“Because, here’s the thing: If you’re the sort of person who reads articles on how to find your life’s purpose, what you’re ultimately looking for is meaning. And you don’t find meaning by defining what you want and then getting it. You find meaning by serving something higher than yourself. So the central question I would suggest asking yourself is: What will you serve? To what will you dedicate yourself?”
Source: What Will You Serve? | Theodora Goss
I saw this quote on Sophia’s Children: “I know it is possible to create islands of sanity in the midst of disruptive seas. … And I have studied enough history to know that such leaders always arise when they are most needed. Now it’s our turn.” ~ Margaret Wheatley, Who Do We Choose to Be?
And then I found myself re-reading some of Theodora Goss’ older posts, including the one quoted above from a year ago, called “What Will You Serve?”
Like Goss, I planned to be a writer when I was very young. So, I always knew the answer to the question: What Will You Serve? Incorrectly, I thought that finding that answer was half the battle. For some people, it may be. But the road has been a rocky one. I’ve been fairly determined, though, so stay the course in spite of poor barriers writers face these days.
I can’t say that answer that question early in life is any better than answering it later in life. When we answer it later, perhaps we’ll discover we’re serving the destiny or the journey of our lives without pinning a name to it. Many of us have more optimism when we’re young, so I guess if we answer the question then, our hopes and dreams will have enough energy behind them to help us over the rough spots.
Perhaps you’ll enjoy Goss’ post and get a few ideas.
–Malcolm
P.S. My novel “Lena” is on sale on Amazon this weekend for 99¢. I’ll let you be adventurous and find the Kindle edition there without my shamelessly providing a link.
Malcolm's Round Table 
Thank you for sharing, Malcolm. These are worthy “lantern questions” and your insight about how we may well live into the answers without necessarily mapping them out from our intellect at varying times (usually giving an answer someone else has planted into our heads). I enjoyed Theodora’s musing as well. The excerpt you shared reminded me of the now famous David Foster Wallace address, and his insight that “we all worship something” and so it’d be a decent idea now and again to know just what that is. Whom does the Grail serve? 🙂 I’ve enjoyed your musings (and have several to catch up on).
Thank you! From time to time, we need to ask ourselves if we’re serving whom (or what) we thought we were serving.