Much of life operates in waves and currents.
Studying how water flows, the way it interacts with its surroundings, it’s fascinating to me.
I remember reading “The Swarm” by Frank Schätzing about 20 years ago and marvelling at the intricate interrelationships that make up the balance of our eco system. I remember him describing the currents of warm water that flow through our oceans. And I remember, a few months later, wading into a calm Mediterranian Sea and stopping for a moment to feel the currents of the water gently inviting me to follow.
Two thoughts came to my mind when one of my clients this week used the word “currently”. He had realised that saying “no” to something or someone isn’t necessarily an eternal “no, fuck off” (the story in his head), but that it could be a much gentler and more open “I’m currently taking a break from [________] (but am open to it at a later point)”.
- I hadn’t made the connection between “current” and “currently”. It made so much sense all of a sudden. And I always liked playing with the currents since that day in the Mediterranean Sea. “Currently” – what a beautiful word!
- Whether you’re going with the flow of a current, work against it, or cutting in and out – there are many ways to relate to currents. They can guide us and show us the right path (such as when animals are guided by the electromagnetic currents of the Earth), or they can mislead us into danger (such as a swimmer getting sucked out into the open ocean as the tide recedes from the shore).
It’s tempting to go with the flow. In fact I’ve met many clients who trust the pull of the universe’s currents completely. I myself have been a go-with-the-flow type person for most of my life, and it’s worked out rather well.
… until it didn’t.
How do we tell which currents to follow, and which ones to avoid? What’s a good balance between going with, and going against?
Today I invite you to sit and reflect for a moment on the following questions:
What guides your life and your work?
How attuned are you to the currents that gently (or not so gently) pull you?
And what would you like to, currently, say no or yes to?
With Love
Yannick
