Every life needs a mission. But not every mission needs to be lifelong.

One of the most freeing things I'm learning today.... stop looking for calling and start looking for purpose.

I don't have to know my "calling" for life. 

I don't need to know what I've been put on Earth to do, the ultimate fulfillment of my existence, my one true calling... At nearly 40, that may be a bunch of rubbish anyway.

I only need to know:

1. My personality parameters. Those things within my wheelhouse that I can say yes to, and those things outside my wheelhouse I should say no to, also called boundaries.

2. My Projects: what tasks, projects, or goals, or next indicated steps are directly in front of me. That's all I'm responsible for, today's daily bread.

Every life needs a mission. But not every mission needs to be lifelong.

A life-mission could be to complete this project, clean that room, finish that scrap book, read x books by x date, etc. 

It is sufficient to be a purposeful mission if it has purpose for me and lays within the confines of my boundaries.

I'm increasing my creative writing, which means I may make fewer of these observation posts and more creative storytelling posts... We shall see. 

What does this look like today?

I'm taking time to get back into creative writing craft. I'm listening to podcasts, reading writing craft books, and signed up for MasterClasses on writing.

I'm transferring all my research and previous writings to Scrivener.

I'm going to spend the next X months (maybe until August 1 unless done earlier) going through the Outlining process I didn't do the first two times I tried to write this novel.

Then I'll write. 

Atomic Habits taught me to set a schedule for the task not a deadline for the project. For example, instead of saying I'll publish the book by January, I'll say I'm the type of person who writes, so, I'll write every day or every week according to such and such a calendar. That's still up in the air with COVID-19, but I'm pondering what that will look like without overshadowing my responsibility to raise boys to men, clean and care for a home, clean and care for my body, and be involved in my community.

One of the final straws that clicked.... 

My very last conversation with Flavia, literally the night before she died, was that she should stop wasting her time on "craft" projects trying to make money, and instead, pour herself into her life's work, the very thing that was life giving for her, which was her fine arts and artistic expressions. 

It's taken almost two years to realize that conversation was for me, since she didn't live for even 12-hours afterward. 

I will stop trying to do things that make sense logically, forcing myself into a box that doesn't fit, and start doing things that matter. Money or no money. 

What about you? 

What are you going to commit to that will feed your life? What shirt term manageable goals could you work toward that will feed who you are?

#Selah #NoHiding