Between Here & Beyond Our Control
As I wait to pay for toothpaste and soap at the pharmacy, glossy red lines on the floor mark the correct standing position and distance between customers.
Outside the pharmacy and on the next block, a line of people forms in front of the supermarket — just 15 people at a time are allowed inside of this store. There are no marks on the sidewalk but everyone awaiting entrance seems to have a natural sense of the appropriate distance between one another.
Of course, here in Catalunya and across Spain, many distances are carefully considered these days.
But, there is one distance I am prioritizing above the others during this time.
The first distance I measure every day is the space between Here and Beyond Our Control. Or more accurately, my own position on this spectrum and then, its distance to the end points.
To lose this perspective eliminates a critical tracking device in our lives.
Without attention to this gap, Beyond Our Control encroaches upon Here.
When Beyond Our Control is empowered:
- Presence is minimized.
- Sanctuaries are weakened.
- Simplification is destabilized.
- “Checking out” mode is enabled.
- Patterns of negativity are emboldened.
Here is an acceptable place in which to focus more attention. Maybe not all of your attention but why not more?
Perhaps the most compelling case for closer to Here is simply this:
When we slide towards Beyond Our Control, we give away our ability to let go.
Here is a “letting go” machine. This machine filters out noise and negativity that exist Beyond Our Control.
Here, we create a cleaner space from which to choose and serve our pursuit of better.
Operating this machine is a practice — not a practice of much time or energy. Just a practice of consistency.
What is the first step?
A small step towards Here…
And a small step away from Beyond Our Control.
With gratitude,
-Joe
Connect with Joe:
5 With Joe Performance Coaching
I coach established and experienced professionals, who feel stuck in place, to thrive in transition and bring focus to what matters most without compromising their lives.
I position my experiences winning an Olympic Gold Medal, serving as CEO of a national sports organization, and my current “Simple, Slower, and Less” lifestyle in the Catalan Pyrenees to form accountable and transformative collaborations that see my clients create their next and most impactful chapter.
