The BOLD (A Timely Topic)
I set the theme for March last June. I have a calendar that indicates the monthly themes on which I will write and the theme for this month is Succumb to Courage. Last June I could not have imagined how relevant this topic about courage, fear, discomfort, and hope would be. I’m grateful that past me sent this little gift to present me.
According to Lexico.com, fear is “an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that something or someone is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.”
We can argue that if it was entirely unpleasant, we wouldn’t seek it out in movie theatres and amusement parks. However, the fear that is palpable around us in this moment in time is not pleasant. It is also not conducive to good decision making.
What happens if we choose to embrace the change and ride the wave rather than be swamped in the surf?
The Whisper (Wolves at the Gate)
The walls of the city are tall, and the gate is barred with a band of iron. Safe in their beds, the residents snuggle under their quilts, unaware of what the watchmen on the walls hear.
Wolves have arrived in the woods. Hungry, dangerous wolves are baying at the moon and coming ever closer to the walls.
For those who never leave the city, the danger is minimal. The walls will protect them. However, almost everyone must leave the walls at some time. The merchants must travel to the markets in other towns. The woodcutter must bring back firewood. The cooks must forage. Almost everyone must venture out.
And the wolves are waiting. Eventually, everyone will hear them, and everyone will face a choice.
Change happens when we answer an opportunity or rise to a challenge. This is the first phase of the Clarity Design Cycle™. Change is provoked either by us or by forces outside of us. Sometimes we lure the wolves to the gate and sometimes they arrive on their own.
Either way, there are wolves.
Courage, Creativity and The Big Opportunity
In the face of provocation, we can either retreat or advance. In retreat, we fall back on old patterns, choose activity that doesn’t really address the provocation but that feels good. For instance, a terrible letter arrives from the IRS and we choose to organize the spice cabinet rather than open the envelope.
In retreat, we plant our feet, place our hands over our ears, squeeze our eyes shut and chant, “La la la” to drown out the threat. To be clear, wolves aren’t fooled by this. As a matter of fact, they prefer prey that is blind, deaf and stock still.
In order to advance, we must seek innovation and apply courage.
What served us before will not serve us in the new field of endeavor. By applying our creativity, we can discover new tools, develop new strategies, and create the new thing that will answer the provocation.
In order to try the thing that no one has seen before, we must have courage. In order to defeat the wolves, we might have to leave the gates of the city. We might need to enlist the cooperation of the terrified villagers who have crawled out from under their quilts to face the howling in the dawn.
We must have courage to trust our vision. We must have courage to lead and we must have courage to persist when the challenge threatens to overwhelm us.
I promise you.
- Things will change. Wolves will arrive whether you call them or not.
- If you choose to remain the same, you are giving the wolves the advantage.
- If you choose to approach the provocation with creativity, you can find new ways to thwart the wolves.
- If you invest your response with courage, you increase the likelihood that you will outwit and outlast the wolves.
NOTE: I love wolves. There are astounding, beautiful animals. I highly recommend this statement from Wolf.org which explains that wolves are actually very rarely dangerous to humans.
The metaphor was just too beautiful to resist and I apologize to the wolves. They’re just doing their job and for the most part, when they are healthy, they leave us alone.
Fear of wolves is like many other fears. We are more afraid of the thought of the wolves than we are of any real danger they may pose. Just a thought.
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