Remember why you started on this path.

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Hello, dear reader.

Here we are at the close of 2024, with the collective experience of information overload shared between us and the uncertainty of a year promising intense flux ahead of us. What we can agree on amidst the myriad of disagreements is that uncertainty is a state that ironically is constant in this decade of the 21st century. If the prior decade was an interesting time, the following decade will be an uncertain time.

If uncertainty is the tide, then attention is our vessel. Where we steer it—toward creativity, connection, or even quiet introspection—determines how we weather the storms ahead.

This decade asks us to be sailors and cartographers, charting maps in real time for a world that refuses to sit still. In this effort, we may uncover not certainty but something far richer: a sense of purpose that moves with the waves rather than against them.

What does it mean to find one's purpose? This is an overwhelming concern for many and an afterthought for some. When I first learned of Simon Sinek's Start With Why concept (see TED Talk and book here), I was sold on the idea but lost as to where to begin. Your "why," like your "Self," is within you already, but likely (and like me), you are out of touch with its reality.

The journey is not one of discovering something new but of rediscovering what is true and long forgotten.

Why do we forget our why?

In a world filled with guideposts and signposts telling us who and how to be, it is not surprising that our inner compass spins in circles of confusion most of the time. This inner state creates more than difficulty with clarity; it adds to the perpetual sense of incongruence that many of us struggle with, leading to a sense that our identity is out of alignment with our truth.

The murky road ahead described in self-help manuals and by mindset gurus is not as daunting as the copious volumes written on the subject would have you fear. The road is more about realizing your journey has not started until you face your truth, uncertainty, and all.

Keep digging if you aren't intensely uncomfortable at the beginning of this process. Your ego will rebel against your will to find clarity by insisting you need not search here or there, leave that closet shut, and do not look under the bed!

But we must venture under the bed and inside the messy closet to discover what is driving us without our conscious awareness.

Artists and the Unknown

What better group of people to embrace this exact mindset than artists? Artists are purpose-built for uncertainty, and the life of an artist is proof of this truth. For those outside the creative field, do not romanticize the glory of the artist's life as a whimsical journey of creative exploration.

The artist is a creature perpetually poised on the precipice of the unknown, a tightrope walker balancing precariously between the realms of the seen and the unseen.

Their studio, a sanctuary of self-expression, is often littered with the remnants of creative battles won and lost – discarded sketches, paint-splattered palettes, and the lingering scent of turpentine and possibility.

Unlike those who seek solace in the structured certainty of the nine-to-five, the artist willingly dives headfirst into the swirling vortex of uncertainty. Their canvas is not merely a blank slate but a mirror reflecting the tumultuous tides of the human experience—the joys, sorrows, anxieties, and ephemeral beauty that flickers between moments.

Consider the Abstract Expressionists, those rebels who dared to defy the constraints of representation, flinging paint onto canvases with an abandon that mirrored the uncertainties of the post-war era.

Or the Surrealists, who delved into the depths of the subconscious, conjuring dreamlike landscapes that challenged the notion of reality itself.

These artistic pioneers, and countless others throughout history, understood that the creative process is not about seeking definitive answers but about embracing the questions, ambiguities, and inherent contradictions that define the human condition.

Artists, like careerists, rely on systems that demand adherence to deadlines. Deadlines can inhibit or encourage creativity, depending on their proximity and the artist's disposition.

Constraints are creativity's ally. In truth, the creative person cannot explore every possible avenue, just as a software team does not build every idea under the sun into their product.

Within constraints, the artist's true mettle is revealed. The limitations of time, resources, and even skill become the crucible in which your artistic creativity is forged.

In the words of the great Leonardo da Vinci, "Art lives from constraints and dies from freedom." The artist finds their authentic voice in the delicate dance between freedom and constraint, between the boundless realm of imagination and the physical world's limitations. But perhaps a more apt quote from the polymath master da Vinci: "It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things."

Peeling Back the Layers

Suppose we can only be certain of the centered Self within us while the world outside the black box of our mind swirls and eddies in its ever-changing nature. In that case, we must devote ourselves to aligning with our truth and allowing the chaos to swirl as it will.

It is not for us to attach fear to the chaos of the unknown; it is our job to secure knowledge of the one fundamental truth we can ever be sure of — we are alive at this moment, and we have the tools we call Self and nothing else but this. We are equipped, but we have forgotten.

The journey to understanding your "why" is akin to gently peeling an onion. Each layer you remove brings a mix of tears and revelations, a potent cocktail of discomfort and understanding. It may sting, but the final dish – a clarified sense of Self – will be worth every tear shed.

Self-discovery is about stripping away the layers of societal expectations, conditioning, and limiting beliefs to reveal the authentic core within. Through facing the dust bunnies of forgotten dreams and the cobwebs of ingrained patterns, we find the path back to out true nature.

And just like peeling an onion, this process takes time and patience. There will be moments of resistance, where the ego clings tightly to the familiar, whispering doubts and anxieties. But with each layer peeled back, a new level of clarity emerges. You begin to see the patterns that have shaped your choices, the beliefs that have held you back, and the desires that have been buried beneath the surface.

This is not a passive endeavor. It requires active engagement, a willingness to question, challenge, and delve into the depths of one's being — noticing the subtle cues your body sends, the whispers of intuition that often get drowned out by the noise of the external world. And just as with peeling an onion, there will be tears. Allow the truth of your experience to wash over you as you integrate the forgotten parts with the familiar.

Embracing the Beginner's Mind

Remember the childlike wonder you once possessed as you peel back these layers. Approach the world with a beginner's mind, free from preconceived notions and expectations. Allow yourself to be surprised, to be curious, to see the world anew.

This is where the tools of our modern age can be invaluable allies. Leverage the technology at your fingertips to aid in your exploration. Use AI-powered tools to sift through information, uncover new perspectives, and spark creative inspiration. Explore the resources available to you, such as the free tools offered to readers of The Tech Margin, to delve deeper into your self-discovery journey.

The world is a vast and ever-changing landscape, ripe with opportunities for exploration and growth. Embrace the uncertainty, navigate the chaos with your inner compass as your guide, and allow the journey of self-discovery to unfold. The treasure you seek is not buried in some distant land but within the depths of your own being.

Start peeling that onion. You might be surprised by the deliciousness you find within.

Until next week — Your faithful writer, Sonia a.k.a. SuperSonic

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