CARTS BEFORE THE SOURCE
I read a piece by Seth Godin in which he asserted, “The biggest thing you bring to any project is FORWARD.” It’s kind of a weird way of phrasing it, but I totally get what he meant.
“Forward” is first a direction — pointing the way. It also involves vision — imagining the possibility that we could actually head that way. Then, it calls for intention and drive — if we’re going, we’d best get going. Then, commitment — at some point, it usually takes extra oomph to keep going. Finally, once we’re rolling, “forward” develops its own momentum — furthering itself, carrying us and others along with it.
Godin points out that the ability to forward something is a skill set that often goes unrecognized. In our nonstop, overstimulated world, it can seem like everything’s already happening on its own. But the truth is, it’s still up to us to define and direct ourselves through it all.
A sense of “forward” awakens desire and sparks initiative. It invites us to take responsibility. It is the heart of both creativity and leadership. Without it, nothing much happens. Or, without it, what happens is that we just get swept up by default in someone else’s “forward,” and it may feel like we don’t have much say. In that case, what happens, mostly, is more of the status quo.
Thinking about “forward” in these terms is encouraging. Because it seems like once we break it down into its parts and see how it works, then we can practice and cultivate it. Creativity and leadership aren’t elusive magical qualities that one’s either born with, or not. Creativity and leadership are choices. Choices that determine the direction of our lives. Choices that transform the world.
I like to think of myself as someone with a lot of “forward” energy in me. When I first read Seth Godin’s article, I felt totally validated.
But this week, it’s occurred like something of a mixed blessing. I’ve been trying to juggle a lot of stuff, extra hours, multiple projects, and I’ve had a cold, and yada yada yada. And I’m noticing (not for the first time) that I have this unhelpful tendency to worry about what will happen if I take my foot off the gas for a second.
This may be my exaggerated self-importance, or an inflated sense of duty-to-the-point-of-martyrdom that I inherited from my parents, or just a plain old addiction to suffering. Probably all of these. In any case, I see that I can be forward to a fault. And I’m finding (again, not for the first time) that it doesn’t always feel like an heroic stride into my bold new future. Often, it’s more like stumbling over my own feet. Falling down, making mistakes, trying to forgive myself, recalibrating, deciding whether or not to carry on…
And it occurs to me that there’s another important piece to forward, a piece that I tend to forget: EVERYTHING ELSE. That which includes me in all of it. The Source of me and everything.
I mean, it’s awesome to bring our drive, our energy, our personal resources, and our commitment to the things that matter to us; that’s what we’re here for. But it’s pretty easy to burn out if we take this to mean that we’ve got to do it all on our own. Not only don’t we have to, we simply can’t. Not for long, anyway.
There’s a whole world of energy and ideas, a world with which we are in constant collaboration, whether we recognize it or not. A world of resources, re-sourcing me and us. Even as we set our whole hearts and minds to something, we need to remember to make room for this — for Life to contribute and energize our enterprises, for Life to rise up and meet us.
When I get overwhelmed, it’s often because I’m so caught up in my own intentions that I’ve forgotten to make room for my partnership with Life Itself.
For Mother’s Day, I’m thinking of this Source as the Divine Feminine. Mother-God. Our unfailing support, our greatest fan. The Ever-Loving Everything — adoring us without question, believing in us, and cheering us on even when we lose faith in ourselves.
I can’t wait to be with you on Sunday, May 11. With the inimitable and fabulous Patty Stephens. XO, Drew
©2025 Drew Groves
