There’s a quote I return to often–especially when life feels full, fast, or just plain hard:
“You can’t stop the waves. But you can learn to surf.”
–Jon Kabat-Zinn
Lately, I’ve been adding a quiet postscript of my own:
“And you can also remember the stillness beneath.”
Because here’s what I know–both in my life and in my work with leaders navigating pressure, change, and uncertainty:
Life will bring waves. Emotions will rise. Change will crash.
But there’s always a current of calm.
And we forget that at our own expense.
Sometimes, it’s not about finding the perfect still moment–
But simply remembering it’s there.
Even in motion. Even in complexity. Even when it feels just out of reach.
Sometimes, it’s as simple as a single breath.
Stillness, I’ve learned, isn’t passive.
It’s not stagnation.
It’s presence. Discernment. Deep-rooted clarity.
It’s the ability to pause in a world that rewards urgency.
And it’s the capacity to remember yourself–and the values you want to lead with–before reacting to the noise.
It’s the part of us that doesn’t flinch at the swell–because it remembers:
This, too, is movement.
And this, too, will pass.
