“I needed to find and pursue my singular purpose—one that was meaningful to me, and had an impact on others, and also told the world, I’m a person of value. I needed to choose the correct path, preferably yesterday but by tomorrow at the very least. My eighty-year-old self depended on it.” -Suleika Jaouad
The word, purpose, is a word I have held space with, pondered and journaled about frequently during the past ten years.
- Later today, I will be discussing the “On Purpose” chapter of The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad with kindred friends. Reading this chapter allowed me to revisit the transitions, heart-breaking realities and healing revelations of that decade.
Years when I was processing the unexpected, ongoing reality that my life was so very separate from my adult children and my grandchildren.
Somewhat unwittingly, I had previously considered a large part of my purpose to prioritize time for my children (and grandchildren). Because for the better part of over two decades, caring for my children was my primary purpose.
- Then my children became adults, moving into their own lives and purposes. Each of them always living several states away (and one of my sons lived in Japan for three years).
- Suddenly it became apparent that the family dinners, birthday and holiday celebrations I had envisioned were not going to be possible.
“I journaled without any expectation of what those pages [about purpose] would become.” -Suleika Jaouad
My personal journaling practice became my planning practice decades ago while I was in graduate school. It was sacred space to explore what I was feeling and envisioning, but also what I was longing for, processing and grieving.
That practice eventually led me to edit my story, and to prioritize what gives me joy—and fosters my curiosity.
My practice led to me understanding that my worth is not tied to my service to other people—a belief that previously kept me captive to trying harder and doing more.
It helped me to see beyond the faulty stories I kept telling myself.
“I do not confine myself to a single purpose—it changes every day.” -Suleika Jaouad
Braveheart, my “purpose” is to live free: to love and create and rest, to abide in the sunlight, to meditate and savor sky views and celebrate 🎉 the moments of my living.
Finding purpose is a continuous process that evolves and redefines itself within us. It is shaped by our ongoing choices regarding our Life Quads 🧮 (wellness, relationships, being/doing, home-as-sanctuary).
It is absolutely vital to stay open and curious—and to trust ourselves and our pace.
When my mother passed three years ago, it felt oddly like a spell had been broken. I began to see familial relationships as they were—not as I wished and needed for them to be.
The months and events that followed fostered a season of healing, and reformulate my beliefs about [purpose].
My purpose is to be and do whatever I need to foster my well-being.
Right brain planning (jotted notes, color vents, collage and doodles of our ponderings and dated mental wanderings) are the data + a map of our living, serving as a tangible chronicle of:
- questions and wishes
- keywords and phrases
- daydreams and nighttime dreams
- what we feel and think
- what we want to experience
- what we need to foster our well-being
- what we want to discover and learn about
Our right brain chronicles can become a sacred space for processing what we need and desire—space where we observe and process the data of our living to make choices (and prioritize) what matters most to us.
✅ Related: This morning I enjoyed listening to this video: Suleika Jaouad On Writing and Painting OUT of Despair. And I recently published my [review notes] + favorite prompts from Suleika Jaouad’s New Year’s Journaling Project
Thank you kindly for your presence here, Braveheart. 💗
I appreciate your interest and support.
~love & good wishes~
⭐️ I am an artist and curator; I am one who communicates with color, found words and collage, inky marks and doodles as I cycle like the moon (as my calendar), chronicling oracles and abiding with the sky as a meditation.
⭐️ I host creative communities, safe spaces for gathering and sharing. I choose love and creativity for coping with the ongoing challenges of this world and I go to work—not because everything is fine but because I believe art heals.
❤️ Braveheart, as the Creator/Artist of Right Brain Planner I am ever-grateful to have the opportunity to share my creative work online + support other creators! 🎉 For almost 20 years I have had the privilege of sharing my art and writing about right brain planning while also hosting kindred 👭🏽💞👭 communities. ✨ I consider it an absolute 🤸 delight to continue this portion of my creative 📝🖌️✂️🫧 work (even as I retire from full-time work).
- This is possible, in part, by {you} and your presence here. But also because of the support of my Ko-fi patrons and the other member/subscriber communities I host (via their presence, input and paid subscriptions). 🫶
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If you already have your own system of creative journal-planning, but are interested in financially supporting my creative work, you may do so by making a donation:
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