Exercise Four: What Are You Good At?

I think of this general orientation as trying to find your own True North.

You may not know what all your aptitudes are because you may never have called on some of them.

“serving something that you believe is bigger than the self.”

I say that your life was taking shape long before you were born because you carry within you the biological memories of all your forebears.

Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness, Susan Smalley and Diana Winston

It was that experience more than any other that kindled my interest in drama, and that interest became the foundation of my studies in college and my early work in education. If that teacher hadn’t seen something in me that I hadn’t seen in myself, my life might have gone in a very different direction.

For reasons that we’re coming to, it may well be that you have more aptitude—and more flair—for some activities that you’ve already tried than you realize.

To find out what lies within, you also have to look outside yourself. You need to try new activities, visit new places and meet new people. You need to put yourself in the way of new opportunities and test yourself in different circumstances. If there are activities or experiences you have wanted to try, you should try them. If there are things