Navigating the Labyrinth of Success

The great Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset once said:

“We cannot put off living until we are ready. The most salient characteristic of life is its coerciveness: it is always urgent, “here and now,” without any postponement. Life is fired at us point blank.”

Understanding this truism, the challenge for all of us is to remain effective, confident and grounded sailing through the labyrinth of life. This can most readily be applied to when challenges interrupt or derail our success.

Step Away to Gain Clarity

One way to do this is to maintain perspective with life’s crosswinds. A good captain not only feels the wind as it’s blowing but, sees the wind as it is approaching, reading a multitude of signals.

When you find yourself in a stressful situation, put yourself in another boat, so to speak. Look at what you are doing, and that of your crew, from an outside perspective. Are your righting the ship or getting it further off course? Is it your course that needs adjusting? Perhaps a crew member is not pulling his/her weight. Maybe outside forces are creating obstacles that could be sending you towards the rocks.

When you can step out of your role as leader and see the whole picture, you’ll gain “choice” in how you comport yourself to resolve the situation versus reacting to it involuntarily.

After taking a step back, what is a situation you can now see more clearly? Share it in the comments. Thanks! – sg