Still Breathing, Still Busy – Thoughts on a Lauren Bacall Quote

There’s this quote from Lauren Bacall that’s been stuck in my head lately:

“Here is a test to find out whether your mission in life is complete. If you’re alive, it isn’t.”

Leave it to Bacall—cool, smoky-voiced, effortlessly sharp—to drop a line that makes you feel both inspired and vaguely guilty for not having written a Pulitzer-winning novel before lunch.

But the more I sit with it, the more I think she’s right. Life’s “mission” isn’t this tidy checklist you complete before retiring to a hammock somewhere. It’s more like a constantly shifting to-do list scribbled in pencil, with new tasks popping up just when you think you’re done. You know that moment when you finish cleaning your kitchen, take a breath, and then notice the smudge on the fridge door? Yeah. That’s life.

The Illusion of “Done”

When I was younger, I thought adults eventually arrived. Like, one day you wake up, and your career’s on autopilot, your houseplants thrive, your taxes are prepped early, and your inner world hums with zen-like peace.

Spoiler: that day never comes.

There’s always another project, another dream, another half-finished notebook staring you down. At first, I found that depressing. I wanted completion, closure, the proverbial “ta-da!” moment. But Bacall’s quote reframes it beautifully—being unfinished means you’re still alive. The moment you’re done, well… you’re really done.

So maybe the chaos of it all—the half-painted room, the book draft that won’t end, the emails breeding like rabbits—isn’t failure. It’s evidence of living. The mess means motion.

Purpose Isn’t a Single Thing

People talk about “finding your purpose” as if it’s a single golden key you stumble across one morning while sipping coffee. I’ve tried that approach. I’ve made vision boards, journaled until my pen dried out, even asked tarot cards for a hint (the cards, by the way, are great at sass but vague on specifics).

What I’ve learned is that your mission shapeshifts. It might start as “write that book,” then morph into “help others tell their stories,” and later, “take a long walk without checking email.”

Each stage feels complete until it isn’t. And that’s fine. The mission evolves because you evolve. The Bacall quote isn’t scolding us for not being there yet—it’s giving us permission to keep growing, to reinvent, to try again.

The Pressure Trap

That said, I sometimes resent this “never done” thing. It feels like an endless homework assignment from the universe. The pressure to constantly be doing can get exhausting.

But there’s a difference between having a mission and constantly performing productivity. Bacall wasn’t saying, “If you’re alive, hustle harder.” She was saying, “If you’re alive, there’s still something that matters to you.”

It could be something small—watering your plants, feeding your cat, writing a love letter to future-you. Your mission doesn’t have to be grand or Instagram-worthy. It just has to matter.

The Quiet Missions

Sometimes the most meaningful missions are quiet ones.
Forgiving someone.
Letting go of an old version of yourself.
Learning to cook something that doesn’t involve microwaving.
For me, it’s writing stories that let people feel a little less alone in their weirdness. That’s not a capital-M “Mission” in the hero’s-journey sense, but it’s mine.

And on the days when I feel like I’ve lost the thread completely, I remember Bacall’s quote and think, “Well, I’m still breathing. Guess there’s more to do.”

A Gentle Reminder

If you’re reading this and feeling behind, like everyone else figured out their mission and you’re still fumbling around with the instructions—congratulations, you’re alive. You’re still in it.

That half-formed idea in your head? That’s part of your mission. That rest day you keep guilting yourself over? That’s part of it too. Every unfinished project, every detour, every new beginning—all of it counts.

Maybe “complete” isn’t the goal. Maybe the goal is to stay curious enough to keep going.

So yeah, your mission’s not done. Mine isn’t either. But honestly? I’m kind of okay with that. I like knowing there’s always another sentence to write, another story to tell, another version of myself waiting around the corner.

So here’s to being unfinished, gloriously and stubbornly alive.