Getting Unstuck

PART II

Vision

T. S. Eliot once said he hoped that if a critic looked at all the poems he had written over a lifetime, the critic would be able to see the “pattern in the carpet.” Eliot imagined that individual poems—from whatever inspiration and written on whatever topic— would ultimately contain enduring, and repeating, threads. The pattern these threads formed, Eliot hoped, would reveal the themes that were most important for him, each finding its way into his artistic expression, and into his life, in different ways at different times.

Each of us has a “pattern in the carpet.” Certain recurring themes signal what is vital for us. From these themes we can discern the types of activities, work environments, and close relationships that make ...