Surprises...

No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected. ~ Julius Caesar

 

Surprising things happen in life – both pleasant surprises and unpleasant. Regardless of the quality of the surprise, every surprise is, by definition, unexpected and because it is unexpected it will have the tendency to throw me off balance. Unfortunately, many of us seem to spend much of our lives off balance without really knowing how to come back to a resourceful center point.

There is an aphorism in the martial art of Aikido that admonishes the practitioner not to sacrifice their balance for power. When I look at many executives today they are in a continual process of trying to power through the surprises that they encounter on a daily basis. As a consequence, their stress levels are through the roof, they are reactive, they tend (more than most) to have short fuses, and, if in this state long enough will soon run themselves and those around them into the wall of burnout.

Knowing how and where my energy flows when I’m knocked off balance is a key to being able to rapidly come back to a center that is my point of balance. When balanced I have access to more resources, I can more easily move in more directions, I can take an effective - not rigid - stand.

The objective is not attempting to be continuously balanced; it’s learning to quickly return to a balanced and centered state when knocked off. This is only possible if I have an intimate familiarity with where that balanced state exists in my holistic (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual) body.

There is a wonderful quote from the Irish author James Joyce that is useful to consider when assessing your ability to re-center: “Mr. Duffy lived a short distance from his body.”

Where do you live?

Comments

[LouCarrillo25]

I took 1 st loan when I was a teenager and that supported my business very much. However, I need the college loan once again.

[Blaine Bartlett]

Thanks for the comment Lisa...it's obvious you've been there! I particularly like your observation about "throw your arms up and scream" because, done with elegance (i.e., no unintended consequences that I need to clean up later) this can be a great energy discharge that makes room for a return to center.

[Lisa Manyon]

Blaine,

This is a great topic. I've learned that the entrepreneurial journey is like a roller coaster. It's best to hold on, have fun and sometimes throw your arms up and scream (kidding about that part). But, you are so right about the flow of energy. In business it's best to expect the unexpected, know that change is constant and embrace the surprises because they usually result in new opportunities if you are aware enough to pay attention and recenter.

Write on!~

Lisa