Destiny Discoverer-Michelle Casto, The Destiny Diva, Success Catalyst and Author

We end this amazing Destiny Discoverers series with yours truly!  
I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed connecting with all the amazing experts. I realized I had not given you insight into my own journey,and exactly what it took for me to transform myself several times, first from being an only, lonely child with no visible means of guidance to learning to follow my heart, and then losing it all as an adult, in order to gain everything, to now be a leading expert in living a life of passion, purpose, power and Destiny.  

What were the stepping stones that allowed you to step into your True Purpose/Destiny?
Growing up, I always knew I was destined for greatness, even though it was not something that was cultivated by my family of origin.  My parents did not really have the skills to guide me, as they were unawakened to who they were (let alone who I was!).   Fortunately I was intuitive enough to follow my heart early on, and to forge a non-traditional path, one that has led me to where I am today, talking about this big concept of Destiny. 

At an early age, I was fascinated by the world around me, and was very much at home in nature, talking with the horses in farmland surrounding my neighborhood in Kentucky.  As a teenager and young adult, I found insight in astrology and one of the first “life path” instruments I was curious about was getting an Astrological Natal Chart run…..one of my first readings indicated that communication and spiritual development were very much a part of who I was and what I was here to do. Apparently, I was a natural born communicator, and here to facilitate a change in consciousness!

I learned to be quite independent and found my own way in the world after my parents divorced when I was 15.  As a first generation college student, I paid my own way first at the community college, then for my bachelors, masters and eventually, I earned a non-traditional PhD program that allowed me to study the correlation between coaching and cognition.  There were all a part of my formal studies, but LIFE was the place where the most profound learning occurred for me. 

My higher awareness always seemed to be with me, and I quickly saw the connection between what happened and how I was feeling/what I was thinking.  The awareness was not enough, though, because I did not yet understand how to access my inner knowing to its fullest capacity, and for too long, I was creating my life by default, feeling a little too like a victim of circumstance.   

This back and forth between empowerment and disappointment went on until my 30’s when one of my biggest wake up calls happened after I got divorced in 2006…..I had a serious car accident and woke up in an ambulance and asked “is that a bad dream?”  and the paramedic said “no mam this is not a bad dream.”  (you can read more about my awakening in my book).  Suffice it to say, that was when I had to make the choice to Wake up and Stay awake.

What did you have to let go of in order to truly follow your path?
There were four main things: 

1.  A so-called normal life, based on “society standards.”  You know the one, the ‘socially acceptable formula for success’ which not only was based on money and status, but also on what other people thought about who you were and what you did for a living.
2. My life & career plan that were based on working in an academic setting.  As much as I enjoyed teaching and counseling students, it was too small for what I was meant to truly do.  Whenever I would try to put my big SOUL into a small job-box, it just never worked out. Finally, I had to realize that I was not born to fit in, I was born to stand out.
3. The limiting belief that I had to do things alone and that I was not supported. This has been a painful “life story” that I have battled throughout my life, and even though I have moments when I may slip into old thinking, for the most part, I have given that story up in favor of writing a new, more empowering one, which has opened new levels of fulfillment in my life.
4. My first marriage, because part of my success formula included being in the right partnership. 

What did you say yes to?
To what my heart desires.  To believing in myself.  To living life on my terms. To accepting support. To being loved.  To being loving. To being “weird”.  To making changes.  To handling the challenges. To facing the mental monsters.
To experiencing the life, relationships, and business that I knew in my heart were possible.

What were the key actions you took to start creating the destiny you wanted to experience for yourself?
My two key actions were education and mentoring.  I am an advocate for lifelong learning, especially that of Self-Knowledge, that is knowing and honoring yourself from the inside out.  I took the standard “what do you want to be when you grow up assessments” as well as relied on astrology, tarot, and other intuitive arts to guide me.  When I faced a challenge, I religiously sought out ways to understand what was happening so I could move through it faster.
And of course, being supported in my personal growth process.  I have had many mentors (coaches, healers, guides, mirrors) along my journey, and each one is, I believe a “divine appointment.”  People that we are meant to connect with to further our path.  I know  that especially the mentors that I paid to work with had keys to help me unlock more of True Self.  I cannot recommend getting mentoring highly enough.  It goes without saying to filter everything you hear and see through your own heart and take only what resonates for maximum effect.

What is one key nugget of wisdom you wish to share from your journey?
You are the one you have been waiting for, and the time is now.  Stop doing what does not serve you and start doing what lights you up.  Life is short, right now is your best shot to experience the MORE that your soul is looking for. 

Ask yourself these following questions and get moving in YOUR right direction!
What would make my heart sing?
What is possible when I just believe in myself?
What would I do if I had the courage?
Who can help me get where I want to go?

***Michelle L. Casto (yours truly) is The Destiny Diva, Success Catalyst and Prolific Author.  Read my  latest book upon which the series was created The Destiny Discovery:  Find Your Soul’s Path to Success.