how to be found
a reverse treasure hunt
A treasure map appears before you.
Imagine it in whatever way feels most special. Perhaps an aged parchment, curling at the edges. Or a holographic display that shimmers to life.
What matters most is that on this map, X marks your spot, not as a destination to reach but a beacon calling its treasures home. Its lines and curves form paths that lead back to you. This map will not aid you in finding anything. Its sole purpose is to help you be found.
It's in our nature to seek and search, to look and hope to find. Life does feel to me like one long scavenger hunt sometimes. We quest for places to live, people to love, things to eat. We look for meaning and hope. The right outfit. Where we left our keys. The perfect word. A sign. And now in the internet age, this seeking has intensified—everything is just a search bar away. It’s both a beautiful and exhausting practice. An exciting reminder that we are treasure hunters in our day to day, exploring the nooks and crannies of existence for its gems. But it’s also a persistent posture of feeling without.
When I recall my most magical moments in life, I could stand still and feel just as embraced by what I was seeking. Cities I’ve loved have curled their sounds and architecture around me. Movies and books have come into my life when I’ve needed them most, sometimes before I even knew I needed them.
This isn’t an argument to quit searching in life. It's important to keep our eyes open, to know how to want and do something about it. But balance this by also becoming a beacon. Practice being the answer as much as the question. Create the conditions for discovery as much as you look for them.
Let’s let the treasure map lead what we love to us this time.
I challenge you to take out a sheet of paper and draw your very own treasure map as you read through this, filling it with paths that lead life’s treasures to you. Not just a list of what you want, but the breadcrumbs you'll leave, the signals you'll send, the space you'll create for magic to find you.
on your map
Be the sign, don’t wait for it. Wear a meaningful accessory you feel brings you luck or hope. Choose specific items of clothing or colors that represent what you wish to attract. Select scents that embody your intentions.
Choose your siren songs. Create a playlist for a mood you haven’t been in yet and listen until you are.
Each week, designate one empty space as an invitation: a cleared shelf, an empty slot in your schedule, a blank notebook page. These may become doorways.
Every morning, write down three things you're open to noticing that day. Don't actively hunt for them. Instead, stay alert to observe how they might naturally appear.
Set aside one hour weekly where instead of searching for inspiration, you position yourself where it might spot you: sit on a special bench or by a cafe window, visit a public garden. Let it be your lighthouse.
more notebook pages
themes to immerse yourself in
A kitschy amusement park where even the overlooked crevices—trash cans, door handles, pavement cracks—are props of an elaborate performance. Mechanical creatures lurking in the artificial mist of the Ra…
