My week has been filled with serendipity. But instead of going into all of the awesome things that have happened, I’ll take a few minutes to write about why these things may be happening.

In 3 weeks, more has come together in my life than 3 years. Things I had written down as goals and questions I didn’t have the answers for suddenly materialized and the path forward for a variety of ideas has become clear. Here’s what I did that made it easier for the dots to connect.

I drew the line.

I took a hard look at myself and examined my behavior. I’ve become more productive than I’ve ever been as a result of learning tools and building systems, but learning how to automate work at times gave me an excuse to sustain bad habits like smoking, drinking, and spending too much time on the internet. I justified them because I had stacked good ones. But it’s like working out with a weight vest on. Sure you can complete the workout, but when you take it off, you soar.

I removed the packaging.

As a songwriter, artist manager, founder, and advisor to multiple startups, communicating my personal brand online has always felt messy. I’d even not talk about certain things to specific audiences because it felt like it would come out of nowhere and would only confuse them. But I chose to stop caring about this completely and it’s made it easier to find my people and act on inspiration as it strikes. It feels much better having meaningful conversations and creating authentic work with fewer people than it does sharing a fraction of yourself with the masses.

I reached out to people.

Opportunity is generated through relationships. I scanned my network on social media and realized there were a ton of people who’s name made me feel happy when I came across them. Those are the people you want to prioritize. And if they don’t get back to you right away, following up regularly until you get the opportunity to connect again is worth it. If you can design your inner circle rather than be stuck in one that doesn’t feel right, you’ll increase your exposure to opportunities that are a fit for you. And meaningful work with people we get along with does a lot for our happiness.