Many people associate the word ‘driven’ with high achievement and pushing yourself forward beyond joy. The name ‘Driven Woman’ is often misunderstood. But that interpretation could not be further away from why I chose it as the name for this incredibly positive women’s network.  And shh, there is a simple secret to finding your inner drive.

I believe drive is the spark inside of all of us. It’s that desire to keep searching for your own truth, your essence. It’s that flame that keeps you making inquiries into the world and asks “Could I be more? Could I shine more?” After all, you didn’t arrive here to this world to hide under a rock! We were not given our gifts to play small.

For me the word drive captures my desire to find out what I’m capable of. It’s that appetite not to let go of my dreams even when things aren’t going to plan and my readiness to step outside of my comfort zone and keep seeking my own kind of success, and not care what others think.

To be driven is to go out to the world and not let fear or self-doubt stop you from following your heart.

It’s very much an internal driver and not an external one which would be about achieving to the outside parameters of success. It’s about going beyond the limits as you know them, until you can joyfully share your talents with the world, make an impact (big or small) and feel fully connected.

There’s nothing aggressive about being driven. It’s not about being a ‘warrior’ or having ‘steel heels’. To be driven is not about adopting the tactics of the patriarchal system to get ahead. I believe it’s the opposite. It’s about authenticity and vulnerability. It’s about trusting your path and persevering through obstacles in a way that is natural to you.

To find your inner drive you must slow down. It sound like a paradox, but it’s fairly easy to fill your day with a lot of stuff, but it’s much harder to do things from your heart with deeper meaning. I believe you can’t find your drive unless you have a curious mind and you are ready to take some chances with life. And that path is never straight forward and without a struggle.

When I hit a difficult patch (which happens periodically all the time), and when things stop going with ease and even my body starts reacting against what I’m doing I know it’s time to slow down.

To be driven implies you must honour your inner spark.

I honour it by making conscious decisions that are often painful. It’s easier to go too fast and close your eyes to the details of life because you won’t then engage with your full presence. When you slow down and stay present with your drive, when you give it your full attention and listen what it has to tell you, you start to see clearly what needs to be done. Often the next step is painful and involves difficult decisions or conversations.

One of our long-standing members asked me, “So how come I still don’t know what to do though I know what I want and I have found my purpose?”

Ego is in charge of our desire to ignore the obvious and rush to the destination. Ego loves easy solutions and shortcuts. And it’s our ego who creates elaborate plans that maybe difficult to put into action, letting us off the hook for honouring our drive.

Don’t confuse your ego for the inner drive.

Your drive wants you to be fully present and respect what ever has to be done next. Your inner drive is ready to roll up the sleeves and get to real work.

These are always small steps.

But ego doesn’t want to hear about small steps! It just wants to get to the destination.

I’ve struggled with this many times in my life. I always wanted to be half way there rather than accept and fully own my starting point. But the only way to find your inner drive is to let go and surrender to the present moment. You must respect the steps you have to take today in order to move forward.

Your drive moves through without avoidance.

I ask you to honour and find your inner drive by being fully present with what it is telling you – right now. Stop skipping through and simply ticking off the to do list. A real driven woman is so much more than that. She’s not about achieving, but about making conscious, proactive decisions and committing to the small steps that are right in front of her.

If you find yourself procrastinating and finding ways to avoid the obvious, then ask yourself, what is the smallest and the easiest thing I can do today to move forward? If you find yourself doing too much and having no time to think, then ask yourself why can’t you slow down? What are you afraid of seeing?

Today I’m honouring my drive by disconnecting and slowing down. It’s hard for me as I’m comfortable when I’m doing  and going fast. But I’m no longer afraid of my true nature and what might emerge and await in awe and eagerness what will enfold. Surely again, sharing this experience with you soon.

~ Miisa