The momentum of mission.

Tapping into your stream.

I don’t like to admit it, but I used to be jealous of people who were on a mission in life.

They seemed to have more energy, work with less effort, and move with a subtle elegance. They appeared immune to distractions and doubt, and I wanted the same. I yearned for focus, energy, and clarity. Instead I felt like I was stuck walking in circles.

How unfair, I thought. They move in flow state while I have to grind. They are on a mission. I am merely working.

If this sounds familiar, I have good news and bad news.

Good news first. Profound energy, clarity, and focus are available. They are waiting to be tapped into. But they are not ours to demand. Rather, they arise. They arise when we shift from pushing to letting ourselves be pulled, when we tap into our stream and let ourselves be carried.

More good news: no need to wolf down another book or podcast. You probably already know what you need. You carry the answers within you. (As my friend Spencer joked: the self-help book we need has “one page and says: ‘you already know what to do.’”)

More bad news: what makes the stream so powerful is also what can prevent us from finding it.

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midjourney

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Last year, when I was stuck, I tried to push my way out.

I wanted wins, momentum, points on the board. Turn my essays about Buffett or famous investors into a book. Or go all-in on money, emotions, and meaning. Definitely a book there. Or: burn it all down, pull a Gurdjieff, travel the world and interview spiritual teachers…¹

My mind had ideas, but my body said no. All push, no pull.

This year, I am feeling a new energy. I heard a whisper, felt a subtle tug. I followed the thread. The mission had been there all along. My mistake had been to think I could pick what it was.