noun. the state of being stable.
I love playing Jenga. The act of carefully removing a brick, the art of tentatively resetting it to balance the next tier is a game of stability. I have a good eye for which bricks will be easier to gently tap out, and I have a steady hand for gently removing it.
Our lives can sometimes feel like this. Over time each piece moves and changes priority, we focus more on different areas. We become acutely aware of which areas could be weakened, and thereby need strengthening. The reinforcement enables us to carry on, but at times everything comes toppling down and you need to start over, to rebuild.
Playing Jenga alone is not as much fun as playing it with others. Yes, you may have more control over the structure, but the camaraderie, the sense of risk, excitement and anticipation is lacking. Playing Jenga with others can be frustrating when you can see that their choice of brick to remove or their repositioning of it weakens the structure for everyone else.
Stability comes in many shapes and forms.
Individual Stability:
We are each responsible for our own sense of stability.
Social Stability:
We are collectively responsible for how we contribute to a collective sense of stability, in a family, in a team or in a community.
Political Stability:
We can critique our government for many things, but we do live in a democratic society where we are politically stable compared to many other countries.
Economic Stability:
We are all anticipating a period of instability as we ride the waves post lockdown, as the economy tries to get back on its feet.
Financial Stability:
We feel stable when we have a regular income, when we are in control of our finances and when we can afford the lifestyles that we have created.
Emotional Stability:
We manage our emotions to stay balanced and to process how we feel.
Physical Stability:
We keep fit to maintain our core strength to keep our bodies stable.
Despite the personal, the social, the emotional and the financial upheaval I have experienced in the last 12 months, I feel very stable. I removed a number of Jenga bricks at the same time, and my tower could have come toppling down but it didn’t. A few layers may have fallen, momentarily, but I have rebuilt them.
Leaving a career, leaving a stable income did give me a few restless nights, but my income is stabilising as I get into the rhythm of working independently.
Leaving a team, leaving a social environment has been another change to process, but I have created circles of support around me to replace that sense of stability.
Leaving London 4 years ago, I reestablished myself in a new area, buying a house last year has given me those roots to ground me.
“Stability is everything. Being it emotional or physical.You need a solid ground to build anything on”.Unknown
My sense of inner stability comes from my financial independence, my emotional resilience and my social support systems. During lockdown I have experienced a lot of peace as I reap the benefits of the choices I have made.
“The key to success is emotional stability”.Warren Buffet
As we stabilise our lives again, as we transition through another set of changes, let’s focus on what centres us and what gives us that sense of inner stability. Let’s make sure we are seeking balance and creating harmony between our priorities, commitments and responsibilities.
Our values root us. Our relationships nourish us. Our commitments ground us. Our vision motivates us. Our mission centres us. Our emotional self-regulation stabilises us.
How can we create a sense of stability for ourselves and for others?
Ethical_Leader 