New headshot, new musings on ambition from Mic’s latest newsletter. When we say someone has vision, what do we really mean? It’s more than making elaborate plans or having big dreams. It’s about moving with purpose. It’s getting clear on what your values are and the impact you’re trying to make, and centering those guiding principles in everything you do. When my internal rubric was hazy, I would often struggle with making decisions about which projects to take on and which opportunities to say yes to. I knew what I wanted to accomplish but I wasn’t clear on why. As a result, achievements would often ring hollow. Reaching new goal posts didn’t give me the satisfaction I hoped they would. Each new challenge was my only church; I thought fulfillment could be found in the fighting. 
When I got clear on my mission, all of the pieces snapped into place. During times of uncertainty, the path forward would reveal itself. I had been doing the work all along; what it took was locating where my drive was coming from and what it was all in service of. It wasn’t just about sheer ambition. It wasn’t just about me. It was about creating possibilities and telling stories for people like me. When I understood that, I traced the through-line and saw how deeply it was already woven into the fabric of life — my work, my friendships, my highest hopes since I was a small girl. It wasn’t a mission I labored to create; the raw material had been in me all along. All I had to do was get clear on the catalyst, and let my life be alchemized by that clarity. [ portrait by the lovely @nyralang ]