I’ve learned to see the blank page differently.

I used to believe it was something to fill. A space waiting for to do lists, for answers, for output. Now I recognise it as something far more powerful. A blank page offers hope. It holds no judgement, no past, no expectation. Only what you decide to bring to it.

I still remember standing in my first classroom, filled with the nervous energy that starts in the pit of your stomach. That room, and those wide-eyed children, welcomed me with the same openness as a blank page. Each afternoon, we gathered on the story mat. I witnessed five-year-olds engage They asked questions without hesitation. They created. They played with possibility, unburdened by what others might think. That, I realised, was the beginner’s mindset: open, curious and free.

One of our favourite stories was Harold and the Purple Crayon. With only his imagination and one crayon, Harold created forests, oceans, dragons and hot air balloons. When he felt lost or afraid, he simply drew a way out. Harold reminded us that we always have a choice. We don’t just live our lives. We shape them. We hold the crayon.

But as we grow up, many of us get taught to colour inside the lines. To follow rules. To blend in. We often then spend years trying to unlearn those lessons, reaching back for something we once knew: the freedom to imagine again.

What if we don’t need another guidebook? What if we only need to give ourselves permission? Permission to draw, excavate and share our lines. To explore. To create. To question. Because the most meaningful changes in life don’t begin with certainty. They begin with courage.

You already hold your purple crayon. So grab it. If you're ready to experiment, try this. The Odyssey Plan, created at Stanford’s Design Lab by the team behind Designing Your Life, invites you to see what's possible. All you need is a willingness to explore.

1. Map out your life if nothing changes. Same job. Same routine. Same direction. Where are you in five years? How does that feel?

2. Imagine a completely different life. What if you took a leap? Changed careers? Moved somewhere new? What could that version of you become?

3. Picture a life where money and opinions don’t matter. If nothing stood in your way, what would you build, learn or create?

Pick up your crayon. Begin again. Let wonder guide you.

Perhaps the lines you draw next won’t follow someone else’s script. Perhaps they’ll lead you back to your through line. The line that connects who you are to how you lead. Simply. Imperfectly. Truly. And that is enough.