Imagine a scenario where you’ve finally gained some clarity about your creative direction.
You’ve been working on exploring your intentions (commitments to action in a conscious direction) and the process has helped you reconnect with your values and generate an incredible list of meaningful, connected and inspirational paths forward.
But as you are staring at your list of possibilities, instead of feeling excitement, you freeze.
That struggle to find a clarity of intention has gone too well. Now you’re flooded with meaningful choices.
That’s the paradox.
Clarity creates options, and too many options create overwhelm. When every intention feels important, but you know you can’t go pursue all of them at once, resistance sets in.
Fear of making a wrong choice turns excitement and clarity into frustration and resentment.
What’s actually happening here isn’t a failure of your intention-setting process. You’ve moved into what designers call a “wicked environment.”
You Are Now Dealing with a Wicked Environment
By “Wicked” I don’t mean evil or cruel (even if it feels like that sometimes). It is a term used in design that means you are dealing with a situation or problem that is difficult to define, has no known solution, no predictable time frame, changes as you engage with it, and contains no “right” or “wrong” answers (only better or worse).
All creative work, your life path, your education, and 90% of the challenges you will face in life are “Wicked”.
What this means is that any effort to figure out a “right” intention or avoid a “wrong” one won’t work.
What will work is applying a core element of your creativity in an effort to shift from trying to plan for complex hypotheticals to simple, intentional action.
That core element is the divergence and convergence cycle.
Divergence and Convergence
At its heart the creative process contains two phases.
During divergence we leverage our intellect and imagination to gather, brainstorm, and collect novel possibilities.
To bridge the gap from possible to actual you need convergence. It’s the editing, curating, and choosing that allows intentions to take shape and move forward.
You’ve likely experienced this cycle without naming it.
When you brainstorm freely before editing ruthlessly, or gather inspiration widely before choosing a focused direction for a project.
Practicing convergence consistently is how you transform overload into action.
Like any creative skill, it strengthens with repetition. Each time you cycle through it, you build the capacity to handle abundance without losing focus.
The question isn’t whether to use convergence. It’s how to practice it with your intentions.
Moving from Overwhelm to Action
Think back to that moment of staring at your long list of intentions. Instead of freezing, what if you practiced convergence? What if you had a way to gently sift through those intentions with the confidence and clarity of knowing there is no right or wrong intention.
Here’s how that might look:
Start with observation. Look at your list without judgment. Notice which intentions keep returning to your mind and which ones create energy instead of draining it. This sense of resonance is often your best starting filter when you’re learning to practice convergence.
Choose One Intention to Start. We are starting simple. As you practice this process you will start to get a sense of when to add or when to take away. The cyclical nature of divergence and convergence means you will be constantly circling back and iterating based on new information.
Design one small form action for your chosen intention. This could be a simple project, a daily practice, or a one-week experiment. The point is feedback, not perfection. You want to discover whether the intention still feels aligned once you start engaging with it.
Each small action shows you what’s working and what’s not. That feedback is what helps you determine the “better” or “worse” as you navigate the wicked environment you are in.
Moving Forward in the Wicked Environment
Remember, you’re not trying to "solve" the intention overwhelm problem. You’re learning to navigate it skillfully.
In wicked environments, the goal isn’t to find the perfect answer; it’s to take informed action that gives you better information for the next cycle.
Each time you practice this convergence process, you’re building your capacity to handle creative abundance regardless of context.
You start with one intention, take a small action, gather feedback, and then return to the cycle. Some intentions will prove their worth through engagement. Others will naturally fade as you learn they don’t fit your current season.
Both outcomes move you forward.
What intentions are calling for your attention right now? Which one feels most resonant as a starting point?
I’d love to hear about your experience with convergence. Reply and let me know what you discover when you move from planning to action.
Have a wonderful and intentional week.
Jeff
If this resonated, share it with someone who's also sorting through too many good ideas.
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