As a warm up today, write a journal reflection on the following theme: In "The Chase", Annie Dillard's motto for life is something like "you have to fling yourself at what you're doing, you have to point yourself, forget yourself, aim, dive" (74). In other words, throw yourself into your tasks, your work, your life. Be engaged and embrace your fears. What is your personal motto for life, as your life stands right now? In other words, what would you consider to be your personal philosophy? Sample Journal Response. (Caveat: these are simply Mr. Ogden's thoughts and are not authoritative in any real way. I encourage students to make their own philosophy.) If I had to come up with a motto for life, I would say something like "The purpose of life is to study it, and by studying it change it for the better." Our first task is to be a fair, unbiased observer of what is happening around us. We must practice mindfulness.