How to find your true path in life, Pt. 1

I. Have. A. Problem.

I can only think about my self these days.

My problem is, I’m not that interesting. When I think about myself, I think only of 1 thing.

For you concrete-thinkers, that “1 thing” is “my job.” For you big-picture-thinkers, that “1 thing” is “my path in life.” AKA: “The meaning of my life.”

If you read this blog regularly, 1. You’re amazing, and thank you; 2. You know I’m totally obsessed with quitting my job.

Since I can’t think about anything other than what I’m doing with myself these days, I decided I’d start devoting some blog space to my search for my true path. (If those words make you roll your eyes, replace them with “my search for my new job.” Yeah, I’m talking to you, concrete-thinkers.)

(For those of you just joining in now, I’ve linked all my job-related posts to the bottom of this article.)

As I take another step closer to doing whatever it is I am meant to do, here is 1 change I’ve recently made in my life that I want to share today.

Step #1 in finding my path: Make my daily habits conscious steps towards my Big Vision

I love setting goals wayyyy too much. The problem with my goals is that (a) I have a million of them; (b) they depress me.

Let’s take a look at Life Goal #1 on my list: Finish writing my novel.

Ugh.

That goal takes hundreds of hours, even years, and when I look at it, I feel discouraged. I think of all the crap-tastic pages I’ve written, and how I’ll probably trash half of them, and how so-and-so is such a phenomenal, beautiful, talented writer and I’ll never be half as good as they are, so what’s the point in finishing this.

Now, let’s take a look at Life Goal #15 on my list: Figure out how to keep my house consistently clean.

Really?

I’m the girl who finally opened boxes of books that I sent myself in college and never opened after they arrived. I’m the girl who just packed for a 2-week trip in 10 minutes, because I never unpacked my suitcase from my last trip, 4 months ago. Plus, given Life Goals #1-14, it is virtually guaranteed that I will never achieve Life Goal #15. Or…. so it feels.

The bottom line is, Life Goals can kind of suck if you look at them for too long.

Instead, I’ve boiled down my top life goals into daily habits that will help me get there. I chose three.

1. Meditate.

2. Walk (or other form of physical self-care) for 15 minutes.

3. Write for 15 minutes.

See, doesn’t that look easier?

Meditation helps me sift through the white noise in my brain, the anger loops, all the ego that tells me “You should be doing more” or “You’re not good enough.” Meditation also helps me be here now with my current life.

I don’t want to be the type of person who’s always “looking for the next best thing” instead of appreciating what I have. If I get in the habit of complaining now, I’m just going to complain later, no matter what good may come.

Exercise helps me figure out what I really want to do that day. Without it, I am usually in a bad mood.

Writing is what hits Life Goals #1-6: finish my novel, write an e-book about break-ups and dating that I can give to all of YOU, put up a website for my independent writing coaching business, etc., etc… all of which require words. And lots and lots and lots of writing. Writing 1K pages feels impossible. Writing 15 minutes each day feels easy.

When I look at my small daily habits, my life goals are possible. I know what I’m working on. And I don’t feel depressed.

Right now, friends, I am on the road! I have a daily planner with me where I check off my daily goals each day. I’m not perfect.

Sometimes, I don’t prioritize these because my current job gets in the way.

It’s OK. I’m learning on this path. Aren’t we all? (I hope? 🙂 )

More later, friends!

Here’s some of my personal background via prior blog-posts:

January, 2014 – This is me describing all the reasons I wanted to quit my job in January, but hadn’t done it yet.

January, 2014 – This is the blog post I wrote called “How to Quit your job,” with 6 steps to take. It was based on interviews with a bajillion (OK, more like 12) people and reading a bajillion more internet articles on the topic (actually a bajillion), “How did you transition jobs?”

March, 2014 – I wrote yet another blog post on the emotional side of quitting my job.

PPS: Photo credit from here.

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