Take One Small Step Toward Your Purpose
Day of Hope #129 - Wednesday September 13, 2023
Goal: Trust the direction I'm heading and keep taking one small step toward my purpose
Quote: “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent van Gogh
This Day of Hope was all about taking care of myself.
I spent more than five hours at the Eagle Day Spa, and yes, it was every bit as wonderful as it sounds.
I started with a manicure and chose a cat-eye gel polish. Then I had a foot bath, followed by a microdermabrasion facial and one of the best massages I had experienced in a long time. My massage therapist was wonderful. She was knowledgeable, kind, and had such a great spirit about her.
Her name was Angel.
At the end of my treatment, she said, “I sure hope you enjoy your Day of Hope.” I smiled and told her: “I already did because I got to meet an Angel today.” Sometimes you just have to appreciate when life hands you the perfect line.
Christmas in September
After my long spa day, I went home and continued relaxing. I put on Hallmark Christmas movies. Yes. Christmas movies in September. No judgment. It's my Day of Hope.
I made some hot-air popcorn and savored every bite, did some meditation, and gave myself permission to do absolutely nothing productive for the rest of the day. It was exactly what I needed. But while my actual Day of Hope was about slowing down, some very exciting things were happening with my book and Hopes Highways this month.
One Small Thing Every Day
I received an email from the publishing company with my task list and everything I needed to complete for my book. Seeing all those tasks could have felt overwhelming. Instead, I decided to approach the book the same way I was learning to approach so many things in my life:
One small thing every day.
I don't have to finish everything today. I just need to do something today that helps my future self get where she wants to go. One email. One edit. One decision. One task checked off the list. Keep moving.
I was also thinking about how I wanted to organize all my historical Day of Hope stories on my website. I loved the idea of treating them almost like a television series, with each year becoming its own “season” and the individual Days of Hope becoming the “episodes.”
It gave me another fun way to share this journey, and yes, I was already thinking about how I could market it. I am a CEO now, after all.
Purpose and Goal Holding Hands
I also had another Reiki session this month, and part of the message I received during the session really stayed with me. The message centered around being quiet and still, trusting the direction of my life even during periods of uncertainty, and recognizing that my purpose and my goals were beginning to come together.
One particular image stuck with me: Purpose and goal holding hands. I loved that.
For years, my Days of Hope had been deeply personal. Then they became stories. The stories became a book. The book helped inspire Hopes Highways. And now I was building a business around helping other people find the hope they may have forgotten. My purpose and my goals were no longer living in separate parts of my life.
They were beginning to walk together. Or maybe, since this is Hopes Highways... they were finally traveling down the same road.
And Then Came the Publisher
There was one more pretty incredible development this month. I had decided that I wanted to self-publish my book, but I wasn't sure which company I should use. Then I received an unexpected phone call from Balboa Press. I wasn't sure how they had gotten my information, but I answered.
As we talked, I learned that Balboa Press was connected with Hay House, a name I immediately recognized because so many of the personal-development books sitting on my own shelves had been published by Hay House.
I couldn't believe it. Here I was trying to figure out my next step, and suddenly I was having a conversation with a publishing company that felt connected to the world I had been learning from for years.
My manuscript had already been professionally edited. I had made the decision to move forward. And now I had found a path to publishing it. Whether it was timing, coincidence, or simply the result of continuing to put myself and my work out into the world, I knew one thing:
I was moving forward.
The dream was no longer just about someday writing a book. I had written it. Now it was time to publish it. And instead of worrying about every single thing that still needed to happen, I was going to stick with my plan: Do one small thing every day that my future self will thank me for.
My Lesson of Hope: You don't have to see the entire road before you begin moving toward your purpose. Take one small step. Then another. Pay attention to the opportunities that appear along the way, but keep doing your part. Over time, those small actions begin connecting the pieces of your life. And one day, you may look around and realize that your purpose and your goals are finally holding hands, and heading in the same direction.
