“Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” - Coco Chanel.
We have all been there, beating on the walls that prevent personal, professional or organizational change. We pound and pound, thinking they will transform into doors and clear passage.
Martha Beck in her book, The Way of Integrity: Finding The Path To Your True Self (The Open Field/A Penguin Life Book, 2021) reminds us, “If whatever you’re doing isn’t working, don’t do it harder.” And even with this knowledge, we often choose to try harder.
I believe we understand her point on one level. But, there are moments in life when awareness of an idea does not always translate into a change in behavior. We default to wall beating, hoping that just this one time it will transform itself into a great new beginning, and a door.
Greg McKeown in his book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (Crown Business, 2014) offers us a different pathway. As he writes, “... only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.” He encourages us to do less in order that we can do better, rather than to do more. As he notes, “Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done.”
Running into walls is a normal life experience. How we choose to deal with them is our choice. Moving forward, I seek to beat on them less and to focus more on the people, experiences, and priorities that make my life more meaningful.
Choose wisely this week. Stop beating on the wall.
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