A Year of Finding Your Callings: Daily Practices to Uncover Your Passion and Purpose

JANUARY

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JANUARY

New year—a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story? Ultimately, we write it. The choice is ours.

—ALEX MORRITT

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JANUARY

Though we often think of New Year’s resolutions as crucial for change, the New Year and the resolutions we make for it are arbitrary. What makes the New Year more significant than any other new second, minute, day, week, or month? Every passing moment is of equal significance. The only moment when you can take action is now. Living each day with this mentality is how you continue to write new chapters, verses, and stories, no matter the date.

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JANUARY

Let’s suppose you had 25 hours in a day. What would you do with this bonus hour? Now, consider how you might add some of those bonus hour activities into your normal 24-hour day. Write about the first thing you would do with that extra time, and develop a plan to bring more of it into your daily life over the next week.

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JANUARY

But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today.

—ERNEST HEMINGWAY

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JANUARY

An important strategy for effectively planning and following through with goals is to break them down into smaller pieces. These may be conceptualized as long-term goals, short-term goals, and objectives. The long-term goal is the big picture, while short-term goals feed that larger goal. For example, a long-term goal may be successfully graduating from university, with a short-term goal of successfully passing a difficult science course. Objectives to help you reach that goal may include reading the assigned material, studying for exams, and completing papers on time. Today, write about one long-term goal, two short-term goals that support it, and two objectives to help you achieve it.

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JANUARY

Dreams are goals without direction. To realize a dream requires a strategic plan. SMART goals are a great way to begin. These are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. SMART goals keep you accountable as you’re sorting out the direction you want your life to take. To get started, begin with something simple—reaching out to a nonprofit where you’d like to volunteer, or finally signing up for that art class you’ve always wanted to take. Take the time today to strategically plan a SMART goal, small or large.

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JANUARY

With every passing moment comes a new opportunity. If you wait for the perfect moment to pursue your dreams, you may find yourself waiting forever because no perfect moment ever truly exists. Instead, you make the moment perfect when you begin your pursuit. How did you contribute to your dream today?

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JANUARY

Success is a state of mind. Whatever you see as success is your reality. Close your eyes and ease your mind. Then, visualize yourself actively engaging in one of your goals. It does not matter if the goal is small or large. Consider what achieving it will take, whom you will work with, and other things you’ll need to see it through to fruition. As everything comes together, how does it look? How does it feel? Successful people continually visualize their accomplishments. Try this visualization often. Though your goals may change, this activity will keep you focused and determined.

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JANUARY

TV, film, and business superstar Oprah Winfrey, the first Black female billionaire, is someone whose uphill battle began at birth. Born to an unmarried teen mother, Oprah was raised in poverty. She was so poor, in fact, that her mother made her school clothing from potato sacks—something that the other children incessantly teased Oprah about. She survived childhood sexual abuse perpetrated by a relative and family friend and gave birth to a son, who died as an infant, when she was 14. Regardless of these challenges, Oprah never gave up. She went on to become Miss Black Tennessee at 17, anchor Nashville’s WTVF-TV news at 19, and continues to rack up accomplishments to this day, when she is often considered the most influential woman in the world. Our history can weigh us down if we let it, but our futures are not written in stone. Remember that bad situations are often temporary. We can and frequently do work through them. When we learn from challenges and continually strive toward our passion, there is no telling what may happen next. In Oprah’s own words, Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.

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JANUARY

I am not perfect, but neither is anyone else. My imperfections make me who I am—an individual who is capable of achieving my heart’s desires so long as I continue truly believing in myself.

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JANUARY

Are you currently aware of your strengths? These include anything positive about you—personality attributes, intelligence, social skills, you name it! Over the next 60 seconds, write about as many personal strengths as you can. Be honest, raw, and even a bit arrogant here. When those 60 seconds are up, spend the next 60 seconds contemplating what you wrote and why. Spend the next 60 seconds writing down any additional strengths you didn’t get to during the first round. Now, reflect. How do these strengths bring out the best you? How can you use them to your advantage as you pursue your calling?

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JANUARY

It is important to allow your mind to wander free, without judgment. Sit and allow your mind to roam. Both positive and negative emotions and memories may enter your thoughts. As each thought, memory, or emotion enters your mind, contemplate it for a moment and let it pass. The purpose is to let the thought or emotion be received without judgment, and pass, allowing the next one to enter. If you have experienced significant trauma or struggle with negative thoughts or emotions, focus on something positive that you’ve experienced. If you can, allow yourself 15 minutes for this exercise.

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JANUARY

When we think positively, it becomes possible to recognize our self-worth. Although every one of our lives is priceless, consider the worth your value brings to society. For this exercise, write down how much you believe you are worth in dollars. $100,000? $1 million? $1 billion? Whatever the amount is, write it down. And do this whether money is important to you or not. If it is not, perhaps you could even donate this amount one day. Now, consider what it practically takes to have a value of the amount you wrote. Revisit your SMART goals and consider whether these are appropriate to get you there. If they are not, go ahead and make any necessary revisions.

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JANUARY

When pursuing your goals, don’t settle for less. Sylvester Stallone—an award-winning actor, screenwriter, and director—is someone whose rise to stardom was an uphill battle from the very beginning of life. At birth, he suffered a forceps accident that not only resulted in his infamous droopy visage, but also impaired his speech. His parents’ turbulent marriage, and subsequent divorce and remarriages, led to emotional challenges and academic problems. He was expelled from several schools before attending a remedial high school. Though he took drama classes at two universities, he never graduated. Then, Stallone began pursuing his acting career in New York while working side jobs to make ends meet. Atop all this, he dabbled in writing. This is where the critically acclaimed Rocky series was born. Though producers were interested, Stallone had one caveat: He would play Rocky. He continued to take his screenplay to producers and held out until this condition was met. He did all this despite having a family to support and little money. This story is about perseverance and following your passion. In the midst of a thousand nos, one yes is sometimes all we need for a miraculous breakthrough.

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JANUARY

Endurance and resilience are two critical keys to success. Endurance keeps you going through the ups and downs, while resilience helps you adapt. When these two are running full throttle, great things are possible. But endurance and resilience are often held back by excessive baggage, which makes it difficult to see the future. This may appear as holding on to resentment, refusing to forgive someone, or staying in a toxic relationship. Think back to last year. What was weighing you down? What do you need to do to shed the baggage and sprint toward a better future? Write your thoughts.

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JANUARY

Instead of always looking for answers, I realize that the meaning lies in understanding and embracing the process.

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JANUARY

What are the three things for which you are most grateful? These could be your health, your family, your ability to tap-dance. Look at your list; then, take a moment to extend your gratitude for each thing you named. Write about how you expressed your gratitude. Save this for future reflection.

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JANUARY

Sometimes, the biggest winners in life are also the biggest losers. That is, these individuals were able to win because they continually tried and failed, until they got it right. No matter how many losses you experience, what most people remember are the successes. All you need is one win to claim life’s biggest prizes. Remember that as