The traditional way of setting goals didn't work for this kind of calling. I've tried SMART goals—measurable, achievable, time-bound—and they're useful in some contexts.
But when it comes to sacred callings, they can feel too tight. Too linear. Too focused on what's outside of me and not what's moving through me.
So I began to listen. To slow down.
To trust that just because I can't name every step of the dream, doesn't mean it isn't real.
It just means I'm growing into the version of me who can hold it.
That's where Sacred Alignment Goal Setting began—not as a system, but as a surrender.
As a softer, more honest way of walking forward with soul.
Over the years, I've wrestled with this idea of "success." I've checked all the boxes—built the business, nurtured the relationships, followed the plan. And still, I found myself waking up some mornings feeling like I was drifting. Not off-course in the traditional sense, but unanchored. Disconnected from what truly matters. That's when it hit me: I didn't need new performance indicators. I needed sacred ones.
I needed to stop measuring my life by external achievements and start honoring the deeper movements of my soul. And so, Sacred KPI was born—not as a system, but as a compass. A way to stay aligned. A way to Keep Purpose Ignited. Let me share what that means to meand maybe, to you too.
In Beyond the Shell: Discovering the You Beneath the Labels, William Brown invites readers into a reflective journey of personal transformation and spiritual remembering. Set within the context of a 2½ day retreat at The Mountain in Highlands, NC, the blog explores how the identities we adopt—often out of survival or social expectation—become shells that hide our true selves. Through storytelling, ritual, and communal support, participants are guided to release outdated labels, reconnect with their core essence, and rediscover their authentic voice. The message is clear: we are not our roles or titles, but the light and life beneath them—and it's time to come home to that truth.
When I first came across the 12 steps of sobriety, I saw them for what they were: a guide for those struggling with addiction. But the more I looked at them, the more I realized their power goes far beyond that. The steps are a blueprint for anyone looking to live an honest, aware, and aligned life. They offer a way back to yourself—one step, one truth at a time.
In the last few years, grief has sat with me in ways I could never have imagined. When I lost my father, I felt a void I couldn't name, one I'm still learning to navigate. I felt grief again as I watched the dreams I poured into my businesses crumble spectacularly, leaving me questioning everything I thought I knew about success. And there's a unique kind of grief in the slow unraveling of a marriage and family—when the things you built with love begin to fracture.
I've had to wrestle with this truth on my own self-awareness journey. There have been moments when my loyalty—whether to a person, an ideal, or even a version of myself—became a kind of slavery. I found myself giving so much of who I was, trying to live up to unspoken expectations or maintain relationships that no longer served me, that I began losing sight of my own needs and values. It was as if my loyalty was no longer a choice but a compulsion, driven by fear of rejection or guilt over change.
The truth is, the love we receive from others—whether abundant or lacking—doesn't define us, but it does reveal something about the relationship we have with ourselves. Are we kind to ourselves when we make mistakes? Do we celebrate who we are, even when the world doesn't seem to notice? Or do we rely on external validation to feel worthy? These were the questions I had to ask myself as I journeyed deeper into the beliefs of Living Beyond
In moments of uncertainty, betrayal, or profound loss, we can find ourselves estranged from the essence of who we are. Choices we make from this place of "otherness" often reflect fear, survival, or a desperate attempt to belong. They can feel hollow, reactionary, or even at odds with the truth we carry deep within us. The pain of these choices is compounded by the realization that, even as we try to move forward, we are losing touch with our authentic selves.