March 16, 2026
I write and talk about purpose and dharma often – I love big picture stuff. My business brain naturally gravitates toward strategic thinking and long-term planning, but I’ve been exploring the idea of identifying micro-meaning each day, and giving myself permission to prioritize the present moment over future plans.
The tension: big vision vs. today
Now, this can be a tricky experiment, because if we aren’t conscious of it, this can show up in our lives as procrastination and general short-sighted decision-making that can easily have negative consequences on our lives. And honestly, I’ve questioned whether I’m procrastinating or resisting something I ought to do versus gaining a clear benefit from living in the present moment.
The pattern: where momentum drops off
Here’s what’s happening each time I toe the line to start a new thing:
- I get excited, experience a felt sense of clarity, and am highly motivated.
- I start mapping out my plans.
- As I see it documented, I get even more enthused about the potential of my big idea.
- And then, I experience this sharp drop off in clarity and motivation when I start trying to execute the plan.
- It feels like the plan becomes too big to see where I ought to take the first bite.
- Then, I zoom back and can see how this plan requires something of me that I’m not willing to give, and I stall out.
The real friction: the kind of work I don’t want
For example, building an online, qigong-infused business that allows me to serve and teach high-achievers in career transitions anywhere in the world excites me, but to connect with my target audience online, I have to create content. Videos, photos, posts and captions. Success requires building landing pages, writing marketing copy, and creating lead magnets.
For my YouTube channel, I had to learn to edit videos. I also needed to learn how to use my DJI Osmo Action 6 camera and new apps and software. I am learning how to create engaging thumbnails and write search optimized titles and descriptions. Plus, I ran into issues regarding managing storage of large files that strain my computer’s battery and performance.
And the unfortunate reality is that I spend a lot more time on these things than the actual act of teaching and writing. (And that’s even with some assistance from AI tools.)
I keep stalling out on the starting line because I realize I don’t want to be a content creator. I want to be an artist, writer, and qigong teacher. When the path to ‘the big thing’ is mostly work I don’t want, I start hunting for a different kind of guidance.
Ikki no mei: one small reason to live one more day
Which brings me back to this idea of micro-meaning. For me, micro-meaning is a small, specific act that restores my sense of aliveness and direction today. It’s not an excuse to avoid the hard thing, it’s a way to stay connected to what’s real while I’m figuring out the next right step.
I saw an Instagram caption that shared how in Japan, there is a rule called “ikki no mei” which translates to “one small reason to live one more day.”
As the author put it,
“meaning is not in scale, it’s in specificity.”
Structure creates meaning (especially in liminal seasons)
This resonated hard for me. The post shared that daily rituals create structure, and with structure, we feel a sense of purpose. This is exactly what my 100 Liminal Days project taught me – when we are in a liminal space, it feels like time collapses. And with time collapsed, our sense of purpose evades us, too. But we can restore our sense of time and purpose simply by committing to daily practices.
A smaller, truer next step
I have a lot of larger-than-this-life plans for myself, but something keeps telling me to wait a little longer in this liminal before launching something big. It isn’t telling me to stop creating – it is inviting me to look for micro-meaning today.
I’ve also reminded myself that during my last journal lookback (I’m overdue for another one!), I noticed recurring comments about a desire to serve my physical community, right here in my neighborhood. This has been important to me and I’ve actually met more neighbors over the last few months – even one who was interested in qigong! So, micro-meaning for me at the moment includes connection and service to those right here in my neighborhood.
With that in mind, I’ve decided to host a free qigong practice in the park near my house. This is a small single step, not a grandiose, strategic launch. And that feels right for now.
I’ve also added a field to my Mindful Rhythms Habit Tracker to start naming the person(s) I aim to serve each day. This will help me stay conscious of my intention to find micro-meaning through connection with others.
A question for you
How about you? How do you hold that tension between living in the present and planning for your future? What’s your ‘one small reason’ today?
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Interference
Each week, I share:
- Simple qigong practices to regulate your nervous system
- Reflections on clarity, focus, and sustainable performance
- Practical ways to reduce internal friction and think more clearly
This isn’t about doing more.
It’s about removing what’s in the way.
Wow. You just named something I’ve felt and been fairly aware of when it’s happening but didn’t have words for: procrastinating due to overwhelm. The idea of learning all these new skills just to be able to share the thing you are already good at and know you are meant to do… That feeling when you can see how your plan requires something that you’re not willing to give…
I had this happen so many times over the last few years that like you, went hand in hand with that reality of not wanting to be a content creator, and just wanting to do what I was truly there to do.
Isn’t this like the concept of “working on your business” vs “in your business??” It makes sense, and there are times where both are important, but when you’re spending less and less time on the part that brings you alive – it makes you question if you’re moving in the right direction.
I also really appreciate the quote about scale vs specificity. When I launched my company, something that kept me going was this idea that if I only touched one person’s life with the work I was doing, the ripple effect of that would be exponential.
It was powerful and it kept me going. And then when I closed the doors eight years later, after touching many, many lives, I lost sight of that North Star and felt like I had failed because my work hadn’t turned into the much bigger “thing” that I had deeply wanted it to be.
Reading your piece brings me back to that. The impact of that one person whose life you touch in a meaningful way matters in ways you may never even know. But it still matters. So, good for you for starting in your own neighborhood. Be where you are when you’re there and the rest will work itself out.
Love these reflections, Whitney! I think you are right that it is related to the “working on not in” your business challenge all entrepreneurs face. I hadn’t made that connection until you said it.
For me, it also goes beyond resistance to the tasks themselves – it’s about noticing how much my big plan requires me to spend behind the scenes (on my computer alone) building instead of just getting out there and doing something. I can see that I have agency over this and can choose a path that doesn’t require as much effort to reach the people I want to serve.
I’m realizing that in my situation, this is rooted in perfectionism and my wanting to “show up” a certain way – polished, prepared, and strategic, with all of my ideas coming out in a big launch! But focusing on that long term image and big picture before focusing on the opportunities in the present moment is keeping me from taking any action. I think this is where outside support and accountability can be hugely beneficial, so I’m taking steps to create that type of support system for myself.
As I’ve been tracking the names of the people I want to be useful to each day, I’m noticing how I can increase those connection points in my life, which feels really good. And, I’m seeing how sometimes one person I am in service to for the day is the future version of myself. That counts, too 🙂