How to Find Your True Path

Discovering — and pursuing — your soul purpose is not a thing to be taken lightly, but it becomes an even more impressive undertaking when doing so means leaving a path you’ve had laid out for you throughout your life. Well, that’s exactly what Kute Blackson did. The author of the recently released self-help book You.Are.The.One. comes from a long line of spiritual leaders, and although he’d amassed an incredible following at a young age, he realized he was meant to help people in a different way.

We had a chance to chat with Kute about his experience with discovering and following his true calling — and we asked what advice he had for others who are seeking their soul purpose but don’t know where to find it.

How He Recognized and Followed His Path

Kute had an extremely clear path laid out for him from the start — he grew up in the church as the son of a revered spiritual leader. He began changing lives from a young age, but it didn’t take long for him to realize that, even though this was good, honorable, important work, continuing that work would mean being untrue to his authentic self.

“I was speaking [in the church] at age 8 and felt a deep calling to serve humanity. I knew I was here to make a difference in people’s lives, and at a young age, I was asking myself ‘Who am I? Why am I here?'” said Kute. “I was ordained at 14 — my path was totally set out. I had hundreds of thousands of people waiting for me to take over, so I had a lot of feelings about not wanting to disappoint the people around me or let my father down.

“That’s what was driving me as a 14-year-old kid. But I knew in my heart that I had a different path — that what I was doing wasn’t quite in line with what I needed to do. I had a ‘big knowing’ in my mind that something was off, but maybe I was young enough or crazy enough to deny it at the time. Plus, I didn’t know another way to make a difference outside of the church,” he explained.

And he suspects many of us have experienced a similar feeling. “We all have had an inkling that something is off,” he said. “We often end up distracting ourselves from that knowing — we work it away, social media it away — because it can be scary to acknowledge the truth, and to wonder, ‘What are the consequences if I really think about my life or my relationship?'”

Kute started his journey by being courageous enough to admit to himself at 19-years-old that it was time for a change, but he didn’t do more about it immediately. “It took about four years to muster up the courage to have this conversation with my father,” Kute said, “and then we didn’t speak for two years. I was afraid we’d never speak again, but if I didn’t follow my soul’s integrity, then following my father’s path was basically death for me. It would’ve been a success to everyone else, but death to me.”

Was it worth it? You bet. “I believe that whenever we follow deeper truth within us universe supports us,” Kute said. “I won a green card in the lottery — it felt like the universe was really supporting me.”

How to Find Your Purpose

If any of Kute’s story is hitting home even a little, you might be wondering how exactly to find … that thing.

Your purpose. Your calling. That thing you were sent here to do. You might know you’re not currently on that path, but you might not be sure what path you should be following. Kute suggests asking yourself the following questions.

What do I want with my life? “We might set our goals based on who we thought we were, not realizing that who we thought we were is based on our past and programming and parents and ancestors — our conditioning,” said Kute. “Part of living an authentic life is being who we really are rather than who we’re conditioned to be.”

Who am I, really? “Go beyond what your parents and society tells you,” said Kute. “Really feel that, feel the truth of it. It takes profound courage.”

What is it that life is seeking to express through me? This is different than asking yourself what it is that you want to do, and this question can bring about some deep answers. “Take time to listen to that movement, that intelligence, see how it’s seeking to manifest itself through us,” said Kute. A few ways it manifests are:

• Deep knowing. It’s the one area that’s a sign post to our life purpose. Look at your life history, trauma, failures, successes, relationships, breakups — they make us who we are. That experience has created a unique lens and way of looking at the world that no one else has. The dreams and visions that we have, at some level have chosen us, because we’re uniquely crafted.
• Your history. Look at your history to see what you — specifically, you — are good at based on your experience. For example, if someone has dealt with overcome depression, that might point to a certain realm of experiences that can add value to people’s lives.
• The things that come naturally to you. Look at what’s second nature to you. Is there something you’re good at that’s often very difficult for others? What are your unique gifts that you find easy and effortless?
  • Related to this, consider the audience or community you naturally resonate with or feel drawn to. Is it children? The blind? Single mothers? Homeless pets? These are all clues.
  • Also, think about problems you’re naturally gifted at solving. “This can be an amazing clue as to what you should be doing and how you should be focusing your energy,” said Kute.

Kute’s book, You.Are.The.One., includes stories from Kute’s travels and work with celebrities, athletes and more, all based on the believe that you are the one who can save you — you don’t need anyone to rescue you or set you on the proper path, because you’ve already got what you need. Strong message, huh?

Do you feel like you’re following the path you’re meant to be on? These questions are fantastic, whether you already are or not! —Kristen