“The future has an ancient heart.”

I love this line from Italian writer Carlo Levi. The thought is that you are who you are from the moment you’re born, and the future reveals what’s always been there.

If you’re struggling with where you’re headed, look back at where you were when you were 5, 10, 15, 20…

• What were the big stepping-stones, the points in your life when you were headed one way, then changed direction and headed another?
• What’s always made you laugh?
• What’s always made you cry?
• Who did you love hanging out with?
• What did you want to be when you grew up?
• What sparked your interest at different ages?
• What projects or ideas fully engaged you?
• What tasks have you always avoided?
• What’s always scared you?
• What were you doing at different times in your life when you were at your best?
• What have you tried to do that’s always been a disaster?
• What have you never struggled with that’s always been a success?
• What were you doing when you were at your happiest?
• If your life were a novel, what’s the next logical step for your character to take?

Part of changing habits is looking for patterns in your existing habits. What are the constants in your life that bring you joy? As author Cheryl Strayed says, “You can’t fake the core.” You can ignore it. You can stall. Or you can move forward.

Who are you at your core – across time, across different settings, and with the strange mix of people who have been part of your life?

Now what’s the next stepping stone for you?

Cheers from sunset at the beach with Amazing Grace