Every Christmas, I go to a Zen meditation center in the southern part of India to try and make sense of this messy thing we call life. I sit with my thoughts, admire the chaos that ensues in my mind (with the occasional sharp pain in my left ankle), and beat myself up for being a “bad meditator.”

Rinse and repeat.

While the retreat is about reflecting on my life and work, all I can see and feel in my brain are random, unhelpful thoughts.

“Wow, you really need to learn to cook biryani, Pranav.”

“Wow, the Zen master is looking so good today. Almost enlightened.”

“Wonder if they have cake at 4 pm today.”

The Zen teacher, who is a smart dude, knows this pitfall. He warns me, “Thinking is not the problem. Not being aware of these thoughts is.”

I roll my eyes. (In my mind, of course.)

But there is a lot of wisdom there

As I make an effort to simply notice what my mind is coming up with, something changes. I begin to feel centered. Clarity sneaks in. An idea starts appearing.

A vision for the next step of my journey.

Gentle at first. Like a tiny dew drop balancing on a leaf on a cold morning. And then, like a powerful waterfall.

Of course, there’s risk. There are a hundred reasons why it might not work.

But I know one thing.

I cannot ignore it. I cannot NOT do it.

Which brings me to my friend Andrew.

My friend, Andrew, struggles to make his content work

Andrew (name changed) is a Tech Consultant struggling to get his content to resonate with his ideal buyers. He has tried everything – YouTubeLinkedIn, and email newsletters.

But every post feels like shouting into the void. No one is engaging. Just crickets.

What is the problem?
Is it his LinkedIn hooks? His email subject lines? His video setup?

Those things matter, sure. But they are all downstream problems. The real issue is deeper.

Andrew’s Point of View is hazy.

No one knows what he stands for. No one can tell how he is different from all his competitors. And because of that, his content blends into the already existing noise. It doesn’t stand out.

A clear Point of View changes everything.

It is the foundation for your entire content strategy. Your emails, articles, LinkedIn posts, and everything else flows from your Point of View. Without it, your content feels scattered.

A Point of View will help Andrew’s content stand out

This is what’s exciting me right now

Andrew’s POV already exists. Can I help him clarify it? I think I can.
For the next few months, I will be obsessing about this problem. I will try to tackle it through my emails, articles, and videos.

Point of View. Core message. Narrative.

Whatever you want to call it.

This is going to be fun. I feel like I belong.

No wonder my Zen teacher says, “Zen is a practise of coming home.”