It sneaks up on you.
Yesterday, all was
sunshine and anticipation. New opportunities and new ideas to explore. Animation.
Breathless and rapid conversations. The result of excitement about venturing
into new territory. Excitement about reinventing what we do.
Today, items to cross off
the to-do list. Preparations for a long trip. There will be new people but
similar processes and conversations. Where’s the newness that invigorates? How much
of a role does the need for newness play in keeping my ideals in motion?
If I’m not experiencing
some form of excitement the chances are pretty good that I’ve stopped moving. Specifically,
I’ve stopped moving in a way that is bringing my ideals to life. I have to
remember that ideals are to be lived into. The implication of living into
something is that I’m entering spaces, places, situations that I’ve not come
upon before. This is new. This will be exciting. There is challenge involved. Reflection,
mindfulness and intentionality have to be part of the mix.
When re-branding ourselves
– our organizations – we are making a declaration to be free of attachment to
the comfort of the known. Free of the comfort of the predictable. We as organisms
– be we individuals or organizations – seek stasis; predictability; comfort. The
great trap of the human condition is a striving for comfort. As managers we organize
work processes to gain as much predictability as possible. We become slaves to
our forecasts and plans.
To keep our ideals in
motion requires a level of discomfort that many are not willing to tolerate. We
view discomfort as something to be avoided. What if we viewed comfort in the
same way? The Danish philosopher Søren
Kierkegaard once wrote that “anxiety is the
dizziness of freedom.” Oh, to be dizzy more often!
