Have you ever felt like life would be better if ____(fill in the blank)? Life would be better if I achieved ____. If I was “living my purpose”, if I had a certain level of income, a house, a relationship, a certain body type, etc.

I have spent years of my life working to “get there” – wherever there was. I was focused on the destination or the thing and this in-between space was sort of irritating. Meaning, I just wanted to get there. In a way, everything I was doing was a “means to an end”.

From that level of understanding, it looked like I needed to do more, get there faster and push. I was driven and, on the pursuit, to change and get my life and work right. That drive seemed like an important part of the equation for success and fulfillment.

I thought my drive was the source of doing well and creating the life I wanted.

Yet, what I didn’t realize was there was a downside to my drive. The more driven I became, the more restless, unsettled and unfulfilled I became. My drive was leading the way and it was leaving a residue of stress, pressure and exhaustion.

I wasn’t alone. I was working alongside other individuals that were motivated to do well and thought the only way to do that was to be driven.

Most leaders and entrepreneurs move through life feeling rushed and pressured, striving to ‘make it happen.’ They assume if they don’t push and strive, they won’t accomplish their goals. This is what I’m calling ‘drive’.

Not only does this pressure take a toll on your health and well-being, but your intelligence is impaired by this pressure and striving. Being driven actually revs up your mental activity. The stress causes your mind and physiology to constrict, and you become more reactive as a result.

There seems to be a conflict between peace of mind and results. I often hear entrepreneurs or leaders say, “I’ll relax when this is done.” They put their feelings of contentment, joy, appreciation on hold thinking now is the time for focus, push, acceleration.

Yet when we understand that the quality of our minds is directly impacting the quality of our output, our results, than waiting to feel better, no longer makes sense.

When our mind is free & clear, we engage more fully, make smarter, more proactive decisions and see options and possibilities more clearly. We are more creative, have more moments of insight and out-of-the-blue ideas. We see the landscape and have a knowing of our next right action. This is what it feels like to be ‘drawn’.

When we are driven, we often override common sense, wisdom and inner knowing.

When we are more oriented toward where we are drawn, we are responding to something deeper – something from within. This is a connection to our deeper intelligence and wisdom. 

When we are propelled by these inner nudges, we experience more joy and fulfillment along the way, independent of the results. The results happen with less effort.

Joy, inspiration and fulfillment come when we bring ourselves fully to the task at hand. When we set aside our drive and follow instead where we are drawn, we move through our lives and work with more inspiration and fulfillment.

We experience the joy of bringing ourselves fully to the task at hand rather than trying to get somewhere.