Meet Nancy Rivera

We recently connected with Nancy Rivera and have shared our conversation below.

Nancy , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Having a purpose in life is an experience that is pleasant and exciting, a new way to live your life more fully. It is a fact that when we live with a purpose, our life flows with less effort. Taking action allows us to pursue our dreams and goals, and it is much more pleasurable for us. That is why each of our actions seems to take on a new meaning.

Since our decisions are guided by this vital purpose, it is less difficult for us to choose one path or another, since we can differentiate which routes bring us closer and which take us further away from the things we want for ourselves. Even when things get a little complicated, which they will, we will have a clearer idea of ​​how to overcome any obstacles that may arise.

Finding your purpose in life may be confusing at first but this should not discourage you, since the rewards are many and will accompany you for most of your life.

If you have asked yourself the question, what is my purpose? Stay with me because I’m going to tell you a little about how I found my life purpose and how you can find yours.

Like many women, my life has not been easy. Since I was little, I saw very closely what violence was and how it affected the family. It is a chain, that only if you are “present”, understand the process, and learn to let go, that is when you can really break the pattern.

It wasn’t until I got pregnant (already knowing that I would be a single mother), that I took the time to reflect on what I was doing with my life. The direction I was taking was not the life I wanted to give my daughter, I needed to work on myself to give her a better life.

I started studying (to be a teacher’s assistant) while pregnant and got a job 3 weeks after giving birth, as teacher’s assistant. About two months later, without having the necessary studies, they placed me in a classroom to be a second-grade teacher. That year I decided that I really wanted to be a teacher and I did for more than 13 years. In that period of time, I worked with various things at that school, which helped me grow professionally.

I started doing other things and started a non-profit, helping the community, got certified as a coach, started a radio program, and published my first book, everything changed. Went through ups and downs, and I became a victim of domestic violence. For a while, I thought that it was a disappointment for others, because how could it be possible that I was going through this when it was one of the things in which I helped other people?

But, I was able to focus again and understand that I was a woman like any other. But above all, I understood all the negative experiences that I had lived since I was a child, until that moment, I had to live them because it was the one that was going to help me to be able to fulfill my mission of helping people. It is not the same to give advice and become sensitive to someone without having experienced what you are saying, as actually living it to understand, agree and empower that person.

So, you wonder why I tell you all this? Because knowing a bit about where I come from will help you understand why I have the mission that I have.

My mission and purpose in life is to empower, inspire & transform lives. Seeing the transformation in a person or community is something that fills me up. Because of the result and because I understand that if I went through abuse, scarcity, lack of love, abandonment, and many other things, then they were not in vain, but were part of the skills that I have been able to develop to impact the lives of other people.

So, how can you find your purpose in life?

First, we must define what life purpose is.

Today, there are many definitions of what it can mean to have a life purpose. Sometimes purpose is confused with passion but they are definitely not the same.

If we take as reference the definition of the founder of the Good Life Project, Jonathan Fields, a purpose is “an intrinsic impulse that leads us to do something that generates a sense of meaning.” For its part, passion is understood as the way of acting in line with your purpose.

We can have more than one purpose in life without it causing any problem or inconvenience. Now, each of these purposes can have different passions. That is, we can express a single purpose in our lives through various passions, which can coincide over time.

Second, what does a purposeful life mean?

When you are clear about what your life purpose is and you start to live according to it, you benefit greatly, because this means a more conscious life. Being clear about your purpose will help you draw a road map that will take you step by step to a greater state of well-being.

A life with purpose also means a life with meaning. That is, your life will have a new meaning, unique to you, that will lead you to take the reins instead of following the crowd. You will be able to have a job that suits you instead of always having to adapt to your job. Additionally, it will be easier for you to surround yourself with like-minded people who identify with what you want and the person you really are, which will fill your life with meaningful relationships.

Following your life purpose will be a source of constant motivation for you, which will help you wake up with energy and positivity in the mornings, having the ability to sustain your energy throughout the day. You can channel all this energy into every action you do, every step you take.

Third, finding your life purpose is a choice.

Most people in the world live without knowing what the purpose of life is. Normally, we have been educated to live with the flow, focused on the day to day. Therefore, many people live without even asking themselves what they really need, if their lives have a purpose or if they feel satisfied with their life as they live it today.

However, if you are reading this article it is because you have asked yourself questions that many do not ask and because you want answers. You have chosen to stop surviving to start living, so you need to feel connected to something beyond simply living in the moment.

Choosing to find your life purpose will ignite the flame of motivation and passion within you, making you feel more alive. You will soon find yourself tracing a route with a relevant and deeper meaning, which will undoubtedly bring enormous benefits to your life and the people around you.

Fourth, how to connect with your life purpose

It is not easy to discover what it means to lead a life with purpose. There is no need to despair about it, since no one is born understanding its purpose.

Now, getting to the point where you understand that purpose is going to require you to take valuable steps that help you discover it, since it is not a passive process that will come to you as if by divine illumination. If you want to know him, you will have to take important steps to that end, take action.

The first thing that is required to discover it is a good dose of self-knowledge. You will need to know yourself like no one else to connect with your purpose. To do this, you are going to use two qualities: reflection and introspection. When you observe yourself, you will be able to find within yourself the answers you seek.

Another fundamental requirement is not to feel frustrated if, at first, you cannot understand your purpose, since it is a process that takes time. The best thing is that you do everything calmly, with love and understanding towards yourself and that you have the determination to continue forward until you discover it.

In this way, finding your purpose requires you to ask yourself questions. These can vary, from simpler questions such as knowing what motivates you or what a state of well-being represents for you to asking yourself what success means to you, what characteristics the perfect job has for you or how much time and resources you are willing to commit. invest until you find your purpose.

Lastly… what do you do to find your purpose?

1. Stop and reflect. It is important that you create spaces in which you can stop and break the routine. You must find a suitable time and place that allows you to concentrate on the work you want to do. These moments are about starting to connect with yourself.

2. Experiment. It is quite likely that there are some things that you think about yourself that are not entirely true. These beliefs may be due to bad experiences from the past or what others believe and think about you. The way we learn activities may not have been adjusted to your talents and perhaps that is why you may have beliefs such as that you are not good at anything. That is never true, we all have talents that we can take advantage of, as well as activities that we like.

3. Observation. What do all those activities that add energy to you have in common? And the ones that take it away from you? The time has come to write down all your conclusions, for which I also recommend that you take your time.

4. Take action. Now is the time to act on everything we have discovered about ourselves. If you have already found your purpose, you will feel inspired and motivated, you will have enthusiasm when thinking about it, and you will feel that you are genuine and honest in what you are doing. All these sensations will be the basis of your motivation and you will have a real drive to achieve what you have set out to do.

This discovery process should not be a headache or an excessive effort. Regardless of the plan you follow to achieve it, there are some general recommendations that I would like to give you so that you can achieve it. Remember that we live in a society full of stressful stimuli and constant distractions, which we often do not submit to without questioning ourselves. That must change if we want to reconnect with our purpose.

Think out of the box. As we get used to following the majority, we stop paying attention to those social conventions that do us no good. From simple issues such as the way we dress to complex ones such as the career we choose, everything must be aimed at producing well-being and being at peace with ourselves. When who we are and what we desire is aligned with what we really do, we can say that we are well on our way to rediscovering our purpose.

Reach out to like-minded people. When we interact with like-minded people, natural empathy occurs. We understand them and they understand us, which will help you redefine yourself and get to know yourself better. Feeding on their experiences and their pleasant company will drive you and motivate you to find that purpose that you have lost. You can even share this entire path of self-knowledge with them.

Don’t resist living through difficult times. Difficulties are part of life. Not only do I recommend that you accept this reality, but that you be able to nourish yourself from those moments. Every unpleasant situation and every problem faced has the power to make you stronger and help you develop new skills that will be useful to discover your life purpose.

Forget the rigidity. If we have a rigid mind or if we cannot conceive of a new way of living away from what we have learned was right for us, it will be more complicated. However, when we let ourselves flow and allow ourselves to get to know each other with love and respect, the path will be very simple and you will find your purpose within yourself as if you had always had it clear.

Living a life of purpose means that you will be able to achieve your goals on your own terms. This way, you guarantee that the success you achieve will really satisfy your expectations. Fill your life with more motivation and passion for what you do, which will allow you to pursue other dreams and move in accordance with your life purpose.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

We founded Family Secret Helpers, Inc in 2012, we are an innovative non-profit corporation dedicated to working on social issues that affect family and society.

In 2016, we added a project called BEmpower Women, which empowers and inspires women around the world. Help women understand that loving and caring for themselves is not a selfish act, but rather an act of self-love. We motivate women, mothers, wives and professionals. We are focused on helping and motivating women who are or have been victims. We fight for women’s rights. Our priority is to empower women around the world, having allies in different countries (we speak English and Spanish). We inspire women to turn their ideas and passion into reality, establishing successful businesses. And we help entrepreneurial women who need to balance their lives. Those who need to achieve a goal or need a new strategy for their business. We help them avoid burnout so they don’t get lost in the process. This project has a podcast and a digital magazine.

This year, we will be opening RIVA Wellness & Learning Center. Focused on helping children and adolescents in the educational area, especially for those who have learning problems. In addition to offering tutoring and socio-emotional help. Another of our services will be aimed at teachers, to help them with burnout and for Latino parents who do not speak English so that they can learn the language and help their children study.

Also, under my name we have a podcast called “Today’s Talk” where we have different guests covering different topics. The ultimate goal of this podcast is to inspire and empower those who listen to it. The topics covered are focused on social problems, family, relationships, education, emotions, business, sexuality, empowerment, lifestyle, the psychology behind crime, books, and much more. This podcast is bilingual English – Spanish.

In addition, I have published books and journals, I offer private services focused on wellness & learning, using psychology, holistic, yoga, coaching and contextual therapies. In addition to helping those who want to start writing a book or publishing it and of course I offer talks and retreats/events.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I had the scenario to be nobody in life and stay in a circle that wouldn’t help me at all. So I think that what helped me was resilience, consistency, the desire to live to give the best to my children, recognizing what my purpose in life was and finally being organized.

So, if you are starting a project, a business or you are resuming your studies, believe me at first you will see everything more complicated. Sure, changes tend to scare many.

With all the things I was experiencing, I managed to finish my bachelor’s degree in 2020, at 40 years old (in 2023 I completed my Master’s degree and I am currently in my doctorate). I had started, stopped, continued, changed and wow years passed until I managed to complete it. In the process, nothing stopped me from writing a book, not once but twice, for an educational publisher. Only if you had a master’s degree would you be able to write this kind of book. Or how about having had a radio show for 6 years, with no experience or connections. And what can you tell me about my TV show?

What I mean by this is that it was not a matter of luck, but rather the desire I had for my voice to reach many more, to be an example of improvement for others and to feel that I had achieved it.

It doesn’t matter what stage you are in now, the important thing is to recognize where you are and from there it is easier to move forward.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, as long as you are an entrepreneur, coach, business woman, offer a service, an expert on a specific topic, an author or you have a story you want to tell to inspire others, we are always looking for a new guest for our podcast. If you are interested, you can complete the form you find on our linktree.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/nancyrivera
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancyrivera_official
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyRiveraOfficial