Do you sometimes ask, "What's my purpose?"

If you do, do you have an answer?

What’s my purpose?

This is a question I’ve been asking myself since migrating to Substack. I’m guessing it’s a question you might ask yourself from time to time too. Not why you’re writing on Substack, of course. (Unless, like me, you are.)

No…

Rather, the question can be a far deeper one. For instance, you might’ve asked yourself at one time or another, what am I doing in this town, this job, this family, this political party, or this world at this particular time?

In other words, what’s my purpose?

Do you ever ask yourself this, too?

For today I’ll stick with, what am I doing here on Substack?

(After all, we don’t have all day!)

Why did I leave the familiarity and relative security of my former blog space?

I was comfortable there. I poured my heart and soul into that space for over 13 years. I didn’t leave and migrate here without a lot of thought and consternation. I mean, a lot! I’m a procrastinator, after all. I overthink everything. That’s what I do.

One little example of this overthinking is that I’ve changed my synopsis/description of Nancy’s Point on Substack for the signup box probably a dozen times! It’s supposed to be concise so people know exactly what I’m writing about and why. In others words, I’m supposed to state my purpose in a snippet. (Let me know what you think of it. I’d love to know.)

I don’t want to be put in a box, so I had trouble zeroing in on what that snippet should say.

(Did I mention I tend to overthink things?)

Is overthinking really just stalling?

Back to…

What’s my purpose or intention for this space?

I’m not entirely sure yet, but above all, I am hoping to keep forming meaningful connections with dear readers like you. I want Nancy’s Point on Substack to be a newsletter vehicle for articles I write, yes, but also, I want it to be a place. A community where you find validation, relatability, and encouragement.

In other words, not that different from my old space — but also more.

I continue to believe deeply in the power of sharing our stories. I’ve been sharing mine for over a decade now.

Honestly, I can’t believe some of the things I’ve shared. Deeply personal stuff. Many Cancer Havers (and Grievers) share candidly about their experiences. Maybe some would even say we over share. (They might be right.)

Cancer Havers need to give some sort of purpose to the shitty experience that is cancer. If we can make it easier for Cancer Havers coming behind us navigating their cancer shitstorms, that is huge, not only hopefully for those folks, but for us as well. Many Grievers share for the same reasons.

Healing while helping — that’s an amazing combo.

Back to, what’s my purpose on Substack?

I’m here to keep sharing stories and opinions about whatever moves me, and I hope you’ll share pieces of your story too. Stories connect us and help us feel less alone.

Substack is a space that offers a lot of freedom of expression for writers. I love that already, and as a reader, I hope you will too.

Ultimately, my purpose hasn’t changed much with the move. Though I’ll continue to write about cancer, survivorship, pink ribbon shenanigans, grief, and pet loss; the range of other topics we talk about will broaden and deepen — taking us to who knows where.

I’m excited and grateful to have you along as we figure out more about our purpose.

As always, I see you. I hear you, and I care about what you have to say.

Be sure to share your thoughts about “purpose" with a comment below.

Also, don’t forget to visit my new author website!

Do you sometimes ask, what’s my purpose?

If you’re comfortable doing so, share your purpose (one of them).

If you enjoyed this post, thank you for sharing it!

My newest book, EMERGING, is available on Amazon. I’d love for you to read it and share your thoughts about it.