Finding Your Splendid Vision – The Sliver Lining of Living and Working in Turbulent Times
Have you noticed that, as turbulent as the world is, some things are slowing down? Listening to friends and colleagues, I notice a definite shift to being more reflective instead of being on autopilot. It sounds like this: “I’m thinking things twice before deciding.” I wonder if I really need this before I make a purchase.” I attended a business club meeting the other day and heard similar comments from small business owners: “I’m open and looking for new ways to approach my business.” It’s amazing and something paradoxical that in the midst of turbulence we can find a space to be calm and reflective.Perhaps the silver lining in these difficult times is that we are taking the time to reflect and reassess what matters and what is important.
I believe that taking time, reflecting and reassessing should apply not only to what we buy and how we do business, but also to our approach to leadership and the work you want to do. A good question to start with is, “How did I get to this point in my life and career? Is this really where I want to be?” Not having a job is very uncomfortable. Being in a job that isn’t rewarding can be just plain uncomfortable.
One perspective is to look at these turbulent times as if they were a serious illness, like a heart attack, which often forces you to reflect on your life and work. This is not only a time to reevaluate his retirement investment strategy, it’s also a time to reevaluate whether he’s investing his time, energy, and talents in meaningful and mentally and emotionally satisfying work. This is a time to ask, “Am I the leader I want to be?” “Am I leading in a way that creates value for those I lead, as well as for my business?” This may be the time to discover Vision Splendid.
In the 1800s, William Wordsworth wrote:
Heaven lies above us in our childhood!
The shadows of the prison begin to close
About the growing child.
In his new book, The Three Marriages (Relationships, Work and Self), David Whyte invites us to explore these lines through the lens of our experiences as young and old. As teenagers we are filled with passions and dreams of loving relationships, meaningful work, and who we will be and what our legacy will be. But as we cross the threshold of our adult world, we experience prison shadows that rob us of youthful exuberance, vitality, and dreams, and we settle into marriages with reluctance, resignation, and regret. Were those youthful dreams and passions the products of a body that was not fully capable of regulating our endocrine system? Or have we been co-conspirators in a scheme to exchange present joy and satisfaction for future rewards? It may not be as black and white as these questions suggest; perhaps it is the shadows of the prison that have co-opted us. Part of it is the realization that we participate in a life plan that others designed for us, stealing our dreams and subduing our youthful passions.
Waking up to this reality is like waking up from a disturbing dream. And as we wake up and read today’s headlines, we realize that our accomplices did not have our dreams as a priority. Instead of looking ahead, we project the energy of our anger onto our accomplices.
In the turbulence of 2009, Wordsworth’s lines are even more sobering and significant. Have I really endured years of marginally satisfying work, mounting debt, and delaying my joy in the hope that retirement might rekindle the flames of my youth? Have I sacrificed years of my life doing the work of others in hopes of getting to “my life” somewhere along the way? In the lines that follow, Wordsworth tells us that to escape from prison we must never dim the light within us.
But He beholds the light and where it flows from,
He sees it in his joy;
The Youth, who daily from the East
He must travel, he is still the priest of nature.
And by the splendid vision,
He is on his way attended.
There is no time like the present, in the midst of turbulence and unknowing, to allow your questions to unfold and bring you the wisdom of their longevity. They’ve been inside waiting for you to pay attention to them. Those first passions were your true self; don’t let your current circumstance and the noises of your accomplices distract you once again. This is a time of transformation; it’s time to use the energy of turbulence to break out of prison and follow your true calling. Throughout your life you were called to the splendid vision, but you ignored it for many reasons. Let its light emerge once more, experience it only through your heart and eyes, and let it guide you through the turbulence with the wisdom and grace of experience.
Tips and advice on how to discover the splendid vision in turbulent times
Plan to take a day off. Use a personal or vacation day and find a place where you can be alone. If possible, turn off all communication devices, and not the television or radio, but take a notebook and a couple of pens. Go to a park or some other comfortable place, pack snacks or your favorite lunch, and just listen to your heart and head. If you are in a park or other place where there are other people, take some time to observe from a distance and see how they are doing in life; try to guess how they feel. What do they have that you don’t?
Now turn inward and reflect on everything you have. The predominant noise from Wall Street and Main Street, directed at your ego, is that you focus on what you don’t have. His goal is for you to see your glass less than half empty.
Create a list:
o Of all your achievements: personal, family and professional.
o Of the achievements of others in which you participated. for example, mentoring a younger worker who gets the promotion he wanted.
o Of all the significant relationships you have had in the past and have now.
o And if you must, the possessions you have acquired that are meaningful to you. Write next to each one what meaning does it represent for you? eg new car = condition
Now go back and underline the most significant and important items on your list – the one is when you think of them, it gives you a feeling of appreciation, gratitude, or love. See how your glass fills! How can you use this energy to make decisions that will create more satisfaction and meaning in your life and career?
Download and read the poem Sometimes by David Whyte from my website: This is a great poem to take with you on your day of reflection. After reading it slowly a few times, write down the questions that bother you. Don’t focus on the answers, just take out the questions and write them down. If you’re having a hard time formulating the questions, here are two to get you started: “Why do I go on with the life and work that I am?” and “Where do I feel most energetic, positively challenged, and accomplished?”
Keep a diary for the next week (7 days) and write in it 3 times a day; once in the morning, at noon and at night. Be aware of your energy level, what you’re thinking, and how you’re feeling. Take special note of which activities gave you a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, contentment, and confidence. At the end of the week, review your entries and see if there are any patterns. What is the message if you see a pattern(s)?
Complete Richard Leider’s Annual Purpose Checkup on my website.
Make a Plan that takes you towards your Vision Splendid. Once you have a plan for how and what you want to change, identify 3 Purpose and Accountability partners. Choose people you know well and who will give you feedback and encouragement. Commit to reviewing and updating them on your progress. Ask for feedback.
Remember that once this recession is over and the turbulence subsides, we’ll be right back where we started: this is the time to make those changes you’ve been thinking about and wanting to make.