The Practice
Mission 52 grew out of drift.
There was a period in my life when I felt slightly off course. Not dramatically. Just quietly disconnected from what mattered.
Through journaling and reflection, certain patterns began to surface. Not a system. Not a grand plan. Just a way of paying attention and returning when I’d wandered.
Over time, that attention took shape as a simple practice.
Three Forces That Keep Resurfacing
Tune In
Mindfulness
Before anything changes, I have to notice.
For a long time, I struggled to articulate how I felt or what was influencing me. Everything was reactive and slightly foggy.
Mindfulness helped me see my inner landscape with more clarity. It’s not an exact science, and I’m far from perfect at it, but it’s given me a way to pause and tune in to what’s actually happening.
Without that awareness, everything else is guesswork.
Make Sense
Journaling
Noticing isn’t enough.
Writing slows things down. It turns vague emotions into language. It reveals patterns that would otherwise blur together.
Journaling is how I make sense of what I’m experiencing. It’s not about documenting a perfect life. It’s about being honest about a real one.
Act Well
Stoicism
Once I’ve noticed and made sense of something, the question becomes:
What would it look like to act well here?
Stoic philosophy has helped me focus on what I can control, accept what I can’t, and respond more deliberately.
Not perfectly. Just more consciously.
What The Practice Revealed
Values
Over time, something else became clearer.
Beneath the habits and emotions were a set of values. Not abstract ideals, but personal anchors.
Creativity. Adventure. Love. Peace. Growth. Fun.
They were always there. I just couldn’t see them clearly.
The practice helped me name them. And once named, they became easier to live by.
Not perfectly. But intentionally.
Rhythm
Once I could articulate what mattered, a rhythm began to form, one that helped me return when I drifted.
Set the values.
Live in alignment with them.
Reflect honestly.
Return when I drift.
That’s it.
It’s not rigid. It’s not prescriptive. It’s just a steady way of staying oriented toward what matters.
And because drift is inevitable, return becomes the most important part.
Where to go next
You can explore the journals to see this practice unfolding in real time.
You can use the guides if you’d like something more structured to begin with.
I’m also building a simple reflection tool to support this rhythm more practically. It’s still taking shape, but if you’d like to hear when it’s ready, you can join the mailing list below.
For now, the practice is enough.