Lady on a Mission

Fate is a terrible writer. It’s similar to the weather. Sometimes it’s sunny outside and sometimes it storms.

The moment I heard Donald Miller share this truth, I leaned in.

If fate is such an unpredictable contributor, why do we default to letting it write the pages in our stories? Instead, what if we had the tools to design our lives rather than leaving it all up to destiny.

Recently, I blocked a full hour to join Donald Miller’s goal setting webinar where he discussed his new project, Hero on a Mission. The newly released Life Plan and Daily Planner Course is designed to help you live a life of deep meaning.  Being a planner junkie, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this proven goal setting system and try it out (I’ll share some personal insights on how it’s working soon).

In 2020, most of us would agree that fate was in a bad mood. A terribly bad mood. Just when we think 🤔 COVID numbers are going down, they spike right back up. Right when our kids get back into schools, they revert back to hybrid and virtual learning. This yoyo affect has made my ENTJ, Enneagram 8, strategic brain dizzy.  On the whole, most of us prefer a straightforward plan full of predictability, success and peace. However, if fate is not going to calm down for awhile, then I need to switch up how I’m approaching what it means to live a life full of meaning.

Donald Miller discusses the dichotomy of internal versus external control. An internal locus of control is the belief that one can control her own life. An external locus of control is the reverse. It’s the approach that a person’s successes or failures are determined by outside factors and circumstances.  Research has consistently revealed a positive association between external locus of control and depression. With depression and other mental health issues being on the rise, this correlation seems extremely relevant to all of us right now.

Take a moment and reflect on where your locus of control lies. Do you often feel you’re at the mercy of everything and everyone else? Or do you intentionally live life with habits and routines that result in met goals?

As I work through this course and life planner myself, it will be fun to share insights and personal progress with you. For now, I want to leave you with  the perspective that woke me up last week. It begins with two options:  1) I can choose to wake up each day and experience a life lacking meaning where fate is the main author OR  2) Begin each day intentionally co-writing my story with fate. Unfortunately, our world will always be struggling with some form of chaos. It could be another health pandemic, hurricanes, wildfires, political upheaval or an economic recession.  We cannot control all of the external factors that come our way, but we can be the lead author of our own stories.

If this resonates with you in the same way it did with me, and you’d like to develop a stronger internal locus of control, then visit www.heroonamission.com for more. Huge gratitude for Donald Miller for providing inspiration along with the practical resources to move towards a life full of meaning.

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