Have you ever asked for advice, only to receive a generic, uninspired answer that didn’t fit you at all? The missing ingredient is almost always context. When we get crystal clear on the context of our ultimate desired reality, the universe shifts, unlocking the exact experience your soul craves, the precise advice you need to make a bold career move, or the intimacy you desire in your personal life. In short, if you want to truly get what you want, be clear in your ask and watch the magic unfold.
For me, context is the key—from that comes the understanding of everything.
Why is Context So Powerful?
As an abstract painter, Kenneth Noland knew that a single color’s power comes entirely from the colors placed next to it. When a splash of crimson sits beside a midnight blue, for example, both colors suddenly vibrate with raw electricity.
Context creates that rich vitality and energy.
When we apply this concept to communication, relationships, and leadership—everything in our work and lives—we see immediately that context is the ultimate tool for creating clarity and influence.
Word is out that I know certain secret corners of this beautiful world. Many people know I dig deep, hunting for the insider secrets and the hidden gems buried beneath the surface of the places I explore. Because of this, I am often asked for special recommendations.
The ask is usually a casual, breezy line: “What are your top five recs for things to do in Paris?” or “Give me your best spots in Venice.”
Every time, I chuckle to myself.
To me, that question is a beautiful impossibility. It is like asking an artist to paint the sky you are holding in your mind’s eye without telling them whether it is dawn, midnight, or stormy. Or from which corner of the globe the sky is being viewed.
I cannot answer without context.
I need to know the specific alchemy of what you want to have happen. What are the quiet cravings of your soul? What is the unleashed, cinematic fantasy you hold for your traveling adventures?
How to Get Whatever You Want
When we ask for advice without context, we get standard, sterile answers. We get the crowded, gray tourist traps that are completely devoid of soul, depth, and singular moments. We get neon signs instead of candlelight.
But when we get crystal clear on the framework of our ultimate desired experience, the universe shifts, and the magic happens.
A rich life is built on specific, tailored experiences that make our breath catch in our throats. If you want to live a more artful life brimming with intoxicating fun and a vibrant, heart-pounding joie de vivre, begin by painting the full picture of your desires.
To illustrate, one of my ultimate travel experiences is lived in vivid, cinematic color and detail. I wake up in a sun-drenched stone villa overlooking the sapphire expanse of the Mediterranean Sea, with the scent of rosemary and saltwater drifting through open shutters.
I spend my morning guided by a brilliant local artist, stepping along centuries-old cobblestones through heavy iron gates into a private gallery, closed to the public. I then walk to an open-air market to gather the freshest ingredients for a lunch I’ll cook at the villa surrounded by loved ones and friends.
In the afternoon, I’ll paint, write, swim, coach a client, walk along the sea with Sophie, take a nap.
As night falls, my perfect evening unfolds at an intimate, family-run chef’s table tucked away from the hordes. There, under a canopy of twinkling lights, I drink rare vintage wine, eat handmade pasta and roasted meats, and laugh with old and new friends until the stars fade into the early morning hours.
If you tell me the precise feeling your soul is starving for, I will shape my recommendations accordingly. I will never send you to stand in a suffocating museum line or to a place no locals would ever frequent. Instead, I will send you to the weathered, secret door hidden behind the overgrown olive grove.
How to Script the Masterpiece of Your Life
Grab your journal, find a quiet space, and paint your ideal picture with the following prompt (Note: I am using how to craft your ideal travel experience in this prompt, but a similar process will work for any of your heart’s desires):
What does my fantasy travel experience look like? From the moment I wake up to the moment my eyes close, what am I smelling, tasting, touching, seeing, and—most importantly—feeling? With whom am I doubled over in raucous laughter? Who has shared their art, their energy, their dreams and heart with me?
Write the vibrant, breathless context of your joy (not a sterile list of activities).
Why Context Matters Everywhere
This context imperative rule applies to every single area of our lives. Whether you are collaborating with colleagues, planning a midnight date, or asking for help, give people the backstory. Hand them the poetry of what your ideal outcome looks like. Tell them what you want to feel, what you want to achieve, and why.
Do not let your desires linger in the gray twilight of the unsaid. The universe answers the bold, incandescent roar of our souls. Shake off the dust of standard expectations and let the electric current of your truest cravings surge to the surface.
When we dare to give our dreams their proper shape, color, and context, we throw open the shutters to a life of breathtaking depth.
Stand unapologetically in the theater of your imagination, name the precise texture of the joy and passion you seek, and step forward with an expectant heart. A world of untold magic, singular wonder, and vivid, wild adventure is waiting for you.
