Motivation at work and forces beyond our control

The idea for this post is from a conversation with someone in one of my free coaching sessions. I set aside a few 30min spots each week to talk with anyone about things work, career, or product related. Book one here .

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God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

We all think we posses the wisdom in the serenity prayer, yet so often we push and strain against forces out of our control: the market, the government, the users of our products, our execs and bosses.

Suffering and sitting idle leads to despair, so we must do something, but in the face of overpowering force, what can we do?

Being from a farming family in Poland, I’ve listened to many kitchen conversations about the weather. They are always short and matter-of-fact, even when consequences are dire. Farmers know there’s little use raging against Mother Nature. If you plow wheat from a water-logged field the seeds will mold; if you sow seeds before the soil thaws they won’t grow. Farmers are forced to consider what they can do instead, so they sharpen their tools, fix their machines, and prepare a plan for when the weather changes.

Mother Nature makes her force obvious, in the man-made world it's harder to tell. A couple clues that you're dealing with a force beyond your control:

1. You've been trying hard and nothing has changed.
2. You're complaining (or worse, angry).

If this resonates, try a thought experiment where you accept that thing won't change?–?what would you do? You might be surprised at what you com up with.