There is a certain point when it has to be made clear that we are not broken. We are not a failed experiment. The yearning and desire for growth and change that emanates from a place ok lack, or a feeling that, “I am not _____ enough” is flawed and therefore efforts to cure these ills or amend these deficiencies originate from misperception.

Overcoming that misperception is, of course, not a linear process. Its iterative nature allows for as much nuance and creativity as we have the potential for. We are at our cores, all creative beings. The variety and opportunity for the expression of individual practices around embracing our natural states of “wholeness” are held together by one common principle. We need to stop moving through the world believing we are flawed, and change the direction we are headed so we can remember we are enough.

If focus on deficiency is a part of the conversation we are having with ourselves, or our organizations, then that conversation has to stop for growth to occur. I have found for myself, in the face of this misperceived truth, I try to fix the problem. I look for new techniques or specialty solutions or outside council. I go back and forth between trying to will my way through the problem or berating myself or team for not enacting a solution. But what I am not doing is putting down the hammer I’m trying to use to butter my toast.

All the best techniques, solutions, technologies, and systems won’t help if they are not being used in service of the real problem. Using the right tools for the wrong problem can create quite a lot of frustration, not to mention inefficiencies in the long run. I can feel in my body, even in my hands right now as I type, the memory of clenched fists and tight chest that accompany the urgency and anger that arises from this kind of ineffective problem solving.

Overcoming the misperception is a particular challenge if we don’t develop an awareness of it and take time to practice. We need time to calm ourselves in the face of difficulty. We need time to reflect on the essential beautiful qualities of ourselves and organizations. We need to develop practices that cultivate a new perception. We need language that will express this awareness of wholeness and invite the kind of change that we crave.

It’s simple, not easy. We need to take moments to slow down the pace and look out past all the noise and chatter and thoughts. We need to maintain communities that we can call on for support. The conditions are never ideal. The world around us often does not afford us the luxury to slow down when we would like. But the moments we can steal, cultivating our beauty and creative potential, are what we need to build the right tools for the the right problems.