There are so many beautiful changes and opportunities popping up in my life right now that it's difficult to carve out a mere thirty minutes to write this post. But I love KMIV so much that I'm willing to - because all of you bring clarity, peace, and positivity to my heart each and every time I share my stories, and the stories of so many other awesome activists, on here. When things get too tough, too busy, too much to handle, I always come back to this blog and remind myself of what is really important - the simple things. Love. Family. Kindness. Compassion. And, of course, yummy, vegan food.
There's something I've been crafting for the past several months that I'd love to share with you - it's called my "Declaration of Independence." A former acting teacher sat down with me and shared the template for it, and I've been piecing it together bit by bit ever since. Included in it is nearly every thing you can imagine to help accomplish one's dreams - affirmations, goals, daily policies, celebrations, assets and liabilities, and most importantly (especially because of today's title), my life's mission statement. Mine reads:
I inspire and empower people around me to live a life filled with love, to go vegan, and to be more connected to each other and our Earth. People look to me for guidance and inspiration, and they share their successes with me when they’ve connected to their own inner empathy and compassion. Through my acting, my storytelling, and my activism, I create widely seen art, writing, and projects that uplift people to think bigger and live more than for only themselves. I also live a life of adventure, never settling for what is only comfortable and safe. I take beautiful risks in love, in my career, and in the steps I take every day to make my dreams a reality. I live a life filled to the brim with love and positivity, and that love and positivity has a far -reaching ripple effect on my world.
Ever since I wrote this, life has started becoming more focused, more precise, and more fulfilling, because I’ve found that I’ve begun living my mission statement with every new experience I encounter. For instance, in my statement I talk about taking risks and never settling for what is safe, and this past month, I was given a wonderful opportunity to do exactly that in acting class with an actor I admire so much. We went deep in our exploration, took some chances, and I ended up finding a whole new level to my acting and living as a result. I lived part of my mission statement.
Notice that in my statement, I interweave my vegan journey as a way of helping me live a life I love. Even though I’ve been spending a significant amount of time each week focusing on my acting, living vegan is still at the core of what I do, and now that I’m learning to balance the two, I’ve become a more joyful, well-rounded vegan as a result.
I should note that it took me a good two months to find a place within me to write this statement - to clear the clutter of my mind, the judgments, and the mental limitations, and to just write. But once I got there, the words flowed out of me, almost as if they've been inside of me all this time, and by me finally allowing for them to be there, they appeared. Pretty awesome stuff.
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| With my human bff, Steve. |
So, here is your first ever Kiss Me, I’m Vegan! homework assignment: I invite you - yes, YOU! - to write out your own life’s mission statement. If it includes living vegan in some way, all the better, but don’t force it in there if it doesn’t feel right. Just write from your heart. Write from a place of love, openness, and complete freedom. Don’t judge your words, don’t limit them, and certainly don’t edit them because of how you think someone else may view them. Just write! And don’t feel like you have to write a long paragraph to get to the heart of your statement - if one sentence, or one word, will do, let that speak for you. Shine is the word I came up for from my statement. What’s yours?
Once you’ve written it, I encourage you to print it up and get it on a wall where you can see it every day - maybe right by your bed, on your fridge next to your favorite magnet, or by the fruit bowl on your kitchen table. Just get it out and up somewhere to be seen and shared.
And of course, there’s an extra credit assignment! Once you’re totally done your mission statement, why not share it with the KMIV community? You can include in the comment section below. Let’s see how many mission statements we can share!
And who knows? Maybe the collective statements of so many compassionate, positive people across the world will embolden us even more to live our mission statements every day. At the very least, we will be putting out into the universe our greatest joys and dreams - and that way, they will be one step closer to being real.
So hold this feeling like a newborn
Of freedom surging through your veins
You have opened up a new door
So bring on the wind, fire and rain
It was always simple, not hidden hard
You've been played at a game called remembering your name
And you stuffed it up
But the search ends here
Where the night is totally clear
And your heart is fierce
So now you finally know that you control where you go
You can steer
(Missy Higgins, "Steer")
Love and joy to each and every one of you today. And don’t forget the animals - let’s live for them too today!
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| Shooting a scene for my upcoming reel! |
A Kiss-Worthy PS:
Since we're talking about our passions, dreams, and mission statements, I would love to also share my new website, www.lindsaywolf.com. On there, you'll find out about another side of this vegan blogger - the actress! And of course, I have a link on my homepage that will lead you right back to Kiss Me, I'm Vegan!. Because all roads in my life lead there. You are my heart, my home, and one of my biggest reasons to smile - thank you for all of your support and love!
