When I was a child, my ability to explore life was at its peak. Curiosity was always rewarded with a self-discovery of my natural talents mixed with the healthy amount of confusion needed to seek clarity about my current circumstance. Mind you that at 8 years old I didn’t know how to filter my experiences based on conditioned ideas nor did I know how to articulate my thoughts to others. But what I did develop was a strong ability and desire to explore, love and forgive myself for the things I did not understand.

Flash forward to my mid 20’s when I reached a new level of discomfort with hearing and/or expressing my own voice. I was clear on my natural talents but didn’t know how to focus on them as strongly (and naturally) as I did as a kid. I had different priorities and responsibilities which ultimately became distractions. But my life went through the typical early adulthood experiences — I went to college, got jobs, paid bills, had relationships, traveled & grew into a passionate black woman. However, it wasn’t until this past year that I decided to commit more time to rediscovering my undeniable personal truth.

Much different than what a child does in self-discovery, I’ve learned to remain curious about life in order to better communicate my purpose to the world. A child will typically ask questions but not to critique the truth or existence of another being. Instead a child questions life only to critique their own existence in this world. As an adult, I’ve noticed that we often get distracted and allow others to determine our fate (or our personal truths for that matter). In my search to better articulate my existence, I picked up a few books. Not all of these are inclusive to discovering the ultimate truth for everyone, but they certainly got me to a good start. I wanted to share those titles and hopefully inspire you to spend more time researching how to marry your talents with living a prosperous life.

Normal Gets You Nowhere (2011) by Kelly Cutrone – A few candid chapters of Kelly’s journey through self-awareness and into becoming the talented owner and founder of People’s Revolution, a highly sought after Public Relations Firm in the fashion entertainment industry. She shares insight on using one’s talents to push past the discomforts of life and create your own path for success.

The Alchemist (1993) by Paulo Coelho – This fiction novel reveals how the journey of self-discovery is often accounted for my moments of solitude and adventure. If you are courageous enough to explore it, life will expose many internal fears which can be conquered and soon result insurmountable personal success.

The 5 Love Languages (2010) by Gary Chapman – Not every 20-something is ready for marriage. Although this book focuses on communicating for married couples, the explanation of each love language can help any single person discover how they express their love for themselves and others. After all, how can you communicate your love to someone else if you don’t understand your own needs? Mr. Chapman will certainly make it plain for whoever picks up this book.

Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to Say No to Take Control of Your Life (1992) by Henry Cloud & John Townsend – A collection of practical tips from each chapter will help the reader set clear boundaries, address conflicts and discover how to express personal truths by taking responsibility for one’s decisions. If you don’t know who you are, you can’t establish clear boundaries which can influence healthy relationships for your life.

48 Days to the Work You Love (2010) by Dan Miller – For those seeking practical advice on how to experience a fulfilling career they should plan to read this book with genuine intention to change their mindset. This book offers daily assignments for 48 days that will challenge thinking habits and encourage someone to live with purpose rather than going to a job every day. It’s the book that advocates for turning one’s passion into purpose rather than settling for the basic rewards of a steady paycheck.

Other Titles in cue:

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book), (1997) by Don Miguel Ruiz

Reposition Yourself: Living Life Without Limits (2007) by T.D. Jakes

Purpose Driven Life (2007) Life by Rick Warren

Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead (2013) by Sheryl Sandberg

I hope these reads are worth every second for you! I’ll share more as I learn and of course will take any recommendations for further review. Share your titles with me on Twitter at @leflorecreative.