This morning I find myself at the intersection of what I want to do and what I need to do. What I need to do is the work that pays my bills, at least for the near future. And what I want to do is the work of my soul, the work that’s not really work but more my passion come-alive.

I imagine that I’m like a lot of people at a crossroad in life. We begin our adult journey in pursuit of a buck, trying to pay the bills and find that elusive feeling of stability. And then hopefully somewhere along the way, we wake up and discover that the road less traveled is more interesting and life-affirming than the road unraveled.

So as I sit here this morning, I’m curious about your clarion call to action. What will it take to move you in the direction of your dreams? Is it courage? Money? A clear vision? Mortality?  Something else? 

A sense of my own mortality seems to work for me. Last week a friend passed away at the age of 76. Bill had heart transplant surgery not long ago. And in a television interview he mentioned that his doctors told him that the surgery had probably bought him another ten or fifteen years of life. I watched that interview last week, a couple of days after my friend’s death and less than two years after the surgery.

So my questions to you are these: Are there things you want to achieve in your life? Is there work left to do? What will it take for you to move through the intersection, away from need and toward a life of passion, intention, gratitude, and grace?

Whatever your answers, remember this: You have exceptional gifts. Use them.