Introduction
In a world that is wildly turbulent and unpredictable, we are spending a lot of time and energy trying to create order out of chaos. And we are discovering along the way that we are not doing a very good job of it. Still, the desire to create order is strong. The wish that this whole complexity thing will pass, and that more aligned and thoughtful interactions will take place abound. We want to feel safe, connected, and hopeful about the immediate and long term future. And yet, we struggle because we are not sure how to proceed.
From my perspective, the way forward starts by building a personal and professional life based on clarity of direction, and by building a broad and healthy network of connections. The combination of direction and connections gives us the capacity at home and at work to handle the adaptive problems that are surfacing all around us. The combination creates dynamic equilibrium.
Now, the phrase dynamic equilibrium is not a common one, but it is an important one. The word dynamic is defined as continuous motion and activity. The word equilibrium is defined as a state of balance between opposing forces or actions, i.e. very little motion. For me, the best way to describe the term dynamic equilibrium is to think of a person on a bicycle. To maintain balance on a bicycle that is not in motion is extremely difficult. To maintain balance, i.e. equilibrium, is much easier once the bike is in motion, i.e. dynamic. The faster the person riding the bike goes, the easier it is to maintain balance and to steer the bike. Thus, dynamic equilibrium in this context allows the rider to control and maneuver the bike, i.e. create order out of what was initially disorder.
Our desire to want to create order out of disorder and chaos is not wrong. No one wakes up in the morning and wants their immediate world to fall apart. No one wants chaos to become the norm, and a sense of order and progress to become historical footnotes in their life journey.
When we choose dynamic equilibrium as a course of action, we engage in deep and important work. It will requires us to reflect on our fundamental assumptions and core beliefs. It will require us to focus on defining the problems in our lives before solving them. And more likely, it may require us to change our priorities, habits, and even mindset. It all boils down to some deep re-evaluation of who we are, and where we are going.
I have faith in this journey of self-reflection, because of something Mark Nepo wrote in his book, The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have (Conari Press, 2000). As he pointed out, “In seeking what is essential, we become essential.” And at the heart of what is essential are two things, namely clarity of direction and deep and meaningful connections.
Clarify Your Intention
On the days we struggle with chaos and disorder, we forget something very important. Patti Digh, an author and expert in the fields of diversity, inclusion, and equity, reminds us of this important truth when she wrote, “We are moving in a direction, it occurs to me, even when we feel we are not.” We need to remember that we are always headed some where. We are always in motion. Our challenge is that much of our motion and our direction is an unconscious, default choice. Thus, on one level, it is not really a choice. It is, in essence, motion without clarity of direction.
Still, we can regain a sense of direction. The first step in this process is to clarify our intention. As the late John O’Donohue, an Irish poet, author, and priest, noted, “Our intentionality constructs the landscapes of our inner world.” And the place to start clarifying our intention begins by taking stock of our inner world, i.e. our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about life and life’s journey. This depth of self-inquiry is not a quick process, but it is an important one.
As someone who spent many decades engaged in strategic planning with large and small organizations, I often told clients that planning for the future involved four stages: preparing to plan, planning, preparing to execute a plan, and executing the plan. Most people during strategic planning wanted to jump straight into planning and then straight into executing the plan. They started with the mindset of plan your work, work your plan. And this system would work well if the world was stable, orderly, and predictable. But we don’t live in that kind of world right now.
Right now, we live in a VUCA environment, namely volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, referencing a term used by the US military. Within a VUCA environment, instability is chronic, and uncertainty is permanent. Furthermore, change is accelerating, and disruption is common. The result of such an environment is that we can neither predict nor govern most events.
Jim Collins and Morten Hansen in their book, Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All (HarperCollins, 2011) recognized this kind of environment and pointed out: “Given this rise of complexity, globalization, and technology, all of which are accelerating change and increase volatility, we must come to accept that there is no ‘new normal.’ There will only be a continuous series of ‘not normal’ times.” Given what I see right now, we are living in not normal times, and thus clarity of intention is very important.
Therefore, we need to take stock internally. The challenge is that most people want to skip this level of work. They just want to create order out of chaos, because they believe many things and many people are just out of control. Thus, they approach their inner work like a mechanic who is focused on fixing things and people. However, fixing people does not work. It only creates resistance. Often, the same goes with systems and things. It may work to a point, but it is never sustainable. And fixing things is not self-inquiry.
Yet, there is a different way. Rather than choosing to be a mechanic, we instead need to be an intentional gardener. Here, we do not fix people or things. Instead, we create an environment where people and systems can be resilient. As the best gardeners know, they do not make the plants grow. They create the right environment so the plant can do what it is born to do, namely grow and adapt. Thus, the intention of an exceptional gardener is to build on the strengths of the environment around the plant and the plant. They do not seek to change the plant.
And in the work of self-inquiry, a gardener’s approach is to scan and deeply understand the inner landscape. The gardener seeks to understand what is happening and why it is happening. They focus on the feel of the inner landscape, more than the what of the inner landscape. Then, once they understand this inner world, their intention is to build on their strengths and talents.
We need to construct an inner landscape built on adaptability, clarity, and creative empowerment, i.e. empowering ourself to make better choices. As part of this work, we need to respect our history that led us to this point, but not be solely defined by it. Instead, we need to make more conscious choices rather than default choices, recognizing that our inner intent dramatically impacts our outer experience.
As Franciscan priest, author, and ecumenical teacher, Father Richard Rohr, explained, “You cannot get there; you can only be there.” From my experience, being there involves asking yourself some important questions such as What am I experiencing internally? What am I feeling? What is my intent? Where am I going? What do I believe? Clarifying your intention takes time, attention, and energy. It also is a worthwhile investment that compounds significantly over time.
Build A Life of Choice
“I think we live a life of default,” writes poet and philosopher Mark Nepo, “because we get stuck in the feelings or belief that ‘who we are is not enough’.” This is such a sad and wise observation on so many levels. I too have witnessed and even gotten stuck myself in this pattern of feeling and believing. The outcome of my being stuck is that my ability to live a life by choice rather than by default is a nice idea that does not become reality. Until I accept the fact that this feeling of not being enough is incorrect, I will get caught in reactionary cycles of default choices.
When I am aware that the feeling of not being enough is incorrect, then my first step is to build a life of choice based on clarity. For me, one element of this process will be to remember that as life progresses, there also will be a continued evolution within my entire belief system. In essence, the more I learn, the more I reflect. The more I experience life through engagement with others, the more I can build and rebuild my belief system based on truth rather than other people’s projections or misinformation. Ron Heifetz and Marty Linsky in their book, Leadership On The Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading (Harvard Business School Press, 2002), note that an important first step is to “anchor yourself.” As they explain, this happens when we “distinguish role from self,” and when we realize that we “have control over your self-worth.” For those in leadership positions, they remind us that “when you lead, people don't love you or hate you. Mostly they don't even know you. They love or hate the position you represent.” I think this insight can be applied to all people and all of life.
Therefore, Heifetz and Linsey recommend that we routinely “seek sanctuary.” This is “a place of reflection and renewal where you can listen to yourself away from the dance floor and the blare of the music.” For Heifetz and Linsky, the dance floor and the music represent all the day to day, busy elements of life. Sanctuary, on the other hand, represents a time to pause and catch our breathe in the midst of everything. It is a place to take stock internally and externally, and to regain perspective. As Danish theologian, philosopher and poet, Soren Kierkgaard wrote, “We live life forward, but understand it backward.” Thus, the need for sanctuary is fundamental to building and living a life of choice.
To be continued Tuesday.
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