Lessons & Guides On Finding Your Personal Legend

In 2017 I traveled to a beautiful city in the Philippines hoping that new sceneries, culture, and people could give me some clarity on what I want to do with my life. The universe, however, responded in a way I least expected.

In a local bookstore in that city, I found a book called ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho. It tells the story of a young boy who went on a quest to realize his personal legend. According to Coelho, personal legend is our ultimate destiny and to realize it is our only obligation. He also believes that we already know our personal legend when we were young, which I believe is our greatest childhood dream. Looking back, I’ve always wanted to be a writer. And even after many years of trying out different careers, I would always go back to writing. If I had not been influenced by people who told me that writing is not the smartest choice to feed a family, I would have not taken a different path.

“Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. / At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend.”

The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

Is Personal Legend The Same With Life Purpose?

A common question about personal legend is whether it is the same as life purpose, and my answer is a little bit of yes and no. The term life purpose is more generic and gives birth to different interpretations depending on one’s upbringing and understanding. Some examples of generic life purpose are as follows.

• ‘My life purpose is to give my parents a good and comfortable life.’

• ‘My life purpose is to serve others who are in need.’

• ‘My purpose in life is to be happy, content, and successful.’

These statements are not ethically wrong, but rather the ‘results’ of pursuing personal legend. Personal legend is the ‘how’ to these life purposes. How are you going to give your family a good life? How are you going to serve people in need? How will you achieve success and contentment?

Through writing? Dancing? Or farming, perhaps?

Personal legend is specific, pointing to the one work that you want to do for the rest of your life. It is the work that fuels your soul and the work that never retires.

8 Lessons & Guides On Finding Your Personal Legend

If there is one experience I will always talk about, it is my journey to finding out and pursuing my personal legend. I want others to know that there is a world more fulfilling and exciting than security and comfort. And that we are here not to follow the rules but to discover our unique calling. So here are my 8 guides on personal legend to help you find yours.

1. Your personal legend is the unique work you are called to do.

Personal legend is the distinct work you are called to do in this lifetime. You will know your thing if it is constantly driven by desire, passion, and love. Your love for it doesn’t fade even if you are not motivated to do it all the time.

Many of us are not aware of our life purpose so we live according to what the world tells us we should do. A work that is logical and pays for us the lifestyle we want. That is exactly what happened to me. At six I already knew I wanted to be a writer, but because people said that writers never make enough money to be ‘successful’, I chose a profession that pays better. But I learned later on that it is not true for everyone and writing pays much better if I become good at it.

What about you? If fear, ego, and money were out of the picture, what would you write in the blank space?

My personal legend is to be a ________. I am passionate about it and I see myself doing this as long as I’m alive.

Avoid thinking too much. The first thing you think of might be the answer you’ve been searching for. 

2. It disguises as your greatest dream.

Personal legend is lives in us even before we are born. And oftentimes, it shows up early in life as childhood dreams. Not to be confused with a few other childhood dreams, your personal legend has the strongest connection with yourself.

For example, I remember liking designing female dresses and gowns when I was young and even imagined myself as a fashion designer. It didn’t last long though, and I shifted to other options like teaching and engineering, but there was nothing more powerful than my love for writing blogs and stories.

Try to recollect your childhood dreams. Write a list of them and eliminate those that do not resonate with you anymore, see what’s left, and ask yourself, ‘Could this be my personal legend?’

Listen to your heart. It knows all things about you.

3. It is your soul’s deepest desire.

Your soul contains the imprint of your identity and destiny. It knows the reason for your existence and reveals it through your deepest desire. Your personal legend is your soul’s desire longing to be manifested and acted upon in the physical world.

In an interview, Coelho said that while every person has a personal legend, not everyone is going to fulfill it. I’ve seen so many people who, until their last breath, were not able to live theirs because they didn’t learn how to connect with their souls, or failed to trust their inner voice.

If you are lucky enough to hear your soul, ask yourself about what you really want to do. Oftentimes, the answer is just right in front of you. And in case it scares you, remind yourself that your soul’s desire is true, valid, and deserves to happen.

4. It connects you with God and your true self.

Julia Cameron, the author of The Artist’s Way, wrote: ‘Creativity is God’s gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God.’ Your personal legend is the way to co-create with God. When we co-create, the creative energy of God communes with us and our connection with it becomes strong.

Personal legend is also the missing piece that completes the puzzle of your identity. As you embrace your sacred work you create a perfect alignment with your true self. Writing always makes me feel authentic and whole. I also feel like pleasing God for doing what it wants me to do and it fuels me to do my best all the time.

5. Pursuing your personal legend transforms you into the most courageous version of yourself.

The path you to your destiny is not made of a smooth road. It always comes with challenges that will test your character, passion, and commitment. In pursuing your personal legend, you’ll get constant visits from fears and discouragements until they convince you to give up. You will encounter people who won’t believe and support you; difficult situations to keep you moving forward; and confrontations with your inner demons.

These challenges will mold you into the most courageous version of yourself. We learn better and grow braver as we face them each time. Staying in your comfort zone is not an option if you want to personify your greatest calling.

6. Personal legend does not assure external success but fulfills your inner life.

While you can achieve success in living your life purpose, it should never be the motivation. Embracing your personal legend is never about becoming somebody, but about being the person you are called to be, working with passion without expecting anything in return.

The best thing about choosing is path is the joy, peace, and sense of completeness it brings into your life. A kind of fulfillment that no money or luxury things could equal.

7. Personal legend doesn’t stop pestering you until you show up for it.

Once you figure out your life purpose, you will never be fully at peace until you work on it. It will always haunt you and may even scare you because it is in desperate need to be honored by its master. And that master is you.

Personal legend pesters us in different ways. It could be through inner voice, other people, or experiences. If I recount all the experiences and people I encountered that reminded me of writing as my highest calling, the list would be long. However, there was one instance that I will never forget.

In high school, I was scared to tell my classmates that I loved to write because I didn’t think I was good enough. During break time, I would find a place where no one could see me and secretly write there until the next class. Then one day, a teacher not from our class saw what I was doing and said:

‘Why are you hiding there? You are worthy of your dream. Don’t hide it from us.’

It’s been twenty years but those words still play in my head every time I feel discouraged and unworthy. We should be mindful of signs like this because it helps us walk on our true path.

8. It is always inspired by love.

Creating anything with love is powerful. Personal legend is the overflow of love inside you that you want to put into the physical world. Love makes you dream and do something about it.

Even if working on your personal legend makes you doubt or hate yourself in the process, love pushes you to show up and take action. Love makes you commit and do the hard work and brings magic to everything you touch. Love is what makes personal legend different from your other work. And you will know it because you have so much love for it.

Personal legend is your ultimate life purpose. It is not based on ego, security, and survival. People turn away from their personal legend because it does not promise a salary each time you show up, and become a threat to life instead. So, we psychologize ourselves to come up with a different version of life purpose that is secure and sustainable. But that is a lie because the universe works according to our mission and supplies everything we need to fulfill it.