Do you ever feel like you’re looking for something, but can’t quite put your finger on it? Or you can put your finger on it, but you can never quite find what you’re looking for?

Those, my dear, hold secret opportunities for you.

Some of the most profound opportunities in your career and life.

You know the old worn-out saying “necessity is the mother of all invention?” Well, the reason that statement persists is because of its hard truth.

If you’re looking for something and can’t find it, invent it!

 

Now here’s the thing though. Most people wave that idea away with a dismissive laugh.

But if you let the idea take hold, there’s magic in it.

Let me show you what I’m talking about:

 

Shinrin-yoku. Forest bathing.

I read about this practice once and the idea struck me at a soul level.

I couldn’t forget about it.

I wanted to know more about it.

I scoured the internet.

I pored over any literature I could find.

The problem was, the content on forest bathing was scarce.

I found a few articles talking about its benefits and an organization that trains forest bathing guides.

That was it.

No “how to’s,” no personal essays, no material about how to practice it for the regular person.

Every few months I’d search again. Couldn’t stop thinking about it.

The idea of forest bathing stuck in my head and I felt like I couldn’t do anything with it!

Then it struck me: “if you can’t find what you’re looking for, create it yourself!”

And so…Forest Bathing Central was born. (Yep, I run that site too!)

I created the place where you could find actual forest bathing exercises.

I created the place where you could find tips and instructions.

I created the place where you could read about shinrin-yoku in depth.

I created a place where real people could discuss it.

I created a place for forest bathing to grow and develop.

I decided that I was going to be the person to provide the type of literature that I was looking for.

 

 

Another example…this blog itself.

It’s had quite a few transformations since its inception. It started as a personal blog under a different domain that I wasn’t trying to get anyone to read.

It transformed into a health and fitness space I started to want people to read.

More recently, it’s become a space to explore fitness, freelance writing, and full-bodied living.

But, it started to look like other freelance websites out there with similar articles and reiterated content.

And that just didn’t feel quite right to me.

When I read other freelance content, I feel like I want more of something.

Can’t quite put my finger on it.

Can’t quite find it…

Oh, I know what it is! I want content from real-life freelance writers that isn’t about the latest portfolio platform (yawn), but more about the real life behind the curtain, more about the unspoken tricks and techniques that really advance your career. Content more on the “real life purpose” side. A little strategy. A lot personal.

That’s the pull I’ve been feeling more lately.

That’s the type of content I want to read, so that’s the type of content I want to create.

So, my last few posts have been more like this.

I’m moving toward where I feel pulled.

A more genuine type of place.

 

The only caveat, now that I’ve started this “create what you’ve always wanted to see in the world,” I have a million and six ideas!

I have pages of “inventions” listed in a notebook.

And even more pages of books and programs I’m ready to make.

I’m always coming up with more.

I can’t quiet that part of my brain that comes up with new ideas now.

I see inventions everywhere.

I want to create all.the.things.

And that part of my mind that’s attuned to “if you find a need, you can fill it” is very active.

As a freelance writer and business owner, it’s a really handy perspective to have.

It reveals opportunities.

It creates progress.

It builds momentum.

It gives you a means of expansion, beyond your wildest dreams.

I mean, you could invent an entire career out of it!

Wish there was a way to fulfill your dream of traveling and also writing? Well, that’s easy. Become a travel writer.

Wish there was a way to make a living writing in planners or Bible journaling? It’s possible. Let me introduce you to Kara and Shanna.

Wish there was a cool blog out there that allowed you to explore both Victorian literature and fitness? Create it! I mean, someone’s already built an empire around fitness and comic books, so, it’s certainly possible.

I always wished there was a way to connect my love of fitness and writing. Although it seems obvious now to be a fitness writer, at one time, I didn’t know what that looked like or how to make that happen.

But once I did, wow, an entire new world out there opened up.

An entire world not run by the dictation of factories and corporations.

A world where the inventors/creators have a place to explore their wild imaginative inklings.

That’s the place where I like to be.

That’s the place where opportunity lies.

 

 

Wanna join me?

 

My challenge to you is to switch on that side of your brain today. Pick up on all those instances when your mind says “this would be so much better if…” or “I wish I could find a …” Just start to notice these opportunities all around you.

Then, attune yourself to the ones that call you personally. How could you yourself actually bring them to fruition?

Makeup and snowboarding? Coffee and decorating? Marketing and children’s stories? If you love them dearly, there may be a way to turn them into your own unique opportunity.

Start a journal to work through your ideas and eventually, you’ll find THE opportunity that calls to you.

Or you might have an epiphany on a walk, like I did.

This process could take a matter of minutes, or years, to develop.

But the simple practice…the simple “thinking about it”…the practice of attuning your mind to possibilities…can spark an amazing creation that makes you giddy to be alive!

 

What’s on your mind?

What opportunities do you wish were available? What voids have you already noticed and filled?