Fluent
I would like to live
Like a river flows,
Carried away by the surprise
Of its own unfolding.
-John O’Donohue
As an executive coach in Omaha, I often reflect on the metaphors that nature gives us, and few are as powerful as the river. Waterways like rivers, lakes, and oceans bring me peace whenever I’m near them. Each body of water has its own unique gifts that draw me to it.
- Lakes can be so still that they create perfect reflections of the world around them.
- Oceans are tuned into magnetic pulls of the universe and create rhythms of reassuring waves.
- But rivers are especially unique because they’re going somewhere. They have a flow that feels like a mission. They are always seeking the easiest path forward.
Thanks to the generosity of my niece, I was able to spend a lovely weekend on the Mississippi River. Several storms had passed through Minnesota in the previous weeks, and the river was high and flowing fast. In some parts of the state, it flowed over its banks, making roads and parks inaccessible.
And even though the water was moving quickly, there was something peaceful about it. It wasn’t worried about where it was going. It was simply seeking the lowest point it could flow into, the easiest place with no boundaries.
Rivers remind you to stop attaching to outcomes and allow yourself to be surprised by how your life might unfold.
Attaching to outcomes often forces us to move against the flow of life.
We find ourselves chasing goals that aren’t ours. Just like in mindset coaching for entrepreneurs, rivers teach us that resistance often leads us away from where we’re meant to go.
We work so hard to paddle upstream when we really want to just let go and be carried by the waters of our own existence.
Letting go doesn’t mean life will always be easy. Some days, you’ll feel like you’re white water rafting on a raging river. Other days, you’ll be at peace like a lazy river. But you have to stick with it.
There’s a flow to your life. One that you can only discover if you give yourself the space and freedom to let go and observe all that’s around you. Can you allow yourself to be “carried away by the surprise of its own unfolding?”
If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner in Omaha, maybe it’s time to let go of what’s no longer serving you and give yourself permission to discover the next chapter. Reach out if you’re ready to take the next step forward. I’d love to help you get there.
What are you holding onto that it’s time to let go of?