By Nancy Virden (c)2026 AlwaysTheFight.com
You’ve seen them: people who seem to know from a fairly young age what they want to do. They take the right courses in High School and college, graduate with good grades, and step right into their future. Their passion and drive steer them to meet goal after goal.
I’ve envied those people. Have you?
Then there are some who, for whatever reason, cannot seem to pinpoint a target. We flit from one idea to the next, experience success intermittently, and our motivation wavers.
What I think I am describing is a confused identity, a loss of self. If anyone asked me what I wanted to do to make a living, for most of my life I would have said “I don’t know” or named my most current project. I really didn’t know. How could I choose who to be when I did not know who I was?
This blog is not about blame; however, clearly there are influencing factors. If parents and other significant people neglect a child’s basic physical or emotional needs, the child will grow up without a definition of ‘need’ or how to fulfill it.
“If you aim at nothing, you will surely hit it.” is a paraphrase of a quote from an unknown source. Its meaning is as old as time. Here are 4 steps to help kickstart discovery.
- Ask God to lead
- Find wise, knowledgeable, and experienced counsel
- Dig in to apply suggested changes
- Practice self-care
Life has purpose. God has a plan for each person. While I can name some more specific and measurable “doings” in my past, the main focus has always been to plant seeds. No matter my work situation, the people I know, my health, or my mission, I am a seed-planter.
I plant seeds of encouragement for the downtrodden. I plant seeds of knowledge, wisdom, and hope for those who ask. More than anything else, when the opportunity arises, I plant seeds of the gospel truth- that Jesus is the answer to everything.
Go ahead- look for you. Take care of yourself, and seek God for answers.
-COMMENTS WELCOME
Today’s Helpful Word
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
If you are feeling suicidal or concerned about someone who is, in the U.S., call 988, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. For a list of international suicide hotlines, go here.
If you are suicidal with a plan, immediately call 911 in the U.S. or go to your nearest emergency room; in the EU, call 112. (For other international emergency numbers, go here.) Hope and help are yours!
Always the Fight Ministries (ATFM) has been displaying compassion for those fighting mental illness, addiction, or abuse since 2012. Nancy is the founder and voice of ATFM and openly shares her emotional resurrection from despair.
NOTE: Nancy is not a doctor or a mental health professional and speaks only from personal experience and observations. This website is not intended to substitute for professional mental or behavioral health care.
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