I’ve just returned from an event that I’ve been looking forward to for most of this year. An event I knew I need to attend, but at the same turn, had no idea why exactly.
But, since I am queen of following my intuition and not needing the why to spell itself out for me beforehand, I went to Costa Rica for a week long immersion in what was to be one of the most accelerated life changing experiences of my entire life.
It’s called Awesomeness Fest – and it is awesome per the original definition of the word.
They describe is as a blend between Burning Man and TED talks, but that explanation doesn’t come close to touching the depth and breadth of its impact.
My, slightly lengthier, attempt at explanation reads like this: Imagine you’ve been slung into orbit with a star cluster of people who you’ve known for lifetimes – eons…eternity. It’s a carefully curated closed system, and, in total safety, you joyously begin your revolution together. The environment is so penetratingly positive, so openly abundant, so thick with love, support, upliftment and unbridled fun, you can hardly believe this is life.
Except that it is.
This is life concentrate, and your being bursts open with gratitude.
At the close you walk away with a global family, a tribe of game changers, a soul that is forever altered, and a fricken bonfire under your ass compelling you to examine your own mission, vision, and values.
So that’s where I’ve been, but I’m not going to dive too deeply into the story of it because it truly is one of those experiences you must know for yourself.
However, the insights I gained around mission, vision, and values are something I’m keen to share with you.
Darlings, how many of us can say we clearly know our mission here in this life? How many of us could scrawl it down, or shout it out?
How many of us are so afraid of failing that we don’t even bother to stick a toe into the pool of a mission greater than ourselves?
Before Afest, I thought I knew my mission, however I had this niggling that it wasn’t quite right; it didn’t quite compute.
Then, upon being in the company of these incredible humans with cosmic missions, I knew my own didn’t suit my spirit (if you’re going to dedicate yourself to a mission, it’d better be couture).
Ideas of my previous mission unseated, I was somewhat adrift, but unworried.
When I left the conference, I landed in a small hotel on the sand at Playa Grande to spend a few days debriefing. The second day, while on a walk along the wide white sandy beach with naught a soul to be seen, I asked aloud, “What is your mission?”
No answer.
Again I asked. No answer.
Again I asked.
I must have sounded like a myna bird (were anyone there to listen), the way I chirped the same questions over and over.
But I persisted because I knew without doubt that the answer was in me, and I was not going to let the frustration of thinking that it possibly was NOT inside of me to stop me from hearing the answer. Savvy?
How many times do we take ourselves out of the game before we receive guidance because we’re afraid that it won’t come? Persist, darlings, persist.
After about an hour of asking and walking and swimming and talking, it surfaced.
My mission, as it turns out, is to revolutionize the way people feel, approach, and address work and play – and I have no idea what the implementation of that looks like.
But that’s okay.
Because when you know your mission, the actions you take will support it, and if they do not, you’ll get notice and you’ll course correct. You just have to trust. I have every belief that the work I do now, helping other brilliant souls to communicate their value, will support that mission.
I just don’t know how, and I don’t need to know. It’s very exciting.
Did you know that Elon Musk’s (founder of SpaceX, among other things) mission is to create an interplanetary species and
colonize Mars. Now do you think he knew how before he started down his path? Of course not. Now he’s launching rockets, the physical kind.
So how do you find your mission?
Good question. This is what’s worked for me.
One: Surround yourself with people who have clearly defined missions and are doing work that supports them.
Two: Know your core values. What is your personal guidance system for navigating this life? What are your values? They will always tie into your mission and message.
Three: Ask yourself, what am I passionate about that also improves the quality of life for others.
Four: Listen. Ask. Listen. Repeat. Allow yourself to widen your view of what’s possible. Let your vision go large. Don’t limit yourself. You’ll feel the resonance of it when you get the right answer. Just be patient and persistent and for heaven’s sake, don’t ask for a detailed roadmap from now to mission accomplished. Okay?
And know that you don’t need to have an interstellar mission for it to be worthy. Rejoice in a mission whose reach suits you; just don’t limit yourself out of fear.
We are all here to create and contribute. We are here to live joyously and uplift each other. We are here to expand what’s possible and have a raucous good time of it, and when we focus, we accelerate.
What is your mission? I’d love to hear it.