Today we find ourselves in a time of great uncertainty and instability. It seems that anything can happen at any time, be it economic, environmental, health-related or people-related. Where do we anchor ourselves in such times? When our previous anchors come loose, what can we do? What is certain and unchanging? There are three inner anchors that are always certain and unchanging, even in the midst of big external changes and uncertainty.
The first anchor is our sense of identity. Who am I? What am I? Is this anchored in something certain and unchanging? Do you base it on your profession or job role? Is this something permanent? The first inner anchor is to base our sense of identity deeply within ourselves, on our core, in the heart of our being. Here we are at rest and completely peaceful. We can discover and experience this unchanging identity in meditation. When we are anchored to our inner identity nothing can shake us.
The second anchor is our purpose. Everything has a purpose. Take a chair, car, flower… all have their own unique and valuable purpose. Purpose is something innate to us, it is something we have come to give. It’s a calling or a feeling. When we aren’t aligned to it we are discontent. So, if I am a peaceful being, for example, what would my purpose be? What would I share? Being the presence of peace? When we are anchored to our purpose we know our gift and contribution to the world.
The third anchor is our overall direction in life. Where are I going? Do I know? When we are know our direction we know which turn in the road to take. If you aren’t sure start by choosing the roads that keep you well or that will have the bigger positive result. When we are anchored to our direction we know the right decisions to make and what to do.
Another way of looking at this is: capability, will and focus. Our capability is our speciality, that which makes us unique and is innate to us. To share and express this we need the will (purpose) and the focus (direction). If we don’t have the focus we will go all over the place and if we don’t have the will we will never get going.
It is also helpful to remember that as human beings we have an underlying communality. For instance, when people are asked what makes a good relationship, the answers are the same no matter what our culture, religion or background is. What is unpredictable, is others and our own reactive behaviour. We can, though, become less reactive and more stable within ourselves. A good method is to learn the art of seeing the bigger picture. This enables us, for example, when someone is behaving angrily, to allow them their past, have understanding for their present and good wishes for their future.
To withstand the big storms, strengthen these anchors in advance. Then, if a crisis does come, we will find ourselves reacting and panicking less and more able to help. The more we are aware of our true identity, deep value and what we have to share, the stronger and more able we become. We are able to thrive in uncertainty.
