“I just need the world to stop so I can catch up”

There's no easy way to say this. Being in chaos sucks.

Nobody wants to be stuck in chaos. It feels like the world is spinning, and you can’t catch up. It affects you, your clients, your family and everybody around you. It’s like having too many glass plates spinning at once, threatening to come crashing down.

Chaos is one of the most unproductive states to be in. It’s utterly exhausting. It decreases your productivity and effectiveness and increases your stress-response state, which further inhibits performance.

On top of that, chaos puts your relationships at risk at an employee level, client level, supplier level and family level.

I have a client who is addicted to chaos …

Let’s call this client Noni. She is addicted to chaos and drama.

One day, we were having a coaching conversation, and she was talking to me about the chaos. I asked her whether she felt like she was addicted to it. To her credit, Noni thought about the question for a moment, then admitted, “Yes, I am addicted to the chaos.”

Once she realised this, we were able to work through the steps on how to change some of her behaviours and habits. We wanted her to feel calm, at peace and mindful.

It’s a choice …

The truth is, you can move from chaos to calm. But you must choose to do it. Stillness, patience, being mindful – all these things help us move away from the chaos and embrace the calm.

The first step is to recognise the chaotic state you are in. Then, you can create a plan that will get you out.

As you work through your plan, you will discover a new pain. It's called confusion. You will feel like you're swimming through treacle. You’ll realise how much needs to be done, and it may feel overwhelming. The benefit of this is you know you’re on the right track. But it’s important you don’t sit in paralysis too long. Action is better than inaction!

How do I know? We have all been there. Yes, even me.

Now, let me tell you about Jasmine …

Jasmine was in a painful position. Her business had grown too quickly, she had just split with her business partner, she had ever-increasing business costs, and it looked like she was about to go bankrupt. She was busy working in her business rather than focusing on it. She felt paralysed, but doing nothing was not an option if she wanted to stay in business.

Jasmine came to the realisation that her situation was not sustainable, so she worked incredibly hard to move away from the chaos (and I can tell you, it is an ongoing challenge). She employed some excellent strategies and enlisted the necessary support, and has since made significant steps towards creating the life of calm she wants.

Escaping the chaos isn’t easy – but it’s worth it

As you begin to break free from the chaos, you will start to get some wins on the board, and you will begin to focus on what's really important to your success. You’ll have days when you think, “Yes, I nailed that,” but you’ll worry about getting too cocky because it wasn’t that long ago when you were in chaos and confusion, and you know you could go back there at any moment.

Escaping the chaos is about being in the moment, realising, “Wow, I am enjoying the work, I am engaged, I feel in control and I know what the next steps are.” You become effective and the people around you have an enjoyable experience with you because of your new-found clarity.

It all starts with your mindset. I'm not saying it's easy, but I am saying it's a choice you can make.

So, what choice will you make? Chaos or calm?

If you find you’re struggling with this, I’d love to help you. Email me at [email protected]

Thanks for reading- if you found this post helpful, please click ‘like’, or share with your connections. And of course, if you’re so inclined, please feel free to connect with me here on LinkedIn.

Bio: Emma McQueen is a Melbourne-based executive and leadership coach with over 20 years experience in recruitment, human resources and leadership development. Emma has worked with leadership teams across the corporate and not-for profit sectors and as a Hogan accredited coach is an advocate of personality profiling and strengths assessments to help clients tap into their self-awareness to reach their full potential. Find out more about Emma’s coaching here.