We don’t know what the future holds. It can be hard to see what to do next or how the decisions we need to make today will play out in the future. This can be terrifying and paralysing. We crave certainty and try to control our environment and lives. And yet we can’t.
Those of us working in or impacted by change know this too well. Especially those working in innovation or digital transformation. Are we creating a better future or will the changes lead us to dystopia?
More than any characteristic, courage is the most important for leaders and change makers to practice. Courage to decide. Courage to be vulnerable and lead with grace, empathy, and compassion. But most of all courage to take the next step. Not courage for the whole journey, just enough to move us beyond the self-doubt and take the next step.
The Henri Nouwen quote below hung on our fridget growing up and I remember it most days. Perhaps it will encourage you too.
Often we want to be able to see into the future. We say, “How will next year be for me? Where will I be five or ten years from now?” There are no answers to these questions. Mostly we have just enough light to see the next step: what we have to do in the coming hour or the following day. The art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark. When we are able to take the next step with the trust that we will have enough light for the step that follows, we can walk through life with joy and be surprised at how far we go.
Henri Nouwen
What is the step you need to take today?
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