We crave direction

Covid has exposed so much. It has lifted the veil of fantasy that so many of us lived underneath, exposing the raw truth of a world that many had no idea existed. Racial inequity and injustice. A dysfunctional and impotent government. The realization that we have no control. It can be scary and overwhelming to be thrust into reality, like a baby being born and seeing daylight for the first time.

One thing that I find many clients are striving for is direction. They just want to be told what to do and how to cope. They want to know how to “get out of this funk” or “become unstuck”. After fumbling through darkness for 7 months looking for a light, people are just tired. We’ve begged for leadership and instead have to settle for a bumbling fool, forced to navigate a new normal on our own.

We all want someone to make it easy; to just give us the answers. The unfortunate truth, however, won’t come from another. It will come from within us. We don’t have control over the grander world but we do have control over how we react to it. So when we search for answers on how to move forward in a world that seems on pause it’s best to change our perspective. Instead of looking to the universe as a whole look at the universe you inhabit.

We can’t change the world around us. But we can change the one inside. Focus on what you can control. Focus on you, your values and your goals. And let the rest of the world adjust to reality. While it might be painful at first we are in the early stages of true change. We are slowly working to heal centuries of injustice. It’s not going to feel good but it will feel right.