Goosebumps
THINK. On the brink of an imminent evolution of my role at Dell Technologies, my mind is in high gear. A classic combo of stakeholder mapping, time planning, priority setting - and most importantly, pacing myself. But also getting emotionally ready for yet another cross-country orientation run.
And then a book gets into my radar.
'Superadaptability' by Max McKeown explores the not-so-new topic of not only dealing with uncertainty, but thriving in it. We seem to be living in an age of accelerating disruption, where the slowest pace of change we are ever going to see is TODAY. Adapting to, if not actively embracing (ever more digital) volatility is a twenty-first century version of Darwin's evolution of species. So, what made me stop and think deeper?
“There are three things you need to understand about mechanisms: That they exist. That they can be changed. And how they can be changed.”. Sounds like an obvious statement, but how often do we try to force the system, instead of studying its mechanisms? Superadapters not only understand the part that matter and can be changed but also rewire themselves in context of these parts. Instead of waiting paralysed for better information or a permission, they start moving. Agency always begins with a move.
“Some traps don’t snap shut. They drift in quietly, disguised as responsibility, efficiency, good manners, endurance.”. This sentence helped me realize my own entrapments - (often unspoken) expectations, routines or social scripts.
Lastly, McKeown is amplifying the need for self-management of energy. Not only balancing between its diverse aspects, but also primary role of energy conservation. Drawing mana from unobvious moments and channeling it to propel and sustain the motion.
Easier said than done? Well, continue reading.
DO. Social media is full of life hack gurus. How to change your life in ten minutes a day. Five. Three. As much as I rather believe in 1% consistent increments than an all-encompassing overnight transformation on multiple fronts, an essential condition remains. The drive must come from within.
Does anyone here recognize the feeling of leaving work at the end of the day, accomplishing... nothing much? Making plans for the things to do and never getting to even start? Feeling your proverbial jar with sand - or rather letting others do that for you - while the bigger rocks lay idly in your peripheral vision?
Clap once if it ever happened to you.
Thankfully, people around you can blow some wind in your sails. An outstanding coach I am lucky to work with mobilized me to take a sobering look at how I really spend my time and how does this match to what I consider being my big rocks. Unsurprisingly - partially because of nature of work that I do, and partially because of my caring personality - my energy has been much more consumed by the agenda of others.
I am not naive. This is not an on/off switch, but rather a slider. But a slider I have a force to move. A little rusty and tight, it needs a little greasing. The greasing comes from helpful structures.
Since last week, there is a new section of my diary every morning. Whether it is in between school drop off and arriving at the office, or when I sit down with my morning coffee, or during an early workout, I am now helping myself by answering a few self-directed questions. Recognizing how I can make an impact TODAY. What I am dreading to do, or I am concerned by TODAY. How do I apply my best self TODAY in spaces that I control.
Shaping a positive ending. Taking more ownership of how I will be feeling when I power down and go home.
FEEL. I am in my car, driving my daughter from an audition. We listen to songs from her favorite musicals, obviously. It is getting dark; the remnants of overcast sun fade out. Low clouds morph into a wet mist at the hills on Wicklow mountains. The music is loud on speakers. I get goosebumps. Dry throat, teary eyed.
It is late the same evening. My wife and I still feel like watching a movie. We pick 'Sinners'. Two hours later, we sit there stunned.
The core of the story revolves around primal, magical power of music. Humming, chanting, body movement, guitar riffs - we feel immersed, mesmerized. The barrier of black mirror falls, we are present in the moment, walking the washed creaking floors of an old Mississippi mill. The blues pierces to sofa and travels a hundred years. No explanation is needed - we simply feel how music shapes all matter, writes history. Goosebumps again.
An alleged quote from Aldous Huxley struck a chord. "After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."
And all the ways to Dublin, whack follol de dah!
