Years ago I asked my best friend what I was doing on this planet and how I could best be of service. I had just decided to not pursue an academic career after spending a decade of my life thinking that’s what I’d do. I was feeling a little shaky, to say the least.
What he wrote has stayed with me all this time, and it’s what I come back to as a compass:
“You can best be of service by making people feel that they are not alone. That whatever problems they encounter with their thinking, they are not crazy. Whatever mistakes they have made, they are not bad. Whatever has happened in the past, their future is still in front of them.
You can be of service by telling your story. How you decided to fight for your life. How you balance demanding what you deserve with compassion for those you care about. You can be of service by showing everyone that they have inside them what you have in you. A good heart.”
Today, ask a friend who knows you best to share with you why you’re here and how you can be of service. Take their words in. Let them light your way.
…and I’d love to hear what they say!