March 8, 2021
Seeing by Vision, Not by Sight:
How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose and Put It Into Action
Amanda Heal
Aviva Publishing (2021)
ISBN: 978-1-63618-024-3
New Book Offers Vision for Determining Your Life’s Purpose
Amanda Heal’s new book Seeing by Vision, Not by Sight: How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose and Put It Into Action is a life-affirming journey through the process of determining what is your life’s purpose and then figuring out how to take steps to achieve and live it.
The title references the need to have a vision for your future, but it is also a clever play on words because Amanda is herself blind. Consequently, finding and living her purpose has offered more obstacles for her to overcome than many people. Readers will marvel at her stories of how she has done everything from becoming a lawyer to going on a trek through Nepal, despite her total blindness. They will walk away thinking, “If Amanda can do it, then nothing can stop me.”
Sometimes determining our purpose is easier said than done, however. Amanda realizes extenuating circumstances can make us feel trapped or scared about changing our present situation. That said, she makes the process as easy as possible, breaking it down into three steps and then showing how to put those steps into action. She discusses how to dismiss fear and find the courage to move forward, making the changes necessary to lead your own personal growth, master your mindset, and manage your finances.
Throughout the book, Amanda also shares her own story of overcoming various obstacles, from being let go from her job due to government downsizing to reinventing herself as an author, speaker, podcaster, entrepreneur, and life coach. Being blind, some very real fears at times nearly kept her from moving forward. As a speaker, she had to learn how to get around by herself. She wanted to take a taxi to speaking events, but the organization she worked with was dedicated to helping blind people so she had to set a good example by taking the bus everywhere. She was very afraid of getting on the wrong bus and ending up lost, but with a little practice, she mastered taking buses on her own and soon overcame her fear.
Finding your life’s purpose can seem like a large and daunting task, but Amanda breaks it down into three steps: examine your present, examine your past, and examine your passions and dreams. She discusses the importance of asking yourself specific questions to get at the details of your answer. Questions need to be narrow, like “What things did I most enjoy doing when I was a child?” or “What makes me feel the most happy and fulfilled right now?” Nor is she afraid to admit a certain trust in God or a Higher Power is needed, and how important it is to wait for the answer.
She also explores how we can examine our personal attributes to determine our strengths as well as where we may be blocking ourselves from achieving the success we want. For example, she came to the realization that she wasn’t getting clients because her own doubts and negative self-beliefs were conveying self-doubt that was driving them away. She learned about how to overcome those limiting beliefs, project a more positive attitude, and actually become the kind of positive person who would attract others who wanted what she had.
Amanda’s stories about trekking in Nepal despite being blind will inspire readers to do what they might feel to be impossible. Her stories about reinventing herself rather than letting her identity be tied to a lost job will provide courage to people to think outside the box about who they are and whom they can become. Her challenges with facing change—including having to retire her guide dogs and train in new ones, as well as make difficult medical decisions for her guide dogs—will wring your heart. I especially appreciated her advice about change when she said:
“Another thing essential in embracing a major change is to create space for it. This could involve letting go of how things were before the change in order to create space and acceptance for how they will be after the change. It could also involve forgiving those responsible for the change, if it is imposed on you, or perhaps forgiving yourself for things that happened in the past that may have led to the change occurring. It may also involve dealing with any grief that may come up during this step.”
Ultimately, finding and living your life’s purpose is an adventure in self-leadership—in intentionally leading yourself. Amanda states, “Self-leadership is important because, for most of us, our life’s purpose is bigger than we are. So, to discover our life’s purpose and put it into action, we need to lead our own growth into it.”
There is much more in Seeing by Vision, Not by Sight to benefit from. One final thing I’ll mention that Amanda focuses on is the importance of gratitude. I think many readers will be grateful for her words of wisdom, motivation, and assurance that she offers in these pages. I have personally come away not only believing Amanda’s process works, but grateful that she is such a wonderful human being and a role model for the rest of us.
For more information about Amanda Heal and Seeing by Vision, Not by Sight, visit the autor's website.
— Tyler R. Tichelaar, PhD and award-winning author of Narrow Lives and When Teddy Came to Town
