Cloudy with a chance of purpose
Hope you're having a great Wednesday!
Today, I'd like to start by sharing an exercise from a friend and fellow retirement newsletter author, Jeri.
In the March 4th installment of her weekly email newsletter, Rockin' The Third Act, Jeri shares a simple, yet potentially powerful exercise that I'd like to pass along to you.
From her newsletter:
Instructions: Click this link to open a free Word Cloud app called WordItOut. (A word cloud is a collection, or cluster, of words depicted in different sizes. The bigger and/or bolder the word appears, the more often it’s mentioned within a given text.) Grab a timer and set it for 3 minutes. In the box titled “original text” write everything that you have enjoyed doing (or plan to enjoy doing) in the last third of your life. Write down anything that comes into your head! It can be work-related, family-related, community-related, vacation-related – anything at all! Don’t stop until the timer does. Push yourself to continue writing for the full 3 minutes. After 3 minutes are up, set the timer for 3 more minutes. Write down everything you want to do in the next third of your life in the same box. It can be things you wish you’d done in the last third, or just things you’re looking forward to in the next. Again, push yourself to write for the full 3 minutes. Write down everything that comes to your mind.
When you’re done, push the button marked “generate.”
Takeaway: What are the biggest words? How are they related? Does this give you a starting place for researching things that may have meaning for you?
Note: Don’t write full sentences and try not to write filler words like “I’ve enjoyed” and “I want to.” Just write what the action or event was. For example, write “riding horses” not “I like riding horses.”
Try it! What do you have to lose other than 6 minutes of your life?
To give you a better idea of the end result, here's Jeri's personal word cloud she created going through her own exercise:
As often as I write about - directly or indirectly - things like purpose, meaning, and living deliberately, I'm excited to share this short, simple exercise with you...
It may just be the spark you need to get your head out of the clouds 😉 and start really making the most of your one shot a living.
Give it a go and let me know what you think!
And pass this along to someone else you believe would benefit from going through this exercise.
Links & Things
Well, here we are once again in the midst of tax season. For some of you, my latest blog post might be timely:
Thank you, as always, for reading.
And if you have any questions or an idea for a future newsletter, blog post, or YouTube video, I'd love your input.
Just hit reply - I read (and appreciate) every email you send.
Until next Wednesday,
Russ