Today’s WordPress daily prompt threw a heavy hitter at me: What is your mission? 

In years past, I would have broken out the spreadsheets. I would have talked about “five-year plans,” professional accolades, or some mountain I felt obligated to climb. But as we navigate 2026, my perspective has shifted. I’ve realized that a mission isn’t always a summit to conquer; sometimes, it’s just the quiet garden you tend every single day. 

The Framework: My Modern Ikigai 

To find my center, I keep coming back to the Japanese concept of Ikigai, that sweet spot where what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what sustains you all overlap. 

When I map my life onto those four circles, the “Grand Plan” starts to look a lot more like a beautiful, messy, daily rhythm: 

• The Passion: It’s in the sensory details. The stillness of a trail in the Wisconsin woods, the way listening to music can shift my entire mood, and the absolute bedrock of my life: family. 
• The Craft: I find my “flow” in the details. Whether I’m balancing flavors in the kitchen (old chef habits die hard!), the precision of a graphic design layout for a client, or the simple act of editing a photo, I love the act of creating order from chaos. 
• The Contribution: I truly believe the world is starved for intentionality. My mission is to provide work that actually touches lives, not just adds to the noise. 
• The Reality: I’m lucky enough to bridge the gap between my creative skills and the practical need to sustain the life I love. 

Embracing “Hopecore” 

While Ikigai provides the map, Hopecore provides the soul. 

If you’ve been online lately, you’ve probably seen the shift. “Hopecore” is more than just a trend; it’s a movement that rejects cynicism in favor of radical softheartedness. It’s the realization that my mission isn’t some “grand achievement” waiting at a finish line. Instead, it’s found in the “smallness” of a life well-lived. 

It’s the way the morning sunlight filters through the trees during a hike, caught perfectly on my iPhone. It’s the quiet pride I feel watching my daughters navigate the world as kind, capable adults. These aren’t just “nice moments”; they are the mission. 

“The meaning of life is not a treasure to be found, but a song to be composed.” 

The Song Continues 

For me, living with mission means being an active composer. It means taking the raw notes of daily life, the cooking, the design work, the hikes, the music-making, and arranging them into something harmonious. 

My mission is simply this: To live intentionally, to create beauty in the small spaces, and to remain hopeful in a world that often forgets how. 

What about you? 

In a world that constantly asks us to “go big,” what are the “small things” that make up your mission lately? Are you finding your rhythm in a hobby, your work, or just the morning quiet? Let’s chat in the comments!