YOU ARE HERE FOR A REASON

FOR YEARS, I wondered why I was brought to this earth and what was the calling on my life. I prayed about it, attended seminars, read books ... but God didn't seem to be in a rush to enlighten me. It took a lot of self-study, countless tests of faith, and a true commitment to live out a purposeful and meaningful life to be where I currently am in my journey. As I write this book, I know that the message being delivered in it was supposed to be delivered by that 14-year-old girl who lost her brutally murdered father in 1996. I am certain that God knew then that He would use my unique perspective on life and my unique personality and way of communicating to touch the lives of countless people in a way that only I can. I know this to be true because there are countless messages that I've heard repeatedly from different people; but when one particular person says it a certain way, it clicks! It's like magic!

There is no substitute on this God-given earth for YOU! I truly believe that if you are still alive today, God is not finished with you. The plan, the calling on your life has not yet been fulfilled. Think about it. Why else would you still be here? It took me a while to make sense of this; but now, nothing else makes sense. Why would an almighty God who created something as grand as the earth; lights it up daily with the sun; then conceals it at night to reveal the stars; who created every creature with unique sounds and unique abilities; who created the trees, the ocean, the atmosphere; and who coordinates a contributive balance between all living things on this earth — why would that God create me, create you with no purpose or reason? Really? Again, the privilege of a lifetime is to be yourself. The most important work you will ever engage in is your self-discovery. There is nothing more beautiful than to uncover your hidden talents and make sense of why they were given to you.

Whether or not you've noticed it before today, you are unique. There is no one else like you. There is no one else who sees things exactly the way you do. Your personality, your thought process, and your ways are all unique to you. Only you can accomplish the calling on your life. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't step in to take your place; I wouldn't succeed. I don't have your "special sauce," that unique ingredient that only you possess.

Have you ever stopped to appreciate how valuable you are? No one can beat you at the game of being you. No one can be a better you than you! If you were patentable, you wouldn't even have to conduct a prior art search to confirm the authenticity of you! How awesome is that? Take a second to reflect on how unique you are. There is a quote by Anais Nin that explains this point: "We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are." Two people can experience the exact same event and have two completely different outlooks on the event. No one shares your exact perspective on any given subject. Your set of talents, ways, thoughts, and creative abilities are valuable and essential to the growth and development of those connected to you. You were born to the set of parents you were born to, in the country you were born in, in the skin you were born in, in the cultural and economic environment you were born in, to fulfill the calling on your life. Every single thing that has happened to you was necessary in the grand scheme of your life's calling. Those events, experiences, and circumstances have molded you into the unique being that you are and have equipped you to make your dreams a reality!

My hope is that as you read this book, you will be inspired to embark on the quest of ascertaining your own life calling. Can you imagine what impact you can have in your home, in your community, in your country, and in the world once you know what role you were sent here to play? Picture walking into a dark room: how far could you get without stumbling over things and becoming frustrated because you can't see where you're going? Picture walking into the same room that is now well lit. In the same way, you can turn yourself ON! I am not saying that there won't be obstacles, because there will be plenty. What I'm saying is that when you know where you are going, you can avoid certain obstacles; and the ones that you couldn't avoid will have meaning specific to your journey. You will cease to have life happen to you and start having life happen for you.

My dream is to see the entire population of my homeland of Haiti awakened to this truth. I would love nothing more than to see my people discover their power, resolve to figure out why they are here, and get about the business of bringing their various life callings to pass. Can you imagine how different Haiti would be if more people decided to create a life worthy of who they are? Can you imagine how many untapped industries could be developed by awakened entrepreneurs who believe that "Yes, I can"? Can you imagine the resulting economic and social growth Haiti would experience? I imagine it all the time. And I know that it is possible, because I understand that when you know why you are here, and your desire to make it your reality starts burning you up from the inside, you become an unstoppable creator. You see things differently, and you look for opportunities in everything. You become so obsessed with turning your desires into reality that you will look for a connection to your goal in everything that life throws your way. You cease to be a victim and become a victor over your life circumstances. You make everything work together for your good.

The sad thing is that most people confuse what they do to earn a living or where they are in life today for who they are. There is nothing further from the truth. Stop and think for a moment: you were once a baby, right? Are you still a baby? Can you imagine how things would be if everyone continued to see themselves as babies and never embraced their progression to adulthood? You'd have a bunch of big people walking around in diapers and throwing tantrums every so often! I know I'm exaggerating, but the point is: we all evolve, and depending on where life places us, we fill different functions in society at different moments in time. However, that is not the essence of who we are. While what you do for a living can be a vehicle, a stepping- stone for you to live out the calling on your life, your daily tasks are not who you are. You are above that, and getting enthralled in your daily activities tends to dim this truth. Whatever you currently do for a living, whether you're a student, a maid, a waiter, a teacher, a doctor, or a lawyer, that doesn't mean that you are going to be doing that tomorrow or for the rest of your life. Identifying ourselves with our job titles tends to hinder us from being open to the possibilities that may be presenting themselves to us right where we currently are.

Now, if you are reading this book and you feel that where you are in life and what you're currently engaging in to earn a living is in sync with what you believe to be the calling on your life, that's great! If where you are now makes you happy, and if you know in your soul that what you are doing is indeed what you were sent here to do, then be the best at it! Do it with grace, and inspire everyone around you. But if you are dissatisfied with where life has you today, know that tomorrow can be different if you choose to make it different. The very dissatisfaction you feel is the telltale sign that God has something better planned for you. Later on, I will further explain this point. But for now, understand this: the very fact that you have a desire for something is indicative of the fact that 1) that desire is meant for you; 2) you should have it; and 3) you are fully equipped to make that desire your reality if you choose to. Understand that getting hung up in the now you don't want only tends to perpetuate and extend its stay in your reality. Thanksgiving for where you currently are, coupled with faith-filled anticipation about where your desires will take you, is what changes your reality — nothing else! It took me a while to draw this conclusion, but my life story has confirmed this fact repeatedly.

Let's take me, for example. In 2008, I graduated from law school and became a licensed attorney in the State of Florida. I went from being Kara the student to Kara the attorney in the span of one second — the one where the bar results were revealed. I was hired as an associate at a boutique law firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, practicing in securities litigation. I had no idea what the heck I was doing! I had never even owned or traded a stock before, and now one of the most seasoned securities litigation attorneys in Florida was evaluating my work. He wasn't always impressed. I became insecure, and soon, I started identifying who I was with my work. I was a rookie attorney, struggling to make sense of this law thing — not the most exciting place to be! It was a humbling experience for me because when I took the job, I was ultra confident that I had what it took. I thought I would figure things out pretty quickly, and that I could make partner soon thereafter. After all, I was a smart girl. But that's not what happened; and as I would later understand, that's not why God had me there.

I didn't know it then, but excelling at securities litigation and making partner at that law firm was my plan, not God's plan for me. What He had in store for me was far better, but I wouldn't have been able to receive His blessing or know what to do with His blessing but for this experience at the law firm. Because securities was such a foreign subject for me, I had to work extra hard to put together my clients' pleadings; I had to prepare longer hours before going to court; I even had to prepare for conversations with clients who were way more sophisticated than I was in the area of securities. The resulting work ethic I developed would serve me immensely.

A few months into working at that law firm, I found out I was pregnant with my son, Luc. What was a "bad" move for my career at the firm was a perfect move under God's amazing plan for my life. Although back then I saw my pregnancy as a setback for my career, I know now that had it not been for my pregnancy, I might still be working at a law firm today, putting in countless hours, building someone else's dream and missing my own. This was, by the way, where I went from Kara, the devoted securities litigation attorney, to Kara, the confused new mom. My son's birth forced me to look at other ways to generate income outside of the traditional "J.O.B." I was willing to do anything legal to make enough money to keep myself home with my little guy. I just couldn't see myself dropping him off at daycare for someone else to witness his milestones while I was killing myself at work, making someone else money. When my son turned three months old, my savings were depleted. The pressure was on to start making money, or I would have to go back to work.

My prayers were answered when, seemingly at random, I was approached by a woman who offered me a facial with Mary Kay Cosmetics. I remembered watching her every move and thinking to myself, "I could totally do this!" While she was pitching her products to me, I was figuring out how much of this stuff I would need to sell a week to pay all my bills and avoid having to go back to work. By the end of our time together, I was a Mary Kay consultant. Yup! Just like that, Kara, the confused mom, got clear and became an entrepreneur selling skin care and makeup products — a far cry from the securities litigation attorney who was hoping to make partner some day. Talk about a leap of faith! And what was I going to tell my friends and family who were all expecting me to do the lawyer thing? I didn't care. After all, they were not in my shoes, and they never offered to pay any of my bills.

I started running my business with the little bit of time I had in the afternoons after my husband came home from work, and on the weekends. Soon, I was not only able to pay my bills, but I had amassed a little bit of savings. I decided to put the money to good use and start my own law practice. For a green behind the ears rookie, this was a bold move; but there was something bigger orchestrating all of this. I knew it. It didn't take me very long to understand why God had me at that securities litigation firm a few months back. The extreme diligence with which I had worked at that firm was great training and preparation for this next chapter in my life. But for that dreaded associate position, I wouldn't have known the first thing about litigating a case, nor would I have had an understanding of the procedural intricacies of litigation. And to put the icing on the cake, my first client was a referral from my Mary Kay recruiter! God's plan was better than mine by far! I would spend the following five years building two successful businesses, driving the coveted Mary Kay pink Cadillac for two of those years, and growing in leaps and bounds as a person. Today, I'm writing the book that you're reading, working on a phone application, and growing a staffing agency with the mission of bringing professionals of the Haitian diaspora back to Haiti.

Can you imagine if I had type-casted myself within the confines of the definition of a securities litigation attorney? Can you imagine if I didn't act on my desires? I would have missed all of the opportunities that have presented themselves to me over the course of the years. God's plan proved to be better than I ever could have imagined. So is the plan He has for you. Learn what you need to learn exactly where you are, and start gaining an understanding of how your current experience relates to the desires you have for your life. If you look back at your life journey thus far, I'm sure you can make sense of how you landed where you currently find yourself today. So, too, can you draw some estimations of where God may be leading you. It's no coincidence that you've had the experiences that you've had in your life thus far. It's all part of God's grand plan for your life. Every experience has served as a lesson, pruning you into the version of yourself that will tackle God's vision for your life head on.

At any point, I could have looked at my situation as a moment of failure and wallowed in the misery of that feeling. Again, I'm not sure where that wisdom came from back then, but I always knew that I was created for more than where I was. I welcomed every apparent failure as a steppingstone for success. As I read the many "rags to riches" stories of those who came before me and dared to make their desires a reality, I found a common thread: every one of those who "made it" failed forward to success. They literally failed their way to success!

I remember watching a Michael Jordan commercial that really hit home for me. After the display of all the glitz and glamour that comes with being Michael Jordan, you hear him say: "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." Can you imagine how boring the process would be if all you did was win? The failures and the challenges of the journey are what allow you to appreciate the success. Embrace where you are, and with thanksgiving, anticipate the joy of where you are headed.

Looking at my journey up to this point, here are some of my conclusions:

1. My father's death awakened in me an immense desire to succeed that I may not otherwise have had. The desire to make him proud caused me to not only want my life story to be a testimony to the kind of father I had and to the solid foundation I received from him, but also to live a life that mattered and was worthy of the pain I had endured along the way.

2. People, challenges, and life situations are all transient and can never define you. You must always be willing to meet life right where you are. Resistance to your present circumstances is extremely destructive. There is bliss in surrendering to the process and welcoming the hidden lessons.

3. There is a lesson or opportunity in every life situation and/ or interaction, no matter how grim it may look at first blush.

4. Hold on to your desires. The day you want your desires to be your reality as desperately as you want air to breathe, you will make them your reality.