Inter-Esse
Questions That Animate
Deep Concerns
Abiding Interests
A brief workshop for self-discovery
If you are like most people you have abiding interests in life, interests playing in the background that quietly orient your thoughts and moods and motivations, weaving themselves through your heart and mind for years. Not just one, and not hundreds, but more like half a dozen.
Imagine yourself standing waist-deep in a river current, or possibly a calm lake, or maybe an ocean tide. That is the sensation of being in the midst of something. Thoughts that subtly cling to us enduring over time form that sort of psycho-emotional environment in which we stand. You may detect a pattern of how these guiding motives pop to the surface in your interactions. Now it is time to take stock of them. What questions, persistent desires, or frames of mind do you find yourself “in the midst of?”
Abiding interests are a unique persistent set of lifeworld orientations that tell of the way you perceive and value people, use objects and how you make your social surround meaningful. They create enduring points of reference, defining criteria for action that grow with you over much of your lifespan. They are nearly always there. They might even seem to nudge you from time to time, almost as if to say they've not yet had their day in the sun.
This newsletter is intended to stimulate your abiding interests. Give yourself a moment to reflect. Take a look in the mirror, so to speak, to recognize and acknowledge your abiding concerns for what they are and the value they represent to you. Does anyone you know hold and affirm the same interests as you? How rich is it when you find someone who does? Let’s come to terms with this internal power that orients our lives.
To begin, take a step back from your daily life long enough to listen within. What is it you most feel the need to guard, defend, explore, or appreciate? What resonates with your inner vision of a fully lived life? What really moves you? Unexpectedly makes you laugh? Or, brings you to tears? If someone who knew you well summed you up perfectly in three or four sentences, how would they capture your spirit and describe what they see when these interests suddenly become manifest?
You may have instantaneous answers. Or, your thoughts may need to be peeled back a few layers first. It’s all right. Take your time. Only don't allow yourself to be distracted. Leave the superficial behind for fifteen minutes and reflect.
As you consider your vision, think about the concreteness of your situation. That is, how are your deep concerns expressed in the real world? Then look a bit deeper. How would you describe in rich detail the essential nature of your interest?
Are you living it already? Are you responding authentically to your heart's desire, your connections and involvements in your day-to-day living? Describe that feeling. What does it look like? What’s your language like? How do you handle yourself with others? Make your personal perspective, your abiding interest clear and meaningful for you.
It's not unusual that our underlying interests in life are only partially played out in our work or hobbies. If so, great, but why not dig a little deeper. It is time to unravel what is raveled until you arrive at the simple essences that drive you. Excavate them from the sedimented profusion of distractions that make up daily living.
As you read this you may realize that your life, your work, and your abiding interests are all one. That would put you in a very select class of people. Enjoy your season of intentionality. For the rest still reading this, it’s time to take action.
ACTION STEP ONE: WRITE
Take a pad and pen (or your smartphone) with you over the coming week. Keep note of what your interests are. Feel free to express them the moment they hit you, whether thoughts surface as declarative statements, emotions without object, subtle questions large and small, key words that spring to mind, or entire paragraphs. Zero in on the substance of your mind. I am asking that you open yourself up and remain open to all the possibilities, to all that you most truly are. Not what others close to you or your larger culture would mold you into; instead, tap into the authentic stuff that comes from within. Which of your richest inmost thoughts has real staying power?
ACTION STEP TWO: RECAST AS QUESTIONS
Only after you get a considerable distance down that path of outlining your interests should you to take this next step: Recast your interests in question form. Approach your interests respectfully. From the center of your being, how would you word each question so as to honor all aspects of your nature?
To a degree you already live these questions. One might say you already have become these questions. Now I am asking you to step outside yourself and observe your thoughts and interactions with respectful questioning. These are the questions that animate you; they speak of the fundamental nature of your abiding intentions in life. Allow them to become projects in and of themselves.
Let yourself go deep down inside to meet your inmost self. There you will find sustained curiosities that are most true about you. One form of success is to orient yourself to the character of the particular mystery that make you who you really are. Grasping the mystery should generate action sensitive knowledge. If so, anticipate developing new tactics and strategies to fully engage life.