When challenging events without clarity on the path ahead occur, how do we respond? Do we allow our thoughts to take over, to spin us into anxiety, overwhelm, even paralysis of action?
Whether this is the two years of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, or perhaps more individual and personal impacts that spring up unbidden and as a surprise, what are our choices?
I often reference Viktor Frankl and his thoughts on choice, on responding vs reacting, such as: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom”
Today, however, my thoughts and gratitude go to my friend Kaye Taylor, who was kind enough several years ago to take significant time with me as I sought to gain an understanding of Three Principles. Through this, I also have additional ability beyond connecting to Frank’s philosophies to cope with potentially overwhelming situations and events.
I wrote the following around a year ago around the idea of not being too locked into our plans, and also in terms of the practice of non-attachment as being powerful for those in the role of coach, with a focus on my key takeaway from my study of Three Principles. However, that key takeaway is also critical to me in managing my state at times of potential overwhelm or overthinking.
I am seeing so much overwhelm and overthinking right now as people grapple with a sense of powerlessness over the wars and brutal unfairness in the world, from Ukraine to Afghanistan and more, all the while layered on top of the pandemic. I hope these thoughts are useful.
In my practice (always practice, always the journey, not a destination) of coaching, I constantly seek to learn more, to grow more, to build awareness more, all in support of growing as a coach and human.
One core element of that for me is the practice of seeking to be unattached. Unattached to judgements, outcomes, opinions, even yes, biases.
In this practice, a thought I distilled years ago (and, specifically, as a personal anchor around seeking understanding of what is known as “three principles”) is to:
Hold your thoughts lightly