A Glimpse Back and a Challenge Ahead

I’m revisiting a revisit that I’ve written about and written about. This is a document I’ve printed and posted above my desk in my office. Each day, I read through this daily reminder about the life I want to live and the identity I am building for myself. It is my vision and my affirmation. Some days I read every word. Some days I do a quick skim. But if I plan to truly self-actualize, serve heroically, and empower others, I need a daily target. This is my target. This document is a work in progress, as am I. This document continually changes and grows, as do I. But I love to watch this document and this man evolve and transform as I live each day trying to close the gap between who I’m capable of being and who I’m actually being.

My Mission

To love, enjoy, inspire, encourage, and positively impact

those around me (my neighbors) and to grow my circle (the neighborhood).

My Mission Requires…

“Spending time in my sanctuary.”

I do this by getting to know myself and God through daily contemplative prayer, reading, and writing in the sanctuary. Being deeply and holistically transformed. Heart soul mind strength. Practicing presence and peace. Moment by moment. Transcending my relationship to a deeper level, embracing my mystical and mysterious God. Living the way of Jesus. With daily attention, intention, and discipline. Moment by moment.

“Loving my neighbors and growing my neighborhood.”

I do this by building connections and relationships with those around me, living on the edge of the inside, in the sanctuary. Showing love and compassion to others and myself. Practicing presence and peace. Moment by moment. Touching the hearts and minds of my tribe with my time and through writing. With daily attention, intention, and discipline. Moment by moment.

My Wildly Important Goal

To live life better and help others do the same.

To self-actualize, to serve heroically, and to empower others to do the same.

I do this by nurturing and cultivating Gratitude, Joy, Compassion, Presence, and Holistic Wellness in myself and others. Developing the Crafts of Writing and Life Coaching. Showing Up. Hammering the Stone. Closing the Gap. Battling the Obstacles, Struggles, Obstacles, and Dragon. Turning Pro and Playing the long game. Being a good steward of my mind, body, spirit, time, family, community, resources, and world.

Intentionally Building a Compelling Life. Making Daily Progress, and Enjoying the Process.

Today is a PSALM, a GIFT, and a CHOICE. It is a Masterpiece Day in the making. Today I will hold the paradox of action (doing) and contemplation (being) with peace and trust. (David Steindl-Rast) Today, I will have faith (trust in life and the source of life), hope (openness to surprise), and love (belonging, saying “yes!” to life). Today, I will “change and be like a little child” greeting the day and creation with awe and wonder and surprise and delight. (Jesus) Today, I will live at the edge of the inside, appreciating the particulars as a window to the universal and the divine (Richard Rohr).

Today, I stand at the door (Sam Shoemaker), an “instrument of your peace” (St Francis), living in peace with myself, others, God, and life. Today, I enter the sanctuary, the workshop, and the garden with the Spirit, the Genius, and the Muse. Today I will close the gap between who I’m capable of being and who I’m actually being (Hal Elrod) as I step forward into growth (Abraham Maslow), moment to moment to moment as I self actualize, serve heroically, and empower others, beginning with myself. (Brian Johnson) Today, I Let Mercy Lead. (Rich Mullins) I will seek mercy for self and others, I will seek presence, peace, stillness, and awareness. Today, I forgive myself and others without judgement, I seek grace and peace, loving God, and loving others. (Jesus) Today, I invite and consent to the Spirit of love, joy, and peace as I seek to be transformed, being still, and knowing. (Thomas Keating and Paul) I am a steward of this life. My identity is my repeated being-ness driven by virtues, guiding my energy and time. This is going to be a masterpiece (John Wooden). This is going to be a very good day.

Today, I challenge you to consider your own mission. Consider what it is you are doing with your days. Consider what kind of life you hope to build. All of us are in the middle of our life’s story. I like to imagine flipping through this book and seeing how the chapters unfold giving us a fuller picture as we keep reading. The ups and downs and learning and struggles. It’s all part of the story. And I like to think about this chapter as the one where things really start changing. In this part of our story we begin seeing the possibility of our futures, catching a glimpse of the lives we hope to build. Each day, we are writing the book of our lives. Think about your mission and what the mission requires. Think about your wildly important goals. Start writing and make the page you write today a good one.

Photo by Luke van Zyl on Unsplash