Energy Flows Where Attention Goes

If you want to achieve something, whether small or life-changing, it begins with a clear vision of the end in mind. - Maarten Dermul

Think about it: An architect never lays the first stone without a blueprint. A finance director always tests a business plan before taking an investment decision. Vision guides decisions. Every step can be measured against that imagined end state.

Humans are unique in this capacity. Apes use tools, crows remember which food spoils quickly, elephants solve problems. But humans can imagine something abstract, rooted in principles and values, and then bring this vision into reality.

Stephen Covey captured this in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: 'Start with the end in mind.' A vision is not just a lofty idea. It is a North Star. It keeps you on course, no matter how often you need to adjust along the way.

For years, I used this principle in business and coaching: Define the destination first, then map the way. Recently I discovered a deeper truth. Holding an end goal in your mind is not only practical, it is powerful. It activates your subconscious and directs your inner compass. Or as both science and ancient wisdom tell us: Energy flows where attention goes.

What the Scientists Say

William James, the father of modern psychology, wrote in The Principles of Psychology:'My experience is what I agree to attend to.' He showed that attention filters reality. What we focus on becomes what we experience.

Joe Dispenza, a researcher and neuroscience-inspired author, explains in Becoming Supernatural: 'Where you place your attention is where you place your energy.' Sustained focus rewires the brain and even reshapes the body.

Ernest Holmes, in The Science of Mind, said:'Attention is creative.' The mind’s focus channels life energy into form. Thoughts become the architecture of reality.

And long before Western science, Qi Gong masters taught: 'Yi leads Qi', meaning that 'intention guides energy'. Focused awareness regulates the nervous system, breath, and flow of energy through the body.

Beyond Action Plans

As a practical thinker, I never believed in manifestation without action. Every solid business plan needs owners, deadlines, and targets. But these teachers revealed the other half of the equation.

When you visualise your end state in detail, you create more than a plan. You create momentum. You set in motion a field of possibilities that supports you in ways you may not expect.

Most people dwell on why their dreams are impossible, and that drains energy. Some focus on potential pitfalls, which is better because the mind is at least searching for solutions. But the rare few focus on the end state itself. They let their subconscious and the energy around them generate pathways forward.

The Wisdom for Today

I grew up believing that success comes from being smart and working hard. That remains true. But being truly smart means knowing how to use the greatest tool we have: the mind. You can still work hard, but also allow your mind and your energy to co-create the future you seek.

Hold the vision.

Feed it with positive attention.

Let your energy flow there.

And watch doors open that you never even knew were there.