August 2007 Newsletter
Online Issue # 16

Practice Page

Here are a few more ideas for you to think about, write about, talk about, wonder about—on your own or with a friendly companion.

The One Word

Sometimes when I'm meeting with a client I'll ask for the one word that comes closest to revealing what they are meant to do with their life. If it seems helpful, I offer a few different examples: invent, guide, stone, color, improvement, fabric. My purpose is not to identify a next occupation or career, but rather to consider a particular way of being in the world and to brainstorm options that, at least on the surface, appear to be related to the chosen word.

Once we have a word to work with, my next question might be: So then, who gets to invent? ...Who gets to be a guide? ...Who gets to work with stone? ...Who gets to focus on color? ...Who gets to do improvement? ...Who gets to be with fabric?

As you can imagine, questions like the above quickly and easily reveal a web of possibility, all connected to one word.

A Word for You

Can you come up with a word from your life that captures the essence of what you love and are meant to be/ do? If so, write it down. If not, listen for several minutes to whatever words occur to you and write each one on a piece of paper, without critique or evaluation. Then look over your list and select the word that feels best to you right now.

Example:

Let's say you select the word “home.”

Your next step will be to pose a question using this word, similar to the questions I offered above: Perhaps “Who gets to work with home?” or “Who gets to focus on home?”

Repeat the question several times to make certain you like the sound and feel of it. Then record any ideas you have in response to the question, again without judgment. Our example might include the following ideas, and more:

Who gets to work with home?

homemaker
interior decorator
bed & breakfast owner
real estate agent
kitchen designer
menu planner
home improvement writer
feng shui consultant
dog walker / pet sitter
insurance agent
home cleaning service
estate sale service
home appraiser
home inspector
garden designer
antiques seller
home magazine editor
architect
home builder
home remodeler
furniture designer
upholsterer
home-based business owner
home goods buyer
and many, many more....

The point of making a list is to expand your perspective about who gets to focus on what you love. Don't worry if you are listing some things that hold no appeal for you. Each item on your list is simply a possible connection to even more things that you might love doing.

Your list is a lot like the path from the parking lot to the trailhead: a starting point for an exploration that leads you to discover more about what really matters to you.

Laurie Mattila
© August 2007

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