Reminders for myself

Before you know what your calling is, you must believe you are called to something. It doesn’t matter if you know what. In order to cultivate awareness, you must be willing to act, to step out and see what happens. And once you are convinced that purpose will not find you, that you will have to go in search of it, you are ready. Until you make this

Jeff Goins • The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do

interesting. the search for a purpose

“Whichever route you take, expect a struggle. Finding work you love is very difficult. Most people fail. Even if you succeed, it's rare to be free to work on what you want till your thirties or forties. But if you have the destination in sight you'll be more likely to arrive at it. If you know you can love work, you're in the home stretch, and if y... See more

It will take a while to get there.

A large percentage of people’s problems in work, love and life are due to some combination of vagueness and passivity. You don’t know what you want to spend your time on; you don’t know what kind of person you really get along with; you don’t know what kind of clothing looks good to you; you don’t know what you value in a city; you don’t know how t... See more

Ava • Why You Should Write More

on the other hand, knowing what you want can help a lot

“An artist has got to be careful never really to arrive at a place where he thinks he’s AT somewhere. You always have to realize that you’re constantly in a state of becoming. And, as long as you can stay in that realm you’ll sort of be alright.”

— Bob Dylan

As I see it then, the formula runs something like this: a man must choose a path which will let his ABILITIES function at maximum efficiency toward the gratification of his DESIRES. In doing this, he is fulfilling a need (giving himself identity by functioning in a set pattern toward a set goal), he avoids frustrating his potential (choosing a path... See more

Hunter S. Thompson • Full text of Hunter S. Thompson's "Ninth Path" Letter

interesting. “giving himself identity”

Everything I’ve experienced in my life thus far has been my purpose, and that a sense of purpose is no further away than the next inhale or blink. This revelation was a relief. I felt myself put down the weight of needing absolute clarity on life direction and certainty that I’m doing the right things.

There’s no way to get any of this wrong.

"The

Kelly Wilde Miller • A Year of Being Wild & on Purpose

it’s okay to not have clarity

This is an insight that has been repeated by artists, too. Pablo Picasso: “Without great solitude, no serious work is possible.” James Baldwin: “Perhaps the primary distinction of the artist is that he must actively cultivate that state which most men, necessarily, must avoid: the state of being alone.” Bob Dylan: “To be creative you’ve got to be u... See more

Substack • Notes | Substack

Importance of solitude for creativity

Another thing we explained to Deb is the saying that “art is never done, it’s only abandoned.” The point is that being perfect is literally impossible. All you can do is the very best job you can right now, and then put it out to help your audience, and you’re done.

Zach Obront • The Scribe Method: The Best Way to Write and Publish Your Non-Fiction Book

An antidote to perfectionism

"I don't know where I'm going, but I know exactly how to get there."

I recently heard this quote from Boyd Varty. It spoke to me, because one of my greatest fears is not getting to where I want to be. Not because I don't think I'll get there, but because I don't know where "there" is. I don't know what I want to be , do or accomplish . I don't know ... See more

What's in my NOW? — Larissa Fernandes

It’s okay to not know the destination…just keep at pursuing your interests and work hard