This week someone shared with me her desire to discover her life mission, her frustration with not knowing what bigger role she’s meant to play in this world.  Her life is positive in so many ways but she has this elusive sense that she’s meant to be doing something more.

Can you relate?

I can.  I’ve been there.  And what I’ve discovered is sometimes we overthink things.  We make things too big, too complex, too intimidating.  We minimize and discount the success we’re already experiencing. We focus too much on what we haven’t yet done, we compare ourselves to others and we feel inadequate.

We are told that to uncover our mission, we need to identify our unique skills and abilities and then make consciously plan how we’ll make our mark on the world.

And sometimes that systematic planned out approach is what happens.

But more often, your mission finds you.

There’s a simple way to know where to invest your energies.  Are you ready for this?

Look at the opportunities that come into your life and then take one small action in a direction that feels right to you.

Stephen Covey writes that in his examination of the habits of world leaders, they didn’t consciously set out with the idea of doing what they later became famous for.  Initially each one took one step in a given direction because that was the area they felt they could contribute.  And then they took another step in that direction, and another and another.

Isn’t taking the next right step much more doable than thinking you need to have an intimidating plan ?  I know for me it is!

One of the ways we trick ourselves into being small is to tell ourselves, this little action that I’m taking doesn’t make a difference.  That keeps us from taking the action or valuing whatever action we take.  And that keeps us from moving forward in a meaningful way.

I have a note on my desk that says, “Slow moving is not stuck.”  That’s my reminder to myself.  You know why I need that?  To counteract the negative voice telling me that I’m not doing enough, I’m not being enough, and I’m never going to be able to be enough or do enough.  Oh, the lies we tell ourselves!

The scary thing is when we don’t recognize we’re lying.

Don’t beat yourself up for not being enough, not doing enough, or for living too small. If you have an opportunity to spread a little bit of light today, to do a kindness for someone else – and that someone might be yourself or your child- go ahead and do it!

Living large starts by fully living the seemingly small moments.

Avivah