“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction”
What do you do when things appear to be coming completely undone?
Change, transition, transformation, etc, often appears messy, out of control, and sometimes downright chaotic. When things start to shift and change – oftentimes prior to clarity and newness showing up – there can be a period of time where things inwardly feel and outwardly appear like life is falling apart and completely out of control. When this happens, old ways of doing things often no longer work, and no matter how much we try to do things “the way we’ve always done it,” it just doesn’t seem to work anymore. This can feel uncomfortable, out of sorts, clumsy, and appear like a crumbling house of cards. What do you do in these circumstances? How do you respond when old ways of being in the world no longer work and life seems out of whack?
Messiness and “falling apart” is the most natural element of growth, transformation, newness, and change. No matter how much we try to keep things “manageable and controlled,” the messiness is often just unavoidable. Old habits, activities, beliefs, patterns, etc. have to crumble and dissolve in order for there to be room for new perspectives and opportunities to arise and take place. You can’t hold on to old beliefs, AND experience growth and newness – you have to let go of the old in order to experience the new. The crumbling away is not always clean-cut and easy-going, but it’s absolutely essential in order for transformation and newness to arise and flourish. Are you ready to let go of the old and experience the depth and freshness of the new?
How might you embrace the messiness of the unknown during times of transition?
How might you embrace the appearing “destruction,” knowing it’s completely necessary as part of the growth and transformational process?
How might you navigate change with relative ease amidst the appearing chaos?
Carole Griggs, Ph.D. 2014
