“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.”
~Rumi
The other day I was speaking with a client. She was stuck at a proverbial crossroads on a project, and she couldn’t figure out what was the best way to move forward. She wanted – so wanted – a plan. A map that laid out each step and what to expect.
The problem is, we often don’t have – and can’t have – that amount of surety. There is so much that is out of our control, and the outcomes of our next steps are generally unknown at best (and iffy at worst).
Which is where Rumi’s quote comes into play, because sometimes all we need to do is take just the very next step, and once we start to walk on that way, the way will appear.
If we can figure out our very next step, we can start to move forward, and that slight movement often reveals more information or gives us a better sense of the very next step after that one.
I have often told my kids (and my clients) to “make a decision, and then make that decision the right decision,” which, to me, means to stop second-guessing myself and to keep moving on. Sometimes that is the first step along the way that we need to take. When I was writing to the moon and back, and as I sit down now to start the “sequel,” I sometimes had to sit with a blank page in front of me…and then just start typing…anything…and that would help my writer’s block fade away and the way appear.
That afternoon speaking with my client, I offered her all of this background and then I gave her one question. “What is the first step on your path?” I asked her. She sat with that for a bit, and then let herself realize the next thing she needed to do. I then offered her the next question. “Once you take that step,” I asked, “how will you keep your eyes open for what you need to do next?”
Sometimes we can see all the way in front of us. And sometimes we have to take a next step and walk on our way, and our way forward will appear.
How has the way appeared for you? What have you learned?
Please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
For support in starting to walk on your path, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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