We all thought 2020 was put behind us as a crazy year and could look forward to the new year! But lo and behold, it feels like we may have even crazier times right now. It is so easy to get pulled into the drama, the tension, the division of world events whether we talk about politics or the pandemic—or not. It seems rather difficult to find any middle ground.

I miss the days where you could talk to someone with different viewpoints without the harsh judgment, anger, or name calling/labeling coming into play. Often the easiest thing to do is to avoid those conversations flat out. It’s certainly one way of dealing with things, but it is also keeping us apart and furthering the division in some of our closest relationships.

I look at all the chaos in the world right now and a couple of analogies come to mind.

Our Personal Perspective:

We can look at all the events in the world and go into fear, stress, or anger. We can get pulled into the tough undertow, the waves of drama and feel disconnected, isolated, anxious, and find it hard to breathe because we think we are drowning. If you’ve ever gotten pulled into the undertow of strong waves, you know the panic that can start to settle in as you try to reach the top for air but are totally disoriented….does this sound a bit too familiar?

OR…

We can consciously choose to ride the wave of chaos. We can be prepared, bring our surfboard, and plan to have an awesome view as we search for the best waves to ride. We are breathing fresh air, feeling exhilarated, laughing and having fun because we are here to enjoy life! To live in the moment and appreciate the beauty of the nature around us. We may not be so good at surfing, and fall down into the undertow, but we rise up quickly to catch that next wave as soon as possible! And if we are really good at surfing, we will find that perfect wave with the cascading tube of water and maybe even some dolphins, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

We can make a conscious choice to ride the wave and have a wonderful time, even when there is chaos all around us. We can choose to live in a state of gratitude, even with the world looking like it may be falling apart. Or we can choose to feel like a victim, helpless about the circumstances, and spiraling down into deep despair. The choice is ours when we raise our own level of emotional awareness and intelligence.

Personally, I lean into trust a LOT. I trust that life happens for a good reason, that things are happening FOR us not TO us. We are here to learn and grow. I trust that we can co-create a wonderful world when we unite and come together, when we can collaborate and be creative.

I do believe we are watching the collapse of old industrial-based systems that are no longer sustainable. It’s happening all around us whether you look at governments, education, financial, business, medical, or any other system that our world is built on right now – the majority are crumbling. It is a time of huge challenges…but also huge opportunities.

An Organizational Perspective:

The other analogy that comes to mind to help with these times is something that I’ve used to describe Evoloshen and the work that we do with organizations. We have the “old ways” of doing business that are no longer sustainable and we have a new way of thinking that has been emerging for many years now of building companies that people love to work in where there is a bigger purpose, the employees are thriving, and the company has a vibrant and healthy company culture. After all, culture is the glue that holds the company together.

The work that we do at Evoloshen is like a bridge from the old ways to this new way of thinking, shifting from solely profit-driven companies to focusing on the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profits. The bridge to this new world is built on high levels of trust, a bigger purpose, and having a highly engaged culture where your employees are reaching their full potential. The leaders that embrace this and work actively to create this within their companies are finding that their companies can not only accomplish their objectives but surpass them.

We are seeing a shift in both leadership styles but also priorities in organizations. Combine this shift in thinking and running companies with the mindset of creating amazing solutions for the world chaos while also giving the employees a place where they feel safe, valued, and can contribute and we are onto a winning formula!

Whether you are working on managing chaos on a personal, team, or organizational level, we all must start within ourselves first. We must find ways to stay balanced, calm, and in-flow states to optimize our own performance. Because how we show up as individuals in all of our interactions creates a ripple effect into the world. Wouldn’t you like to leave a lasting, positive impression with everyone you meet? It’s simply a matter of choosing to show up as the best version of yourself! If we can all strive towards this, we’ll create the world we’d really like to live in!