Why do we go to movies?” he asked the audience.

“Escape!” someone shouted.

“An experience!”

“Yes,” the speaker said, “we go for those reasons, but we also go for clarity.”

I’m here in Chicago for Donald Miller’s Storyline conference as I write this, and I think Don nails it in the above exchange. We go to movies for clarity. We watch a character who is very clear about what she wants, and the escape, the experience, is in rooting for her.

Watch this trailer for example. Walter Mitty is a guy who works for LIFE magazine. Ironically he wants, you guessed it, a life.

We root for Walter Mitty even as we root for ourselves to get a fulsome, brave life.

Why Clarity Is So Important

Walter Mitty, beckoning us to answer the one question.
“Ben stiller2” by Jerry Avenaim – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

When we live cluttered lives, we’re living a story that no one would want to watch. We’re living a poorly written story. When we’re clear about what we want and we pursue it, that’s the stuff of a good story.

What do you want?

This is a vital question, but it can also be paralyzing. Try breaking it down.

What do want in your marriage, your relationships with your children or siblings or parents, your professional life?

Try adding a timeframe. What do I want this year, in the next three years?

Freedom to Pivot

Once we’re clear on what we want, we can get busy pursuing it. If it doesn’t work out for some reason, that’s okay! Miller reminded us that if we need to pivot, we can pivot. The point is movement. We need to decide on a direction and go.

What Do I Want?

As I write all this, I’m thinking about what I want. What I want is to serve a lot of creative people. I want to help them pursue their dreams. I like helping writers. I want to help them get their books out. I can do that. I’ve done it for hundreds of writers. I want to help creatives unleash their voices. I want to foster a community where we can help each other do that.

I’ve already started, but I want to keep it going. I hope this pursuit has the makings of a good story!

Will you take a stab at this daunting question: What do you want? You can leave a comment by clicking here.