Follow Your Bliss
This is a great activity for a free day. Give yourself permission today to do the "work" of being in touch with what brings you alive.
“Follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.” - Joseph Campbell
Joseph Campbell’s invitation to follow your bliss is often misunderstood as permission to chase whatever feels pleasant or easy. What he meant is pay attention to what fills you with real aliveness, the kind that feels true in your bones. The aliveness that is true only for you, and can only be uncovered by you.
Bliss is the clue that begins the quest to discover what gives your life meaning and purpose, and to finding your own path rather than walking someone else’s. When you are in your bliss, ego concerns dissolve and you are no longer thinking about your image, your to-do list, or the preoccupations of ordinary life. It seems you step outside of time and become completely absorbed. Following your bliss is not about arriving somewhere, but about fully living the journey itself.
This is the work of a lifetime, but it begins with a small step. Today I invite you to take that step.
Set aside a little quiet time. Sit with a notebook and take three slow breaths. Ask yourself: “What brings me alive?” “What do I keep returning to?” or “Where do I feel real enthusiasm, not just obligation?” Write down whatever arises, even if it feels small, impractical, or silly. A clue could be to think about what brought you the most joy when you were younger.
Choose one small way to follow that thread today. Send the email. Pull out the paints. Read the book. Sign up for the class. Give ten minutes to the thing that makes you feel most like yourself. The act can be small, but it is a starting point.
At the end of the day, pause and notice what happened when you moved toward your bliss. Did something soften in you? Did you forget yourself a little? Did time open? Can you feel the flame of your bliss alive inside you even now?
In the following days, continue to touch base with your bliss; notice signs of it around you and court it.
Learn more about Joseph Campbell from his seminal interview with Bill Moyers.