Need a vision to enjoy work?
I wonder as I ask myself and by others – “Will this have an impact?… Why are we doing this?… Is this worth doing?… Why should I be doing this?“
These questions are about a future goal or outcome we’re trying to reach—maybe building something big or making money. It’s about aiming for something ahead. We hope for a good answer so it gives us a deep sense of engagement where we’re passionate, fully challenged, and fully absorbed.
That sounds like a contradiction, right? How can I be in the present moment if I’m anchored in a future plan? How can I find Flow if I’m anchored in the Vision?
Well, notice that the “future plan” isn’t in the future at all—because I’m thinking about it now. In that way, maybe a vision is just a shortcut back into flow. Helping me suspend disbelief and doubt so I can be fully engaged in the present. We find these shortcuts at different levels. In mission statements, mandates, and pitches. A well-crafted statement like “build reusable rockets“ is a microdose of flow. It’s ambitious, it’s engaging, there’s conflict, there’s action. It’s powerful for us as individuals and as a collective.
The strength of a good story is that it’s easy to believe. And that’s the danger of it too. When we doubt it, it creates internal conflict. Drains our energy rather than fueling us. And we go round and round in circles if we cling to it the wrong way. How does it work for people who say vision is key?
Maybe they work - not as a statement - but as a curiosity. “What if rockets were reusable?… What if I start by building a rocket engine?… How hard could it be?“ or “What if computing was a beautiful experience?… Would anyone buy it?… What if we tried it out?“
Those questions spark a journey. With the momentum of a vision, without the compulsion of the destination. I can see how such a sequence of questions and experiments could lead to Airpods or Starlink.
Going back to the original question: do I need a vision to get into flow? I can argue that a vision provides meaning and success for my work. But it can also break down the moment it stops making sense. Then doubt creeps in, flow disappears, and chaos sets in—unless I’m the kind of person who never doubts at all. Ultimately, vision is imagination, a narrative, a story that isn’t strictly real.
That being said, I would like to have something to help me find and re-enter flow easily. My version of “vision” can just be curiosity and creativity in the moment. Without needing to rationalize everything from a final outcome standpoint. Instead, in this moment, I look for the next question, try the next experiment, and see where it leads.
It helped to listen to Ambition by David Whyte, on the Waking Up app.