get your steps in: a note on passions and purpose.
There are a lot of buzzwords circulating lately around goals and habits, finding your purpose, living your truth, chasing after your north star, etc. I think there’s a lot of hullabaloo surrounding our callings, how they have to come out of this initial AHA! moment, and if it hasn’t happened for you yet — keep waiting and searching! If we look at the accomplishments/passions in our own lives, many of them probably didn’t come out of a solitary light bulb moment. Sure, they may have arose out of a need, goal or a daydream, but they don’t usually come to us in a flash and it likely wasn’t in those moments we knew exactly what to do or where to go next.
I’m reading a book right now called Beginner’s Pluck, which is about building a life of impact and purpose (highly recommend reading, btw). Quick sidenote: pluck as a noun means “spirited and determined courage; bravery, boldness, grit.” Love that a lot.
Anyway, throughout the book, the author Liz Forkin Bohannon talks about the notorious ‘Almighty First Step’ and how often times for many of us, the first step isn’t glamorous, it’s actually just taking one single, solitary step somewhere.
Want to learn how to make the perfect latte at home? First step — get a coffee maker.
Want to become a runner? First step — get some running shoes.
Want to volunteer? First step — find a need within your community.
Want to get your degree? First step — look into areas of study.
Want to narrow down what you’re passionate about? First step — take inventory of what’s bringing you consistent joy in your day-to-day.
Doing things like this, taking one step (even if it isn’t in the ultimate direction) propels us into movement. Liz says, “… movement is what saved me. It’s not steps of any kind, in any direction that we should be afraid of. Not even the ones in the exact “wrong” direction. It’s fear-induced stillness we should be wary of. Movement is never fatal. Steps earnestly and courageously taken toward making your own path will never, ever kill you.”
Movement creates MOMENTUM, and momentum is what gets us headed where we might want to go.
In another book I love called The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer says, “We achieve inner peace when our schedule aligns with our lifestyle… We become what we give our attention to.”
We know this to be true. But when we think about our purpose, it’s easy to fall into the trap that it has to be sparkly and grandiose, it has to meet a huge need in our community or be this one-of-a-kind, never-before-thought-of idea. Sometimes we think we have to go back to the drawing board completely, starting something so far outside of our wheelhouse we might even have to get extra schooling to even begin. But what if we didn’t? What if we got rid of the notion that our purpose can’t possibly be the same as our passions, no matter how small they are? What if we didn’t have to look outside of our day-to-day lives to discover them? What if we looked inward and realized our purpose and passions could actually be the things we’re pursuing every single day? Maybe our passions aren’t found in our far-out dreams and instead they’re nestled inside what we’re already doing. What if?
In Beginner’s Pluck, Liz says, ”Passion and purpose are built over time with consistency and courage and commitment and pluck… You do not find your passion and purpose. You BUILD it. You start construction when you follow rabbit trails and step forward in the general direction of north. When you ask hard questions of yourself and of the world and when you’re brave enough to actually listen to the answer, pivot when necessary and then commit. Even when the glitter and the adrenaline wear off and everyone else moves on to the next shiny thing.”
SO MUCH YES to all of that. I follow a girl who has built an entire platform around her passion for staying hydrated. Literally, DRINKING WATER and helping others find a tangible way to make sure they’re getting hydrated has become her day-to-day passion-turned-purpose. Consistency in her mission to get everyone drinking half their bodyweight in ounces has led her to stretch even further by now working to help others with limited resources find clean water. Her momentum provided other avenues within her passion in which to grow and extend. This is a basic example to show how your purpose and your passions aren’t waiting to be ‘uncovered’… they’re not waiting for you to be in such a zen headspace so it’ll come to you while you’re meditating. Your purpose may very well come from the consistent practices in your own life, something small that you’re passionate about — it could literally be forged out of something you’re already interested in. “It’s in the simple work of being interested and the brave work of exploring and the sacred work of trying and failing and trying again where passion and purpose are not found, but built. Brick by brick, step by step.”
One thing is for certain — if you’ve been having trouble nailing down your purpose or if you’re waiting around for that AHA! moment to get started, maybe that’s what’s hindering you. Your passion/purpose isn’t waiting to be found, it’s waiting to be BUILT. So get your shoes on and start getting those steps in. Fight against the little bully in your brain that says you need a blueprint and a clear vision to find your purpose or that your passion was ingrained in you the day you were born and you just need to uncover it. No. “Passion isn’t a pre-existing condition”. If you don’t know what it is yet — stop being still and instead get your hands dirty, dip your toe in the water of your interests, your day-to-day joys and see what needs arise around you to dive in and solve. Take inventory of the things you’re already doing in your own life and see how you might take steps to extend those outward. Get walking, get building and stop trying to “find” your passion. Be an intern or a tourist in your own life — start small and stay observant as you take as many steps as you can in the direction of your life.
I’d love to know what steps you are actively taking or about the ones you’re hoping to lace up and embark on! Sound off below.
