Friday Reflections - When being still creates forward movement.
I was feeling stuck this week.
I’ve been trying to clarify an idea so I can move forward with it but have had infinite thoughts about the idea cycling through my head and rendering me seemingly incapable of coming to a tidy conclusion.
I had implemented numerous tools and tactics for getting unstuck, like brain dumping through writing so I could get it out of my head, drawing the problem out to process it visually, taking a meditative walk to process it somatically, rationally prioritizing based on effort vs. impact, sensing into what my heart is feeling, praying for wisdom, etc.
And yet, I couldn’t reach a conclusion, which felt very frustrating and energy draining.
It wasn’t until I stopped trying, stopped efforting, and allowed the discomforting feelings of being unresolved to linger, without trying to resolve them or move through them, that the insight revealed itself.
Ironically, the experience of coming to the insight reflected the insight itself, which is that my idea was simply not ready to emerge and no amount of force would be able to coerce it into readiness.
It’s as if I had planted a seed and was believing that if I could just water it enough, just give it the right amount of sunshine and fertilizer and encouragement, then I could force it to germinate on my timeline.
As soon as I realized this, I felt a tremendous sense of relief.
I could certainly continue to nurture my seed of an idea, consider what it could become from a place of curiosity, but release my timeline of when it needed to emerge and solidify into something fully formed.
And, I could remember there is activity happening under the surface that I can't see, that is a necessary precursor for what is to come.
Of course, this isn’t always the case. Oftentimes the tools and tactics mentioned above are very useful in quickly clarifying an idea, goal, or vision.
But sometimes, there are things in life that operate on a different timeline and no amount of effort will bring them to fruition before they’re ready.
This time lapse video of an avocado seed germinating beautifully illustrates this idea.
So today’s invitation to curiosity is this:
What is something you’ve been trying to figure out, solidify, and/or clarify?
How possible is it that you’ve created an expectation of when it should be resolved that doesn’t align to its actual timeline?
What might it look like to release your need for control and urgency and simply allow it to emerge in its due time?
How might that shift your overall experience of that thing?
Drop me a line and let me know what comes to mind.
Stay curious,
Jessica
Stay curious,
Jessica
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