Asking This Question Might Have Saved My Life! | What Is Mine To Do? Part 2 | Conversations With the Browns

Part 2 of a conversation about the most important question you can ask yourself 

The question, “What is mine to do?” is simple yet can bring clarity and focus to many very nuanced situations. Join us for Part 2 in this conversation about what could be the most important question you can ask yourself. Listen to Part 1 HERE.

Is it any of your business to do?

Often people get engaged in something that is none of their business. Asking the question, “What is mine to do?” can help clarify what is truly your business and yours to be doing. 

In his book, The Inner Voice of Love, Henry Nouwen talks about how each one of us has a unique way of being present. He says in his book, “When you get exhausted, frustrated, overwhelmed, or rundown your body is saying to you that you are doing things that are none of your business.” 

This quote from the book doesn’t mean that suffering and hardship won’t ever take place in your life. It doesn’t mean that what is yours to do will always come really easy to you. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t doing the right thing if it is hard to do. 

Instead, it is saying that there are times when you need to stop and ask yourself for clarity. Are you doing what is yours to do or are you trying to do something that is none of your business to be doing in the first place? 

What is your business to do?

The internet is really good at making you think that you need to have an opinion about everything or that you need to be informed about everything. It tells you that if you aren’t informed and giving your opinion, then you are not engaged or active in the appropriate ways. There are times that you can appreciate the things that matter to people and the issues that are really important, but also know when it’s not your business to get involved. 

If you don’t recognize when an issue is none of your business, you will find yourself expending energy and not making a difference at all. Again, it’s not that the issue is not important. You may not have the capacity for being involved. It wastes energy in spaces that you should be using your energy and that really are your business and work to do in the world. When you show up for what is yours to do, it leaves space for others to show up for what is theirs to do.  

What is yours to do?

Do what you can do with what you know

When you stop to ask yourself “What is mine to do?” it helps you understand that sometimes you don’t have all of the information about an issue. There may be more information available to another person who is making certain decisions and you don’t have access to that information in order for it to make sense to you. That’s okay. 

If there is an issue you feel passionately about, it may be your job to get a more nuanced understanding of it and get involved. You won’t know that until you ask yourself “What is mine to do?” Only you can answer that question for yourself. 

The question, “What is mine to do?” feels dynamic. It is not set in stone. It’s acknowledging that the answer to that question can change. It can be different tomorrow than it is today and from moment to moment. Incorporating this question as a practice helps you to show up and do your best. It helps you stay present and committed to things that really matter now in your life. 

“What is mine to do?” helps you respond instead of having the knee-jerk reaction you may want to have. It can be an identity-based question; who are you and what do you bring to the table? It can point you toward your gifts and talents for speaking into situations that are yours to do. The question can help you see that you bring value to the table when it’s yours to do.  

If you ask the question and do the best at that moment, it may not work out the way you want it to, but there is so much you can learn from it. There is value in doing the best you can with the best you know.  

We want to hear from you. What comes to mind when you ask yourself, “What is mine to do?” 

Send us your questions and your thoughts. Let’s continue this conversation.   

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