ChelseyHauge
  • Home
  • Research
    • Global Networks, Local Reels
    • Viral Girl Power
  • Media & Art
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • C.V.
  • Home
  • Research
    • Global Networks, Local Reels
    • Viral Girl Power
  • Media & Art
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • C.V.

Crafting a Purpose Statement That Can Guide, Brighten, and Ground You

5/10/2018

0 Comments

 
Crafting a purpose statement, and revisiting that statement regularly can help to ground you in yourself and to foster a life that resonates with who you are and what you most desire. Thinking about doing this, though, can feel daunting and intimidating. 

Take a moment and go read Robert Frost's poem. What are the many paths that you might have walked? That you may still walk? All of us are capable of writing myriad stories about our lives. It is about choosing what we want, choosing where and when we feel most resonant, and knowing- always- that you can forge a new path, do a u-turn, or stop and rest any time you need. So, first of all- if you have not already worked on your values, go back and do that. 

And so, let's play.  Nothing is set in stone. We're just... playing with purpose. Give yourself the chance to just imagine what your purpose could be. 

Begin with your values: make a list for yourself. 

Mine are:
  1. collaborative environment, communities of youth & women, working with others
  2. my family and children, time with my family
  3. art and creative expression, storytelling and media-making, craft-doing, connecting with others about creative stuff, making in collaboration with others, writing
  4. justice, changing the world, building community 

Now, get a blank piece of paper. The goal here is to brainstorm verbs that resonate with how you might like to do your goals. Write everything down. Do not discriminate- it's just a brainstorm! We want a whole bunch of verbs to pick from. 

Now, use those verbs alongside your values to craft a couple of purpose statements. Be creative- draw, make maps, whatever. Be silly- just imagine. It doesn't matter if your first couple of attempts are weird or not "it." Just keep going. Imagine yourself clearing the way to get to something. 

As you iterate, take some time to reflect. Which statement feels best? Are there certain pieces, words, or ideas you want to pull from different versions? 

Imagine! Create! And once you're happy... read your purpose statement every morning. Post it where it is visible and you can see it. Remind yourself where you are going... 

​Here are some of my initial attempts at crafting my purpose statement. 



Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Dear Left Breast, Today is Our Four Year Mastectomy-Versary.

5/9/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Dear Left Breast,
 
It’s been exactly four years, since I last stood with you in a dressing room at the hospital and made Sam take pictures of you. Four years since Dr. Yoga Surgeon and Dr. Serious Surgeon chopped you, plopped you in a petri dish, and sent you out with the hospital trash. Four years since you had your last moments, since you sacrificed your life on my body so I could keep living.
 
I don’t have much to say Left Breast.

We wrote a song about you.
 
I miss you and even though Dr. Yoga Surgeon did a very superb job of matching you, you don’t match exactly.
 
Your buddy, Right Breast, got to breastfeed baby Mica for nine months. We missed you terribly when my poor raw nipple really needed a break, but we got through it.
 
I’m still proud of you, Left Breast. I miss you. Like, a lot. My back and side and fake boob are numb- they are not full of feeling like you were. Amazingly, the scars are nearly invisible. They’ve faded back into me.
 
The implant is hard and tight, and I can always feel the tightness. I don’t think about you, or the cancer very often, but there’s always a sense about your presence in my body. The implant is underneath my muscle, so whenever I flex my pectoral it gets all bunched up and wrinkly, and I don’t like that very much. It doesn’t jiggle or move, and when I lay flat on my back it stays in the same sloped position it is in when I’m standing up.
 
I’m very alive, and I have three beautiful children, and we’re back in California where we always wanted to be.
 
But really, all I’ve got to say, Left Breast, is that I’m still here. I’m listening to my heart more now, and I think you’d be proud. Thank you for taking the cancer away. Thank you for helping me survive. See you on the other side. Here's some pictures to show you how far we've come. 

<3 Me
 


​
 


0 Comments

The Path to Purpose is Through Your Values

5/7/2018

0 Comments

 

Purpose is everywhere lately. Purpose, purpose, purpose. Follow your heart.
 
Who hasn’t heard about this? It’s everywhere, but I catch myself wondering… what does that even mean?
 
Your purpose is the final answer to why you are doing something. It is the answer that is so resonant that it feels settled and whole and real in the bottom of your belly.
 
Finding your life purpose is a practice. It is an iterative practice: we may have many purposes over our lives and purpose can shift and grow and change.
 
So- how do you get there? How do you identify what is your purpose?
 
Take a second, and get quiet. Be still. Quiet enough to hear that faint voice inside your belly.
 
Turn your brain off. Turn your heart on. I think it’s helpful to actually turn off an imaginary switch near your ear, and turn on an imaginary switch over your heart.
 
Take a piece of paper and fold it into quarters. Now, to help you figure out what your purpose is…
 
Part One:
On the top left corner, I want you to write words and draw pictures about the times in your life when you felt happiest. Who was there? What were you doing? Really think about each of the experiences, and the qualities that made you really happy and alive related to that experience. Label those qualities for each experience.  

On the top right corner, brainstorm about the time you felt most proud and visionary. What was happening? How did you feel, and what were you doing? Again, label the qualities.  

On the bottom left, note experiences where you have lost track of time because you were so engrossed, so in love, or having so much fun. Remember them in detail, and consider the qualities for each experience.
 
Part Two:
Review each of these life-giving experiences. What do you see across these stories? What are the qualities that keep showing up? What people, communities, relationships, or activities do you see in more than one place on your paper? In the remaining quadrant, list those qualities/ideas/activities that show up for you in multiple places. These are your values.  
​
Ok- so now we’ve got an idea of your values. Like your purpose, your values will probably shift and change. You might want to add to them or change them- and you can. This is a living document. You can see mine at the bottom of this post (and yours doesn't have to look exactly like this, and you don't have to share with anyone, so let yourself be creative!). 

But- to get to our purpose, we need to know what we hold most dear. Check out my next post to learn more about how to move from identifying and working with our values to shining a light on and discovering our purpose. 

Picture
0 Comments

    Chelsey Hauge

    Chelsey is a digital storyteller, geek, mama, researcher and yogi. She loves to make things and her favorite food is artichokes. 

    Archives

    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    May 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Home
Research
media & art
workshops
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.