Balancing Reflection

I received two important pieces of advice once while taking an ocean paddle boarding course. I will cover the first of those today and the other in a future reflection.

The advice: As soon as you stand upright on the board, put your paddle in the water and start moving. It's like a bike - You wouldn't expect to get a bike balanced on both wheels first and then start moving. Forward momentum is needed.

This pearl was very helpful as we started just past the breakers.

It is also a solid metaphor that can be applied elsewhere.

After recovering from chaos or burnout, the key to equilibrium isn't just trying to remain upright - it's to start moving. After a setback, we all need rest and recovery. However, staying in rest and recovery for too long robs us of making meaningful contributions - which in and of itself is rejuvenating. So, we can't necessarily wait for a perfect feeling of balance to get started again. Sometimes, we need momentum to find balance.

There is a corollary to this principle. As part of a group doing some groundbreaking work, we have undertaken much research and had many meaningful discussions. Recently, when the question was posed, do we think we proceed with "x" or wait? One of our astute working group members said, "Sometimes, you need to be moving to determine if you're going in the right direction." (I think we've all experienced that with our GPS in hand navigating a new city). In other words, after enough due diligence, it's time to make the best decision you can with the information you have on hand and reassess down the road with the resulting information.

Reflection: Where and when does this apply to you? What are you waiting on to start moving? How do you know you've done enough research? What will you make it mean if you get started and learn something that makes you second guess? How could you use that as data to pivot or do it differently next time? What's it costing you not to get started?

I love the feeling of getting upright (even after a fall off the board) and gaining momentum to steady myself. I hope you find joy in the process and learning.