You ever look back at your life and realize a whole chapter started because of something that technically didn’t happen?
No big announcement. No strategic plan. No dramatic outcome. Just a moment that wasn’t even introduced properly but somehow rewired your trajectory like a “misfired spark that still lit the engine” as my dad would have said.
In his honor, I call it… the biggest nothing that ever happened to me.
For some folks it’s a thing they’re doing that starts the shift.
The side project that pulls them in deeper than expected.
A weekend ritual that sharpens their thinking.
A skill practiced in quiet.
For others, it’s a person that shows up and creates motion. Someone who witnesses you mid-doing, catching the light bouncing off what you’re building, reflecting a version of you that’s somehow taller.
Like when you present an idea you’ve been quietly working on for weeks; palms sweating, monitor blinking, convinced each of your teeth are covered with tiny little socks—and you are validated. Just like that, you see your work through someone else’s eyes, and it’s actually… good.
Or maybe you were on a bike ride, thinking more about spending time with a new friend than your quarterly goals; when suddenly you realize exactly who you are when no one’s watching. And you kinda like her.
Or maybe you’re the unofficial mayor of your block, quietly building a neighborhood where people borrow sugar and return the container. And as you plan potluck, you realize you’ve been practicing stakeholder management in flip-flops the whole time.
These aren’t detours, they’re warmups.
The reps that strengthen your voice, your judgment, and you’re timing.
The micro-moments where collaboration is natural and confidence doesn’t need approval.
So, when something nudges you forward; a hobby, a person, a moment you can’t name… maybe don’t wait for a formal invitation.
Just follow it.
Let it lead you sideways, diagonally, off the agenda.
Because that’s the thing about “nothing,” it’s usually just “something” without a label.
So, attend the event. Sign up for the class.
Hang with the person who makes life more interesting.
Have that conversation you keep talking yourself out of.
Because you can’t take action by standing still.
And if anyone asks what you’re doing, tell them this:
“I’m following the biggest nothing that ever happened to me.”
(or “It’s none of your business” is also valid)
Then wink and keep going.
So—what’s been quietly moving you lately? And what would happen if you followed it?
