October 1, 2025  

What’s Burning in Your Bones? | WT #131

Darren Smith

Weekly TRUTH

There’s a difference between something that interests you and something that moves you—something that won’t let you go, that lingers long after the conversation ends. These aren’t just passing thoughts. They’re signs. Often, the clearest clues to your mission show up in what you can’t ignore:
  • Maybe it’s an injustice that stirs righteous anger.
  • Maybe it’s a problem you’re uniquely equipped to solve.
  • Maybe it’s a group of people whose struggles feel personal to you, even if you’ve never met them.
These reactions aren’t distractions from your path. They are the path. What stirs in your heart is often the seed of your call to serve. The prophet Jeremiah once said, “His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.” (Jeremiah 20:9) That’s how mission often feels—not always convenient or comfortable, but undeniably present. You may not yet know what to do with it. That’s okay. The first step is to name it. Ask yourself:
  • What issue in the world feels personal to you?
  • What breaks your heart and stirs your hope?
  • Where do you feel drawn to invest—not because it’s easy, but because it’s necessary?
You don’t have to build a solution overnight. But you do have to pay attention to that inner fire. It’s there for a reason. That burden you feel isn’t yours to carry alone—but it might be yours to respond to. Sometimes the clearest sign of your calling is the ache you feel when something isn’t right. Don't ignore it. Don't fight it. Follow it.

This article was last modified on October 1, 2025 .

 Previous
Next

About the author 

Darren Smith

Darren Smith is Co-Founder of the Authentic Leadership Institute. He is a native Texan and a graduate of Dallas Jesuit and Texas A&M University. Over the past 25 years, Darren has visited 35 countries and led 100 strategy programs. He and his wife have five children.

Tags

You may also like

Whatever Happens Next, There Will Be No Regrets | WT #164

A principled decision doesn’t guarantee an easy outcome. It guarantees something different: the ability to look back without regret. Mark Rios’s choice to renegotiate the gray contract cost him time, margin, and certainty—but it gave him peace. Success is what happens to you. Peace is what happens in you. In Week 14 of the Path to Greatness, discover why the true return on a principled decision isn’t always found on the balance sheet.

Read More

The Upper-Right Quadrant | WT #163

The best decisions aren’t simply the most profitable, fastest, or easiest. They are the ones that honor human dignity while advancing the common good. In Week 13 of the Path to Greatness, explore the upper-right quadrant of the PDM Dignity Chart—the place where principled leaders make decisions that serve both people and collective flourishing.

Read More