Now What?

Inspired by Viktor Frankl and the Stoics

Photo by Paolo Bendandi on Unsplash

We like to think we are in control of our own destiny. But we are not. Life happens. Yes, fortunes are not immune to influence — we can improve the odds, but that does not mean the world is within our control.

“I don’t like the idea that I am not in control of my life.” — Neo in the Matrix

The stock market falls, the board of directors loses faith in your leadership — the project is canceled.

“Often, when a man is young and idealistic, he believes that if he works hard and does the right thing, success will follow.” — Boyd

These are the vicissitudes of life — no one is immune, no matter how many bases we cover or how hard we work. Perpetual safety and success is an illusion and when the potential challenge becomes the unavoidable reality, only one question remains — what will we do?

To wring our hands over the difficulty placed at our feet is to live in the past — robbing us of the present. The time to lament our loss is over. Head up, shoulders back. What matters now is our response.

“And you must never panic. When they surprise you, even if the surprise seems fatal, there is always a countermove.” — Boyd

Will we make the most of the tectonic shift when it happens to us? Will we be resourceful instead of asking for resources? Will we support the new mission or lament the loss of the old one? Most importantly, will we focus less on ourselves and more on the people around us as they too, knocked off-balance, work to steady themselves to the new reality?

‘Not taking things personally is a superpower.’ — James Clear

Yet we are human and emotions rule the day. Grieve if you must, but don’t let it turn into grief. Give yourself time to mourn and then move on. It’s work after all. Move forward.

Even in the darkness, there is hope. You’re here, you’re alive, and that means you can choose to learn, to grow, and to contribute. No one is handed a paved downhill road in life or the key to the executive washroom on their first day at the office. As always, it’s up to us, and what matters most is our response, and in our reply, our character revealed.

“The last of human freedoms, to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, is to choose one’s own way.” — Victor Frankl

Ok, things didn’t go your way. Now what?

P.S. It’s taken me a long time to come to this perspective and I haven’t always lived up to the above, but I try, and I’ll keep trying. Awareness that there is a better way is a good beginning.