When I took this photo a few years ago in the town of Zug (Switzerland), I never thought it could have to do with finding your ground. There was something about this particular door, standing so resolutely by the lake, that captured my attention. It looked like it led nowhere. And that feeling, that sense of ‘nowhere,’ often feels impossible to reconcile, doesn’t it?
The Illusion of “Nowhere”
In the world of business, the idea of going nowhere can be unsettling (just as doing nothing is).. We’re often driven by goals, targets, and a constant sense of forward momentum. Direction is paramount. Yet, life – whether in our careers, personal relationships, or even our own inner landscape – has a funny way of throwing unexpected curves. Obstacles appear, paths diverge, and suddenly, the clear direction we envisioned seems to vanish. We might feel like we’re facing a door that leads to nowhere.
The Difficulty of Accepting the Detour
It’s during these times of change that I often see my clients struggle. There’s a natural resistance, a yearning for the familiar path. I frequently hear the sentiment, ‘If only the CEO/boss/management would communicate better, things would be so much easier.’ It’s a human tendency to look outward for solutions, to believe that if external circumstances were different, our internal struggles would dissipate.
Shifting the Focus Inward
But here’s the truth I’ve come to understand and share with my clients: the key to navigating these turbulent times isn’t about waiting for the external world to align. It’s about shifting our gaze inward. Imagine standing in front of that door to nowhere. Instead of focusing on its apparent lack of destination, what if you focused on where you are standing? What is solid beneath your feet?
This is where the concepts of radical acceptance and full presence become transformative. Radical acceptance isn’t about liking or condoning the change; it’s about acknowledging the reality of what is, without resistance. It’s about dropping the ‘should haves’ and ‘what ifs’ and meeting the present moment exactly where it is.
Full presence is about anchoring yourself in the ‘now.’ It’s about noticing your breath, your surroundings, your internal state without judgment. When you are fully present, you are not lost in past regrets or future anxieties – the very things that make change feel overwhelming.
Opening the Door from Within
Think of it this way: that door in the photo might seem to lead nowhere from one perspective. But when you embrace radical acceptance and cultivate full presence, you discover that the ‘door’ isn’t the obstacle.
The obstacle is often our resistance to what is. By grounding ourselves in the present, we gain clarity and access our inner resources to navigate the new terrain. The ‘now’ becomes the solid ground from which the next step, the new direction, will emerge.
So, the next time you feel like you’re facing a door to nowhere, remember the stillness of that lake in Zug and the solid ground beneath your feet. Let go of the past’s grip and the future’s anxieties.
The path forward isn’t about wishing for a different reality. It’s about fully accepting the one you’re in, being present in it, and taking your next step from that grounded place. No regrets about yesterday, no worries about tomorrow.
Just you, firmly rooted in the power of today.
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