Exercise 4: Your Successes

Called for Adventure: 12 Exercises to Discover and Live Your Life’s Calling

Exercise 4: Your Successes

Called for Adventure: 12 Exercises to Discover and Live Your Life’s Calling

This is part of a 12-exercise journey to help you discover and live your life’s calling. If you’re just joining us, here are the first three exercises:

• Exercise 1: Committing to the Process

• Exercise 2: Naming Your Big Story

• Exercise 3: Writing Your Origin Story

Up to this point, we’ve been working through the Foundations section—committing to the journey, naming your metanarrative, and writing your origin story.

Starting today, we’re moving into the second phase: Excavation.

Over the next few exercises, we’ll dig into your past experiences—the raw material that will help you discern your calling. We’ll start with something that makes many of us uncomfortable: naming our successes.

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Let’s Talk About Bragging

You know those people who can’t stop talking about how great they are? It’s annoying.

And because of people like that—and their lack of self-awareness—most of us swing the other way. We downplay our accomplishments. We avoid talking about what we’re good at. We don’t want to seem arrogant or cocky.

I get it.

But here’s the truth: you need to get over that, at least for today.

Your successes—at least your perceived ones—have shaped you. They hold clues about your strengths, your passions, and your unique contribution to the world. If you ignore them, you’re ignoring some of the clearest signals pointing toward your calling.

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Your Work

Set aside 10 minutes and grab your journal. Then:

1. Make a stream-of-consciousness list of the five accomplishments in your life that you’re most proud of.

   • For today, focus on work, art, and hobbies.

   • This isn’t about the best things that happened to you (e.g., “She agreed to marry me”), but the best things you’ve done.

   • A helpful trick: Imagine telling your 13-year-old self about what you’ve achieved. What would shock or impress them? Those are your big accomplishments.

2. Read them over several times.
   Own them. Believe them. You did those things. And you will do great things again.

3. Look for a theme or through-line.
   You may find all five share a common thread—or maybe just a few. What strength, passion, or value shows up more than once? That theme is a clue to your calling.

4. Look forward.
   Now, list three accomplishments you’d like to have achieved in the next three years.

   • Don’t overthink it.

   • These should be future successes—specific things you can accomplish, not just positive feelings or vague goals. (For example, “publish a book,” not “write more.”)

5. (Optional) Share one of each in the comments.
   Pick one accomplishment from your past and one you’d like to achieve in the next three years, and share them below.
   Not to brag—but to model the healthy practice of naming what you’re good at and what you’re aiming for. We want to cheer you on.

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Why I Am Offering This Program At No Charge

In this series I’m giving away my very best content—the same material I use in paid workshops and coaching. I know these exercises work and are valuable. They’re the culmination of my life’s work and experience, and I want anyone who needs them to have full access.

That said, I do have real financial needs. This work takes time and energy, and part of how I support myself is through the generosity of this community.

If you’re able, I’d ask you to support my work financially—either by becoming a paid subscriber or giving what feels right to you on Venmo or Buy Me A Coffee. My gamble is simple: that you’ll see the value in what I’m sharing and choose to support it.