Flowing With Intention

June 17, 2025

Life, for me, has always felt like a river. I’ve trusted the current to carry me: no maps, no paddles, just a quiet belief that the flow knows best. And for the most part, it did. I drifted through big decisions, trusting that things would somehow fall into place. But recently, I’ve started to notice the subtle signs of a course correction, a quiet reminder that even a river needs guiding banks to avoid getting lost in the vastness.

One of my facilitators, Sharjeel, once said, “Only the dead fish goes with the flow.” I don’t fully agree with this sentence yet, but I definitely believe that most of it absolutely makes sense.

I have always been a guy who believes in going with the flow. I’ve never really planned anything in my life or done things by following a set structure, even when it came to some of the most important decisions of my life. I believed everything was going smoothly, and to be honest, it was. But there was a small underlying thing that needed fixing, and I didn’t even know it.

I am currently in the second year of my bachelor’s degree and am a part of an experiential learning college, which requires us to complete 3 short 2-month apprenticeships in our second year. For the applications and interview process, we get around 2 to 3 weeks of time for each one.

During the first apprenticeship application, I had a family emergency and couldn’t apply anywhere. But with the help of my facilitators, who gave me a few good connections, I got a good apprenticeship right before the deadline. That went well.

Then came the time for the second one. I applied to some places, got a few responses, and did some interviews. But the process was not properly planned, and midway through it, I stopped applying after getting a few responses. That was a very big mistake. I missed the deadline and was super stressed. But again, I somehow managed to secure an apprenticeship a week after the deadline. That one tested my limit and was exhausting.

Now it was time for this year’s last apprenticeship, my third one. This time, I started early and applied to a lot of places. I completed the process and secured an apprenticeship. Though this time it was a little better than last time, I feel I still could have planned it better.

Now that I am reflecting on these experiences, I have noticed that the key is in the planning. Of course, you can’t plan everything, but some things are just better if you set a proper structure and plan them properly.

Reflecting on my past experiences, I can see this pattern very clearly. For example, when I selected biology as my high school major and later changed it after realizing it wasn’t for me, or when I joined engineering and then dropped out. I don’t regret these decisions and won’t say they were wrong. But planning a few things properly would have definitely helped.

On the other hand, during my middle school, our school timings used to be 7:15 am to 12:15 pm, then I used to go to the tuitions from 1 pm to 3 pm and back home after that. A quick snack break at 4 pm, then at 5 pm I used to go out to play with my friends, and 7 pm was a fixed study session followed by dinner and some television. Life was fun back then. I never felt like time was running too fast or that I was not getting time to do the things that I like. I used to happily go to school and follow this simple routine every day, come back home, and have a blast with my friends. Life had a structure, and it never felt like I was forced to do something. It was simple, but it was very helpful. And unknowingly, I was following that structure.

To sum up, there is one thing I want to keep in mind moving forward: to approach some important decisions with proper research and planning. Like planning proper deadlines and action items, moving on to the next task if the current one gets stuck for some reason, these small things matter. It doesn’t mean that I have to create a plan or structure for everything I do from now on. It simply means keeping in mind that some things are better if you plan them, and others you just have to wing it or follow your gut.

I don’t need to constantly paddle in this river, trying to control the flow. I just have to gently guide the boat in the right direction and let the current do its job. Sometimes, I’ll pause and enjoy the simplicity of life, the kind I miss and want to preserve. And through it all, I’ll keep flowing with intention, without getting lost or exhausted.

Piyush Pandit

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