“Not all storms come to disrupt your life…some come to clear your path” – Paulo Coehlo
That is one of my favorite quotes and the Universe has put it in front of me several times over the last little while.
It’s a favorite for a lot of reasons:
- It flows beautifully out of the mouth (go ahead, read it out loud….see, just lovely)
- It evokes really powerful imagery
- It’s 100% true
I’ve been enduring some storms lately. Bouts of internal inclement weather that has brought a clearer picture into view.
There has been a shift in a lot of the deeply held beliefs, narratives and mindsets I’ve carried for most of my adult life. I’ve been forced to look at them very carefully, sometimes through the lense of grief and anger, and come to the realization that they are simply unnecessary, and moreso, unhelpful.
I’ve realized there are things in my life, and parts of myself, both personally and professionally, that are no longer available for commodication.
Let me say it another way: Your peace, time and talent are not available without your direct consent.
YOU get to decide who benefits from your abilities. YOU get to decide how someone consumes your time. YOU get to protect your peace and mental health at all costs.
Period.
I’m learning…but it’s been a rocky road.
The Storms That Disrupt Your Life…
These storms tend to come up quick, without warning, and they can do some quick, but ultimately unremarkable damage.
These storms may throw you for a loop – rearrange, knock things out of place – but they’re nothing you can’t bounce back from rather quickly. You’ve weathered them many times before.
Like all storms, once they’ve cleared out, there’s a sense of calm and relief that it’s all over. You may have to assess, and address, some damage but for the most part, everything is still standing and all is well.
You can think of these storms as moments of frustration, a bad day, a misunderstanding or a bad interaction. They definitely bring up feelings, they make you pause, but you’re able to right yourself at the end of the day.
The Storms That Come To Clear Your Path…
A path-clearing storm? This sort of storm isn’t fucking around. This storm feels far more life altering than the kind that simply disrupts things a bit.
When your path needs clearing, you’re in for some big change.
To clear a path takes major power, major upheaval.
As this storm is raging, you will be confronted with a force capable of showing you everything that you once had, but hasn’t been serving you, and then watching it all come crashing down around you.
A storm that clears a path is an act of true surrender, trust and recalibration. It will blow you wide open and leave you gasping for air.
My challenge for you? Embrace those storms with open arms and believe in your ability to ride them out.
When I was young we vacationed down at the Gulf of Mexico every summer. I can remember being told that when you swim in the ocean, you shouldn’t try and swim against the current – you’ll exhaust yourself and you won’t move an inch.
What you should do is swim with the tide and parallel the shore, keeping your eye on a stationary point. You’ll eventually make it back, you’ll just be further down the beach, further away from where you started. But you’ll be safe.
When we allow the storm to clear our path, we must understand that the destruction won’t last forever. It will push and pull us, leave us exhausted, disoriented and totally overwhelmed, but it will end. Destruction can’t last forever, especially if we are blowing with the wind, and not pushing against it.
In the midst of the storm, keep a fixed eye on the shore, on your touchpoint.
Maybe your touchpoint is a goal you want to achieve, a business pivot you’ve been dreaming about, an answer to a question that’s been driving you crazy. Know that when you trust the wind, go with it and keep your eye on a grounding truth, you’ll get back safe, sound and you’ll have moved forward in the process.
And Then The Sun Comes Out…
So the storm has blown through, you’re standing amongst the debris and blinking into the sun.
At this point, you’re in clean up mode – putting pieces back together and making a plan to move forward. You may even be grieving a bit and asking “Why me?”
But what if instead of asking “Why me?”, we ask “Thank you, what’s next?”
The path left after a storm is a re-birth, a new beginning. It presents you with all the possibilities the Universe has to offer and beckons you to start walking. And those first steps may feel just as scary as the storm itself – another great exercise in trust and surrender.
But when you’re in this place – before you start walking, making plans – remember that that big, powerful storm didn’t take you down. The storm didn’t blow you away. You are still standing. You may feel beaten but you are not broken, and you’re ready to journey down that new path.
In business, and in life, when a storm comes through to clear a path, we can’t always see that path until the clouds have broken and the sun comes out. Part of this human experience isn’t how we avoid the storms, it’s how we ride them out, how we take what we’ve learned and apply it moving forward.
Remember to trust. Remember to allow. And remember that there is always a next right step down your new path.
Join me on my new path…come on over to Instagram for all things up-and-coming.
