single mom of 2 boys, are you?

(If you are, honestly let me know because I’d LOVE to talk to you haha)

You are YOU.

The pathways to your success don’t exist within the limits of templates and examples that are irrelevant to your soul, your calling… to who you are.

The pathways to your success exist WITHIN you.

Where are the teachers who understand this and can teach others to express themselves authentically, identify their own inherent flows, structures, and pathways to success, and capitalize on that to create something amazing?