Life is Like Whitewater: 5 Strategies for How to Ride
We all want to live with purpose.
One of my very short-term mentors is Kevin McCarthy. While I was still on the pastoral staff at Clear Creek Community Church, Kevin came in to consult with us. He modeled what expert facilitation looked like and spoke with great skill about organizational vision. One of his books is the On-Purpose Person and this post is taken from it. Kevin skillfully summarizes what I am calling five strategies for making it through life. As you consider these it will help you live with purpose.
Imagine your life to be like a boat on a river of time. You captain your vessel. Some stretches of the river are smooth and quiet; other parts are turbulent with rapids. Most of the river is an endless converging and mixing of currents and conditions that inevitably move you along. The river exists, but its flow is indifferent to your presence. The harsh reality of ‘the real world’ inevitably hits us. How we deal with it matters. I’ve given the responses nicknames: floaters, fighters, fleers, flitters, and navigators.
Strategy #1: Floaters
- Passively resign themselves to accept the river in its present condition
- Aimlessly go along for the ride
- Are unwilling to accept responsibility for altering their experience
- Complain the whole time about how unfair the world is
Strategy #2: Fighters
- Fight the forces of nature
- Glory in ‘victories’ from time to time
- Tout the virtues of perseverance and commitment
- Fail to realize how little control they possess
- Suffer from burnout, stress, and exhaustion because their strategy is futile
Strategy #3: Fleers
- Check out of all responsibility and flee the flow of society
- Fall into self-indulgent behaviors
- Retreat from society in order to cope with their fear
Strategy #4: Flitters
- Jump from job to job, person to person, or place to place
- Are always searching but rarely finding what they’re looking for in life
- Are masters at starting over but rarely take root
- Feel productive because of their busyness, but never gain traction
We may all be floaters, fighters, fleers, or flitters to some degree, but these actions should be a technique, not a way of life. Navigating life and appropriately using these methods is the point.
Strategy #5: Navigators
- Know the flow, navigate to go
- Accept the river and its ever-changing conditions
- Are not resigned to futile determinism
- Have not foolishly tried to change nature’s course
- Do not run away
- Do not panic
The difference between the floaters/fighters//fleers/flitters and the navigators is knowing the river, equipping oneself, and harnessing these resources to work with the flow of water or time. In a couple of words, it’s “lifelong learning.” It’s living with purpose.
Each of us owns unique knowledge and life experiences. Add to this our talents, strengths, and gifts and gird it all with purpose, and we gain a powerful and potent combination. When times get tough, we captain ourselves as best we can or we get a more experienced navigator to guide us. This is why so many people today turn to life coaches to help them accelerate their personal growth and professional development. Coaches are like river guides for life. They bring their perspectives and experience to the situation for our benefit.
This last year, I began my first Personal Vision Cohort–a group of 15-20 people spending 12 months working diligently on finding and aligning their call from God. If you want to follow along with tools and learnings from this cohort, just look for the the keyword “younique.” Check #younique out on Twitter or type it in the search box. It’s going to be a fun year! Let me know if you would like to be a part of the next group!
Tags: On Purpose Person, Will Mancini, strategies, younique
