Dr. Megan Hanna

As I considered how to answer this question, I found myself getting lost in thought. It wasn’t necessarily the question itself that caused me to get lost in thought, but rather the idea that I was going to share my thoughts about this question with the world. Sharing the answer meant I needed to first identify it and then express it in a way that would — hopefully — resonate with others.

There are many activities where I get lost. A few of these activities include deep thinking, planning or organization, and anything where creativity is involved. The more invested or interested I am in the activity, the further I’m able to lose myself in it. Thus, to get lost in something I’m doing, I must deeply care about it.

To build on these ideas, activities that require deep thinking tend to separate me from the world for a little while. It’s only when I find the answer for which I’m searching — or a path to the answer — that I’m ready to move to the next phase. The practice of getting actively lost in thought helps me uncover that which I seek to find.

Once I’ve found the answer or the path towards the answer, I’m ready to take the next steps. Crafting a plan or creating a map to help me get where I’m going is another activity where I tend to get lost. Similarly, I easily get lost in activities involving organization. I’m the type of person who loves cleaning out a closet, putting everything back just so.

As I thought about the answer to this question — and put pen to paper (metaphorically, of course, as I’m typing this on my iPad) — I realized I tend to get lost whenever I get to create or build something. Creativity is my jam. The process of creating is just as fulfilling to me as the end product, though it also feels good to sit back and reflect on what I built.

Ultimately, losing myself in an activity is a way to help me create or find something new. In the process of getting lost, I can discover more about myself or the world around me. I can arrive at creative solutions. I can build new things to share with others or make the world a little bit better.

Even if I get lost for a little while, I’m always found. And, I’m better for it in the end.