TJIF: Embracing Chaos – Riding the Wave to Find Balance

This week, I want to delve into the topic of chaos. I’ve seen a lot of chaos over the span of my career and for a lot of different reasons—good and bad. I’ve also seen quite a few presidential elections, and none has even remotely compared to this one. With so many differing points of view, it creates conflicting emotions that lead to both internal and external chaos.

Personally, this election chaos has felt like a tidal wave, and I know it will take a long time for it to subside. I feel like I’m floating in the ocean, with the big wave having just passed through. Like the ocean, some moments have been calm, others choppy, with big waves and whitecaps. It’s changing moment by moment, depending on who I’m talking to or what I’m listening to or watching. I prefer a calmer, flowing state, similar to what lies just below the surface chaos of the ocean.

Here are five ways I’m viewing chaos in this moment and trying to find more flow:

1. Chaos can be triggering: It can stir up old emotions you thought were long gone, only to find them front and center again. It might take you back a few years, or even further into your past. Don’t brush off these emotions. Talk to them. Ask them what they need from you. Name them if you have to. It’s also important to examine the underlying feelings behind the emotions. This will help you process them. I’m currently going through this exercise myself.
2. Resisting chaos can make it worse: I wrote about resistance a few weeks back, and revisiting that edition, it became even more relevant as I realized I’ve been creating my own resistance to this type of chaos, which only makes it worse. In a mindset shift, I’m now trying to “surf the curve” of my own resistance—starting by honoring losses, leveraging my emotional data to help me address my needs (and those of others), and getting focused on creating the future I want next.
3. Meeting chaos with curiosity: I’m trying to focus on the source of my emotions around this chaos, rather than my immediate actions in response to them. I’m working to understand the deep angst I’m feeling, much of which is rooted in fear of what’s to come. Given my fear of the unknown, I’m avoiding projecting too far into the future and staying grounded in the reality of the now and the immediacy of what’s next. This seems to be helping in both personal and professional conversations.
4. The chaos might not be yours to own: In line with #3, understanding where the chaos is coming from is critical. Is it your chaos, or someone else’s? Differentiating this is essential to managing it. Once you’ve identified its origin, you can set and enforce proper boundaries for yourself and others. For myself, I’m choosing not to listen to all the continued dissection of the election results. I’m still working on my external boundaries in a “test and learn” environment.
5. Chaos can be a bonding experience: When I was at Edelman, back in the fast-paced growth days of the Digital West business, it was chaos—in a good way. It was so intense that we made t-shirts for the entire team with a graphic of a guy holding onto a pink T-rex and the words “embrace the chaos” on the back. I still have that t-shirt, and it takes me back to the people, the environment, and that experience, which will stay with me for a lifetime.

Reflecting on chaos reminds me of the importance of finding calm within it, setting boundaries, and being open to the lessons it brings. For me, navigating chaos isn’t about eliminating it but about learning to ride the wave, connecting with others through the experience, and coming out more grounded on the other side.

Have a great weekend!