Knowing when to stop letting the world tell you what to do
"What's the point?!" she exclaimed, her overwhelmed voice cutting through the Rochester, NY-based artsy studio where we just finished an impromptu drum circle.
I knew she wasn't asking about the drumming. This was the existential question that had been haunting her for years—the crisis of meaning that strikes when you realize you've been following someone else's blueprint for life.
Her kids were grown, her marriage had ended, and her friendships had become her lifeline. Her job was slowly draining her soul, one mundane day at a time. "What's the point of life?" she continued. "Raise kids, work, retire, and die? There has to be more than this."
Sitting across from her, I felt like an ambassador from another planet. My life path has been anything but conventional—spontaneous, fully expressed, and deliberately carved outside the lines of what was expected. I hadn't done it better than anyone else; I'd simply refused to let a system pull me into its current when every fiber of my being resisted that flow.
Not because I'm smarter or had better guidance, but because conformity felt like sandpaper against my sensitive soul. I've never been one to fit in, even when I desperately wanted to belong.
Her question made me smile at the Universe's perfect timing. Here we were on The Brilliant Rebellion Tour where weeks before, we had our first stop in Savannah, Georgia. We ran through fountains and marveled at the lush beauty around us just before we stumbled upon destiny.
As we strolled past the original SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design) building, a student invited us to watch a 15-minute 4D movie about the school's founding. At first we hesitated, but when she mentioned the next showing started in three minutes, we knew this was meant to be.
That experience changed everything about our trip.
The Brilliant Bee That Shouldn't Fly
SCAD was founded in 1978 by Paula Wallace, who recognized that traditional education was systematically crushing children's creativity. As a teacher, she watched bright-eyed kids enter school with boundless imaginations, only to emerge as conformist soldiers marching toward cubicle warfare.
She envisioned something different: a school where gifted teachers could work their magic and create an environment where young people's creativity could flourish instead of wither.
Paula did what everyone said was impossible—she made her art school profitable from day one. Her parents sold their home and invested their entire retirement savings in her vision. She chose to build in Savannah when the city was literally falling apart, an apocalyptic landscape that most people had written off.
Everyone tried to stop her. Everything tried to stop her, including a hurricane. But her vision was crystal clear, and she refused to back down.
Forty-five years later, SCAD buses navigate every corner of Savannah. The school has restored some of the city's most beautiful historic buildings, transforming urban decay into vibrant creativity hubs. Without SCAD, Savannah wouldn't be the thriving cultural destination it is today.
Their mascot? The Brilliant Bee—because according to science, bees shouldn't be able to fly. Their wing-to-body ratio defies aerodynamics, yet they soar anyway.
Just like Paula's vision. Just like your calling.
Your Calling Is Waiting
All of us carry this spark—a calling that's uniquely ours. But we get trapped in the loop of safe, responsible choices until we forget we can break free at any moment. We convince ourselves that security matters more than purpose, that playing it safe is the only sensible path.
Sometimes our safest patterns are exactly what need to be shattered so we stop asking "What's the point?" and start living the answer.
I call this your Brilliant Rebellion—the courageous choice to honor what you were made for, even when it doesn't make sense to anyone else.
This is why I created The Brilliant Rebellion community. It's a space for people who are growing, stepping outside their comfortable cages, and flowing with the vision that keeps calling their name. When we share our ideas, celebrate our wins, and hold space for our fears, we discover we don't have to choose between being brilliant and being supported.
Your brilliance deserves to be seen and heard. You're absolutely unique, but you don't have to journey alone.
Finding Your Calling: A Practical Guide
If you're wrestling with that big existential question yourself, here's how to uncover your calling:
Create Sacred Space: Schedule uninterrupted quiet time away from others and offline. Find your spot—whether it's in nature, your favorite corner of a coffee shop, or simply your living room at dawn. Turn off the podcasts and music. Tune in and listen to what emerges in the silence.
Ask the Right Questions: Grab a journal and ask yourself: "If I could make a living doing what brings me joy, what would I do?" Write down everything that surfaces, no matter how weird or impossible it seems.
Map Your Brilliance:
Create four lists:
What you love to do
What you're naturally good at
What you could realistically earn money doing
What you know the world needs from you
Notice what appears in three or four categories. Circle those intersections and sit with them. Journal more deeply about each one, then choose one to three that resonate most strongly.
Take One Small Step: Choose one tiny action you can take today to explore this calling further. Reach out to a mentor and share your vision. Post about it on social media. Interview people who might need what you're offering. The key is movement, not perfection.
Understand Your Design: Download your Human Design chart and discover how you're wired to operate at your best. Apply these insights to your emerging vision—sometimes understanding our energetic blueprint reveals the missing piece of our purpose puzzle.
Address the Money Story: If financial fear is your only obstacle, get creative about generating income while you explore your calling. What can you do to create some financial breathing room for this next chapter?
Join the Movement: Consider joining The Brilliant Rebellion community, where conscious rebels support each other in breaking free from safe, soul-crushing patterns and stepping into their full potential.
The Point Is You
So what's the point? You're here for a reason that extends far beyond accumulating possessions or padding bank accounts. You're here to impact one person, a group of people, or the world in a way that only you can.
It's up to you to discover that reason and have the courage to live it.
Your very own brilliant rebellion is waiting.
I believe in you.