How To Wander With Purpose

“Everyone has
a plan ’till
they get
punched in
the mouth.”

-Mike Tyson

things change
too quickly
now to have
long-term plans.

we have little,
to no control
over what
happens next.

we have no idea what
new piece of
technology might
launch that could
change everything.

it’s better to have a
bigger purpose and
some firm beliefs
to guide you, than it
is to have a plan.

my purpose & beliefs:

1) make things better
2) do Good
3) work hard

"I don’t have this huge,
overarching plan. I don’t know
what I’m gonna wake up and feel
like doing tomorrow, let alone
five years down the line. I think
that’s enabled me to get to where
I am. I certainly go after what I
want. But I just have detached
amusement about a lot of it.
Because it’s silly. This job is
ridiculous." - Jon Hamm
Jon Hamm:The Last Alpha Male, Details Magazine, October 2010

If you watched a movie about a guy who
wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get
it, you wouldn’t cry at the end when he
drove off the lot, testing the windshield
wipers. You wouldn’t tell your friends you
saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a
record on and think about the story you’d
seen. The truth is, you wouldn’t remember
that movie a week later, except you’d feel
robbed and want your money back. Nobody
cries at the end of a movie about a guy who
wants a Volvo.

A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, Donald Miller, 2009

a story is
a character who
wants something
and overcomes
conflict to
get it. A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, Donald Miller, 2009

a great story is
when the character’s
ambition is selfless
and the conflict
is immense.

most of our
stories right
now are crap.

the good news
is that we
can write
better stories.

a character
is what a
character does.


start small.


start saying yes more.


embrace conflict.

the greater the
conflict, the greater
the story.


create an
inciting incident.

Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

where you do
what you do
matters a lot.


do something
to move your
story forward
every day.

cut out the
things that
don’t move your
story forward.

decide to be awesome,
no matter what happens.


at any given time, we
can have up to four or
five stories running
in our lives.


my stories:

1. live life fully

2. make things better

3. help end hunger in Minnesota

4. write a book

5. learn to cook amazing meals

creating better personal stories

what kind of stories do you want
to tell or join?

a love story?

an adventure story?

a story about overcoming adversity?

something else?


what kind of stories do you want
to tell or join?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

what do you want?

or...

what is the primary ambition of
your story?


what is the elevator pitch of
your story?


what will the final scenes
look like?


what conflict(s) are standing in
your way to doing that?


what can you do to start
fighting it/them?


who can help you fight it/them?


how, and with whom, will you
celebrate your story being told
once completed?


How To Wander With Purpose

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