how to get from here to there

I realized yesterday that most of my conversations as of late have been with people trying to get from here to there. "There" not necessarily being a place, but more where they are in the world. People looking for more success, more recognition, more connections, more creativity. A new job, a new city, a new direction.

People wanting to find meaning. And purpose.

It's been an intense week or so listening to the questions, uncertainly, lost-ness (not that that's a word) surrounding me from people I know well, or barely at all. And I've been thinking, why me? Why am I the recipient of all this angst and uncertainty. Usually I'm the one struggling, feeling lost and hopeless. It's quite the different experience being relatively ok where I am, not desperate for more than I have. Not possessions-wise, but experiences and accomplishments. Maybe that's why I'm attracting these confessions, because I'm more grounded than usual. Or maybe it's because, in some way, I've accomplished what others want to.

I've been called a hero more than once lately, which does nothing but crack me up. Truly, how could I possibly be someone to look up to. But, when I step away from the ego that loves to tear me down, I can occasionally be impressed with who I've come to be. I've found ways of turning seemingly impossible things to accomplish into reality—FLOW being the extreme example. I (almost) believe that if there's another project in me that's meant to get out into this world, I'll find a way to make it happen when the time is right.

So, what words of wisdom do I have to share? I wish, truly, that I could suggest the power of positive thinking, or reading Power of Now or The Secret, or that visualizing yourself on The New York Times bestseller list would work. But, I can't suggest any of those. I wish that I could say believing in yourself and your vision would make things happen, but I don't believe it makes much of a difference. No, I suppose it's much better to think positive thoughts than wallow in doubt and angst, but I don't think it changes the flow of the universe significantly.

What can I say?

Work hard. Talk about what you want as much as possible. Don't keep it bottled up. You never know who might be out there who can help. My biggest FLOW coup (Dr. Oz) came from a casual chat at a Yom Kippur break fast. I'm learning it's all about connections. Being in touch. Making it more concrete by shaping conversations.

Don't give up.

Don't doubt yourself, whenever that's possible.

Find a way.

Every tiny accomplishment is huge.

Be grateful.

Day 11 is not knowing how I got here, not sure where I'm going next but appreciative of the here and now.