Your Mission
Life has a built-in mission for us. And it’s not the one you first think it is.
Jerome Avery, Guiding Lives
It’s not the one our work asks of us. And it’s not the one we’ve told ourselves we need to or should take on. It doesn’t necessarily take our interests into account… or even our friends or family. Our mission is rather something that’s being challenged of us. It’s something that stares us in the face everyday, uninterested in our to-do lists and expectations of ourselves, and says— "how will you build this today?"
This mission isn’t our automatic response to how we spend our days. We will naturally gravitate toward what’s comfortable- what we know and what we're used to. But this, isn’t comfortable. This is something we have to consciously respond to. It’s not that we don't want to- because oh do we want to— it’s just one we have to be very conscious about building. This mission doesn’t necessarily come naturally (because what kind of challenge is that?) and I believe it’s often what we shy away from. It’s where we feel most vulnerable. And where we'd sometimes rather just run the opposite direction from because, if. that. fails… the pain just may be too much.
We have projects we want to build…… and then there’s life’s project for you. And that’s the one I’m talking about.
(anything coming to mind yet?)
I want you to pretend for a moment that I’ve handed you a sheet of paper with a house drawn on it. There’s a cement foundation, upright walls, a door, two windows on the front, a roof and even an attic hidden inside. Each one of these structures represent a piece of you. The foundation: your morals and beliefs. The attic: your fears. And then there’s the windows. Your windows. The windows represent what you see in others around you:
What is something that you admire in other people, that you wish you were?
Now, I’ve done this exercise. I’ve built a house and filled it’s rooms. It was my house. But to be honest I don’t remember much other than my windows. It was because the moment I put my finger on the answer to that question— the moment I could see what I was truly longing for. It was the moment I saw my real mission. It was a mission far outside the lines of the field and the confines of the fence that surrounded it. It was a mission that didn’t ask me or need me to run more sprints or have extra ground balls hit at me. That was my job, and I did all of those things willingly and with passion. But this… this was life’s mission for me. And it was an inside job I had to wake up and choose- everyday.
What is something that you admire in other people, that you wish you were?
Now before you think answering this question is about becoming someone you’re not- I want to encourage you otherwise.
This isn’t something to be superficially answered. This isn’t about how we look, or a shallow character trait like dance moves or wit. This is about admiration. Something far deeper. This is about admiring the ability to unapologetically show up exactly who we are. This is about admiring the ability to shout our own mission, beliefs and dreams from the rooftops. This is about admiring the ability to have a deep conversation. About admiring the ability to pause and appreciate a moment [without feeling the need to rush to the next one and rely on ‘efficiency’ and ‘to-do lists’ to determine our success]. This is about admiring the ability to lead a team. This is about resiliency to failure- and admiring the courage to stand back up…. and try again.
This isn’t about being someone else, at all. It’s about noticing when your heart skips a beat, when you see it in front of you.
I don’t believe this question deserves a laundry list of answers. I really think that it’s often simple. Probably a one liner and one you won’t have to think about too long because… you. want. that. It’s the one thing that would be the biggest challenge for you to whole-heartedly embody— but without a doubt, the most fulfilling.
It’s your mission. The one life hands over to you and says… “I want you to build/become this. Find a way.”
And following it is important. Because it’s quite literally the road mapped out for you. It’s absolutely the challenging one and without a doubt the one that doesn’t give you any sure answers [because remember: this wont be what you naturally gravitate to]. But at the same time, it’s the one that’s made for you. It’s the one that you long for. And that, if you do choose to stare that deep desire square in the face— is what will make you great for the job. It will be and is, quite literally, why you’re called to it.
This isn’t about being someone else, at all. But it is about learning to listen to the way’s in which life talks to you. To the way in which God talks to you. To the way’s in which life leads you. To the way in which He leads you. He’s always talking. He’s always guiding. He’s showing you the way and it’s flashing your purpose and mission in front of your eyes, always…
You just have to have the courage to clean off the windows and look through them. And then start playing His game- instead of your own.