Inspiration from the Ocean and the Clouds

I am blessed to travel every few months. I get to see the sights, try new foods, and immerse myself in the local culture. I find it inspiring to change my perspective. Two trips in the last year have been instrumental to my current situation and my future.

Last October, I visited the Oregon coast for the first time. I headed west from Eugene with no plan of which way to go when I hit the ocean, north or south. A lovely person at a coffee shop in Florence suggested north, so off I went. I stopped at sights whose names compelled me to investigate them. Near the end of my day, I reflected on a few lessons the ocean had taught me.

Each wave that rolled to shore was unique, both in size and impact. Each wave was as breathtaking as it was deafening and destructive. Some were smaller and followed behind a massive one. Some rolled in adding water to the sand, and some took sand away.

The waves reminded me that there are times when I should follow and times when I should lead. There are times when I should be loud and attract attention, and times when I should be subtle and tranquil. And, there are times when I should add energy to my surroundings and times when I should just be.

That trip and the realization of going with the flow was the catalyst that guided me to reinvent my coaching business!

Then, on a recent flight from Harrisburg, PA to Detroit, MI, I observed the clouds like I never have before. As we came upon Detroit, we descended below the cloud deck and were met with turbulence. We ascended back above the clouds. Detroit was completely clouded over, but above them was the blinding sun. The clouds were thick, so we cut through them like they were bread. It dawned on me that we could all benefit from being more like these clouds.

Clouds don’t need permission to adapt and change direction, and neither do you. Sometimes we keep our heads down and push forward toward a goal. We would be better served to slow down, assess our situation, and update that goal. A client once thought that to be authentic, they had to stay the course on the goal as they had written it. I disagreed. I believe that to be true to yourself, you have to admit when circumstances have changed and that your direction needs to change. Clouds shift with the winds above and elevation below. Permit yourself to adapt to your surroundings. You get to decide when to go unnoticed like the lone cloud in the big blue sky or when to take a shape that draws the eye.

The ocean and the clouds are magnificent, and so are you. Just as you stand in awe of them, do the same to yourself and the path that led you to this day.

Are you ready to reinvent yourself? Email me at Tracy@PrioritizeAndThrive.com

This blog was written by Tracy with absolutely no use of AI.