Apparently everyone has a personal destiny. One where their greatness tangoes in perfect step with meaningful purpose and arrives upon a masterpiece that will be remembered long after the individual is forgotten.
I doubt most of us find our personal destiny. I haven’t found mine yet. It certainly isn’t to sail about, blogging, and taking on jobs here and there. There is something more. A further horizon. A bigger challenge. A more meaningful purpose. So today, in hopes of finding my personal destiny, I began a deeper search.
My first inquiry was with a source that many of us often turn to. It wasn’t elders or teachers or spiritual leaders. My guru was Google. And you know what I learned? You can discover your personal destiny for just $24.99! But since I don’t have $24.99 I’ll keep Googling.
January 5th, 2010 at 1:09 am
Well…all I can say is “you ain’t alone, kid”. Me? I’m 52. Been doing something I love for 36 years now and would not have traded it for anything else…uh, almost. I have found that when I have been most contented with my life, no matter what I was engaged in, even apart from my job; it was when I was serving another bigger cause that I thrived. The trick is in accepting the fact that unless you rotate or change your service often enough, you develop yourself a rut, that you grind away in for who knows how long. You were an active teacher right? A very noble service if not the most unappreciated. You and millions others, all of us can fall victim to the “rut”. The trick is to find a way to keep focused on the part of yourself you are “giving” to the bigger cause, and let that be an inspiration and rejuvenation. I’m going out on a bit of a limb here but I will say I bet even Mother Theresa had moments of questioning her Personal Destiny? Solution? It’s different for each of us. If I were you I’d be seriously considering the Peace Corp, but that’s just me. I have always wanted to “make a difference” in the world and lives of others, just never made it my goal, my Personal Destiny. But…the year is young, and today IS the first day of the rest of my life.
Fair Winds and God Speed young lady!
January 5th, 2010 at 1:20 am
Gosh , Teresa , such a heavy thought , but then maybe sailors do have such heavy thoughts, or maybe they don’t !
I remember that L & L say things like ,,,, we will go , until it is not fun, anymore , and of course they don’t like to disclose their future plans, because they say,,,, “Plans Change” !
If you are enjoying the journey , maybe that is all that is needed .
Do you have a “Bucket List” ?
I like what Roz Savage, the ocean rower, did . On her row across the Alantic , she wrote her own obituary, then changed her life to act out the obiturary, that she wanted to read about herself ,,,,, preaty good idea , I would say !
January 5th, 2010 at 7:51 am
When we are in our 20’s life is infinite and we are invincible. When we are in our 30’s, we start understanding who we are. When we are in our 40’s we start to realize how finite we are.
January 5th, 2010 at 9:32 am
Just when I think I have found mine…something changes and I find myself searching once again. I think when we stop searching we’ve given up on the “something more”. I do believe many of us sell ourselves short and do not consider the bigger challenges, but I can tell you, at the age of 62, my recent and new ideas have once again rekindled my thoughts about my purpose and my personal destiny…now to decide how I can get on the new path. Getting out of ones self made rut seems at first to be more than obtainable, but I dont think so. I’d like to think that my masterpiece is much like others, taking a life time to achieve, but there to be remembered…and perhaps admired in some ways.
January 5th, 2010 at 9:39 am
Steve Pavlina talks a lot of sense without taking your hard earned dollars:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/
January 5th, 2010 at 9:50 am
Can you send me the link for the $24.99 destiny discoverer tool? Who knows, maybe they’ve figured it out?
Here is another random sailors musings on this subject over the course of a year. I know that I, and I think many people, think on a very big scale when they try to discover their destiny. I am starting to think small may be the way to go.
January 5th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Teresa, Part of your destiny,purpose…is to make some of us dream.
Thanks
Rick
January 5th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Our destiny is the process itself. There’s no goal that we have to discover although most of us will keep on searching. There’s just the process - our life. And the most important thing is to enjoy every second of it even if it hurts. It is like running a marathon – I know I can’t win but I love it! Will I still love it if I choose to run in different direction? Yes! And that is probably even more exciting - to swim against the stream…
January 5th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Lee! I always love your comments. They are funny and meaningful too. Please keep sending them. And give me a call.
Rick, You are a gem. I will do my best to make people dream…it is such a huge responsibility.
Mother, Whats your new plan? Do tell! I’m hoping you are getting back to some of the arts and crafts you used to do when I was little. Gammy and Nunu were artists, so its in your blood!
January 5th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
You are there?! The one painting you remember, you insist was paint by number, and it wasn’t……perhaps I SHOULD revisit that area of my life……but that wasn’t what I was thinking about…..honestly, I think your gut was right, I am not artist……..I think I need to share my “talents” with people in ways that will brighten their day…..ohhhhhhhh so many ideas……now if it would only stop snowing! I am trying to remember what my thoughts for my destiny were when I was your age…….I think it was you.
January 5th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Oh Mum. You are too sweet. Destiny accomplished. But perhaps you are the artist you hope to be. I remember your paint-by-number painting. But I was thinking more about your pottery and stained glass. But you are right about brightening people’s day. I have always been convinced that you could be a Party Planner (weddings and events) or an Interior Designer. You already have a portfolio, and I could build you a website!
Just let me know!
T
January 5th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
You’ve got that right….accomplished! how sweet life is
January 5th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Teresa, I was just dreaming of salt air and warm breezes and then I opened my eyes and I was still at my desk in New Mexico. I was wondering if you have made it far enough South to miss the cold front in Fld.
Rick
January 5th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
I think I’ve decided to stop looking for my destiny. Destiny seems to be a pretty wily creature, one that’s good at hiding.
So I’ll just take life one step at a time, one day at a time, one small goal at a time, and hope that destiny finds me at some point.
How’s the weather? Cold? Here in TN, it’s 14 degrees, and we’re freezing our butts off.
January 5th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
I think you have to start looking for your personal density it’s much eaiser to find.
January 5th, 2010 at 11:48 pm
Jack, Welp, I must be looking in all the wrong places then because it hasn’t been an easy route for me. And trust me, I am constantly searching. Thats how I get where I am.
Teresa
January 6th, 2010 at 10:48 am
I can’t tell you how much I admire you and what you are doing. I frequently talk of you and your blog with my boyfriend. I’m surprised to see you asking yourself the question that I so often struggle with. I thought you had figured it out and were living it and I wanted what you had. In a way, its really nice to know that I’m not alone and that people who I thought knew what they wanted out of life don’t really know. I like what Rick said about people getting into a rut. If we recognize that we are in a rut then we should be able to take action to get out of it too. I’m currently trying to find ways out of my rut. I think its all mental and my attitude.
I do wonder though if finding our destiny, finding happiness and contentment is truly achievable. I know there is progress that can be made because I’m happier today than I was 3 years ago…but I’m no where close to that picture in my mind.
January 6th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Dear Christina….the grass is alwasy greener……….and when we stop experiencing or trying new things, perhaps that is a sign of unhappiness…..you are far from alone, just one of the smarter ones to realize what you are verbalizing…I would venture to say that most of us get into ruts, the unhappy ones do nothing about it…..searching for 100% happiness, every day, is not realistic, but finding pleasure in what you are doing and who you are with is a great deal of the struggle………it is good to step back and appreciate what we have accomplished and what we have, it goes a long way to remind us that we can be happy……
January 6th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
I was joking a bit in my post. Like in the Malt shop scene in Back to the Future,where Crispin Glover said to Lea Thompson ” you are my density” insted of destiny. What’s life without humor?
January 6th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Oops! Hah! I didn’t even notice the miss-spelling.
January 6th, 2010 at 8:39 pm
Hi Teresa
Well…
Destiny you can not find anywere,you can not see it.
It´s not out there.
You can run all over the world to find it,and you never will.
Because you will only find it wen you stop search it out side and start looking inside of you,it was all ways there whaiting for you.
The good news is you don´t have to do big things or small things for otheres to have a destiny.
Destiny is inside of you,and you get it wen you face your depth fears in your soul and be free from it.
January 6th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
I think these lyrics from James Taylor speak volumes…”the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time”
January 6th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Teresa,
Destiny is truly an individual pursuit. My husband has always known since he was little that he wanted to be a pilot. Flying is his life and he has been lucky enough to be able to do it for his whole life. I’ve never really had a calling and when I turned 50 I guess I began to panic a little, feeling like the time was slipping away and I had little to show for it. Then one day I had an epiphany of sorts. It ocurred to me as I looked at my kids and my husband that if the only thing that they put on my headstone was “She loved, and she loved well”, then that was not only enough, it was good.
I wish you the best on your journey,
Deb
January 7th, 2010 at 12:59 am
Hey I will be buying a boat in SC soon, and sailing it to Texas. When I get it if you ever want to hook up and form a pod let me know. my email is romfromwow@gmail.com
have a good one
Brad
January 7th, 2010 at 10:36 am
Teresa, I think you’ve hit a nerve on “Destiny”. Interesting responses.
Life is good, along with most people.
Rick
January 7th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Personal destiny…how very,very hard to figure out sometimes. The search alone might be enough. I recently returned from a 5-month sailboat cruise with my wife and six year old son after quitting my job, with which I was unhappy (after 7 years). As boat rebuilding, and a new family took my time and money over those years, I never made a move to change my job, always remaining unhappy with it –not a major issue, just a simmering discontent, tolerable, but not for the long term. I often pondered the question of what my destiny was. If I was so unhappy in the job, why was I doing it, etc. Then we left on the cruise, and had a wonderful time over five months.
Now, back in our hometown, the question arises of what kind of work I should do and, in a way, the question of personal destiny. In my 40s, what kind of job do I feel is a valuable way to spend my somewhat limited time in life left to me ? What job –personal destiny?– would make me want to get out of bed every morning and feel like it’s worth living for? OK, maybe a job is not always a personal destiny –that’s too black and white– but what impulse, set of values, types of people– inspire me? And how can I roll that into what I would do every day for work? As Deb put it in her post above (Jan 6), looking at one’s life (my life!), not having a “calling”, how can I feel happy with myself, knowing that I lived my life well? Perhaps by just knowing that I loved my family, and loved well.
I’m a well-educated professional, as is my wife, also in her 40s, who like Deb’s husband, has a sense of calling in the work she does, always knew what she wanted to do. (My wife, fortunately, still has her job as she was able to take a leave of absence, providing us an unemployment cushion for me as I ponder my destiny
) In all seriousness, though, I find your question on your sailing journey and journey of life very interesting –I think we all do. We all need to ask ourselves this question, but maybe not too deeply, for fear of being disappointed too often!
Try to live in the moment, enjoy the moment and the people around you, and be open to change and ideas. That’s what I tell myself, even though it’s certainly not easy. Maybe part of it is looking deep into oneself, to face one’s fears, in order to know oneself as much as possible, to lay bare the truth about oneself, and being happy with it.
January 10th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Hi Teresa!
Just found your blog. Cracking stuff!
I’m about to embark on a little adventure myself and have found your blog a great insight. I’m buying my boat within the next few weeks. I’ve linked blogs. Take care.
Jim
January 13th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Free spirit and enjoying life to its fullest, especially when your young. Life’s journey goes fast.
One of your mom’s friends
Patti
January 13th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Destiny? I believe there is no “there”. It’s all about the journey … no beginning, no ending. One’s “pupose”, one’s joy is found in the now.
That settled … what’s for dinner?
January 26th, 2010 at 11:01 am
Thoughts flow through the universe in a guided direction, intitiated by individual ideas tossed out into the plane of our existence. It is there that we scoop them up into our concious minds and deposit their interpretation knowingly or unknowingly into our subconcious mind. From that place is where we grow our life experiences.
simply put. your ideas and thoughts are affecting me and everyone else who reads them. They are each a brick, layed gently in the wall of the castle that we are building that is our life. They might seem small and insignificant at times, but they each have a place in the foundation of our beliefs.
thanks.