Henry David Thoreau said Do what you love. Know your own bone; gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still.
I love that! What great advice. Do what you love. That first part throws many for a loop. For whatever reason they’ve found it tough to really be able to spend the time doing the things they love to do. Life always seems to get in the way. Marriage, kids, making money, paying the mortgage, growing up. Before you know it…the years have flown by and you are a long way from doing the things you really love to do. It seems you only have the time to do the things you need to do.
How about the next part of Thoreau’s quote? “Know your own bone.” What does he mean by that? I think he means know your core. Know the things deep down that make you tick…those things that really light you up and get you going. Of course the problem here is that so very few people know what it is they really love. They’ve been out of touch with that part of their lives for so long they’ve forgotten what their passions are all about.
Now for the last part. “Gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still.” Dig up that thing inside you that makes up your core. Dig it up and chew on it, bury it deep and dig it up again. Grab it and hold it in your hand…look at it from every angle and then go for it. Build it, run it, invest it, write it, sing it, paint it, hike it, climb it, play it, ride it, drive it, but whatever you do…don’t let go. Never forget the rush of doing the things that you were born to do.
So…is it time for a quest for your holy grail? The grail in this case is your destiny. Do you know your bone? Are you ready to dig it back up? It’s laying there, deep under layers of dirt and years of being forgotten…just waiting for you to take it up again. Today’s the day. If you aren’t living the life you always dreamed of you only have yourself to blame.
Remember Thoreau’s other famous quote. He really had a thing for bones and marrow. I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life…to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
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