In hopes of finding my rhythm again, I signed up for the Zokawa “Fall into Harvest” Challenge– a month-long program of mindfulness, grounding and yoga to better align with your life intentions. This week’s theme was about letting go and practicing non-attachment—basically, doing things for the love of it, without getting wrapped up in the result. I thought, “How hard can that be?”
Enter Pharrell’s new movie, Piece by Piece. I took my teens for a fun night out, but I didn’t expect to walk away with a life lesson. Pharrell starts off making music purely for the love of it, but as success goes to his head, he becomes obsessed with outcomes. Every beat had to be a hit, and soon he became, “Mr. Know-It-All.” And guess what? His success disappeared—people stopped wanting his beats, and he found himself in a creative and business slump.
As I sat there, it clicked: This was exactly what the challenge was trying to teach me. In yoga terms, non-attachment means doing something without being fixated on how it’ll turn out. Pharrell’s journey was a reminder that when you focus too much on the outcome, you miss the beauty of the process. He had to let go of the outcome to regain his success.
After the movie, I was ready for some deep talks with my teens, hoping we’d dive into Pharrell’s lessons on life. Spoiler: they weren’t into it. They wanted to listen to his music, not soul-search. So we spent the ride home jamming to Pharrell Williams. At first, I felt a little let down. But then I realized I was doing exactly what I was trying not to do—getting attached to an outcome. I had wanted some profound conversation, but instead, I got a chill, music-filled ride home with my kids—and that was enough.
It all came full circle. The point of non-attachment isn’t about giving up or not caring—it’s about letting go of what you think should happen. Pharrell found his joy again by doing what he loved, and I realized the magic of the night was in just being with my kids, not in any big takeaway.
So, what’s the real takeaway? Do what you love with your whole heart, and let the outcome take care of itself.
