Flux

What if change wasn't something to fear, but rather the greatest opportunity for growth and discovery?

1. Run Slower to Find Balance

Life often feels like an endless race, pushing us to keep up with shifting goals. But instead of accelerating, we benefit by slowing down. When we pause, we connect with our values and rediscover what truly matters. For April Rinne, the loss of her parents challenged her to reevaluate her life's pace, ultimately leading her to embrace a slower and more mindful way of living.

The idea isn't to stop moving or growing. Slowing down means making deliberate choices that align with your priorities instead of blindly chasing societal benchmarks. By stopping to reflect, you can make healthier decisions, reduce stress, and enjoy a more sustainable lifestyle. Paradoxically, this approach can make you more productive, not less.

Simple practices such as taking a few minutes of silence daily can open up your true self. These pauses provide clarity, helping you focus on what’s essential rather than getting caught in the swirl of daily demands.

Examples

• Choosing mindful activities like hiking, similar to how the author took up a guiding job in Italy to reset her pace.
• Allocating time to silence each day to tune into your thoughts and surroundings.
• Deciding against working overtime to spend quality moments with loved ones.

2. See the Invisible During Uncertainty

In times of change, many of us rely on limited viewpoints shaped by upbringing and privilege. But opening your eyes to the invisible forces around you, like cultural perspectives or unseen biases, can help you navigate life better. Indigenous beliefs, such as the Haudenosaunee’s concept of "orenda," showcase how unseen energies can shape one’s understanding of the world.

Awareness of privilege is one way to uncover what’s invisible. Your position in life—your access to education, nutrition, or stable shelter—comes with advantages others might lack. Acknowledging these truths broadens your point of view, allowing you to empathize and innovate. It also helps you better adapt when those privileges shift or disappear.

Broad vision can also result in systemic change. By critically reviewing Harvard Business School's reading materials, Laura Huang replaced entrenched voices with a more diverse list of authors, fostering inclusivity. More balanced perspectives lead to better decisions, in personal and professional life.

Examples

• Identifying areas in your life where privilege impacts your decisions or opportunities.
• Seeking out media, books, or conversations highlighting perspectives different from your own.
• Advocating for balanced representation, like updating school or workplace reading lists.

3. Find Yourself Through Getting Lost

Sometimes the best way to move forward is to accept being lost. Different cultures view change differently; where Western ideals often cling to stability, others, like Indian society, acknowledge transformation as a constant. By adopting the latter approach, you learn to explore the unknown like an exciting journey.

"Coddiwomple," a term meaning purposeful wandering, symbolizes this. When getting lost, whether geographically or mentally, you gain insights and opportunities you'd never come across by sticking to a rigid path. Travel, for instance, offers countless lessons when you're open to unfamiliar surroundings and experiences.

If you face setbacks—be it career disruptions or life’s unpredictability—embracing the situation as a chance to reset can lead to growth. Letting go of "shoulds" and leaning into the unpredictable can foster resilience and a fresh outlook.

Examples

• Exploring a new city without relying on GPS, uncovering unexpected gems.
• Viewing pandemic disruptions as moments to reevaluate personal goals or career paths.
• Engaging with different cultural practices while traveling, as the author did in Romania.

4. Build a Life Rooted in Trust

In today’s world, trust often feels absent, especially in institutions or public figures. However, trust can be the foundation of personal and collective growth. Operating from a mindset of trust allows for curiosity, innovation, and stronger connections.

Organizations designed on trust can flourish. BlaBlaCar, a ridesharing service, thrives by allowing strangers to travel together—proving that trusting others can create solutions on a massive scale. Similarly, Wikipedia’s success is built on collaborative trust among its contributors.

A culture of trust boosts creativity and morale. In the workplace, transparency and open communication—whether sharing financials or delegating tasks—foster trust. Trusting employees to set fair goals, for example, can enhance their own accountability and relationships too.

Examples

• BlaBlaCar’s model of trust allowing millions to share rides seamlessly.
• Wikipedia becoming a reliable and ever-expanding resource through global cooperation.
• Open salary structures helping organizations establish transparency and shared confidence.

5. Know What "Enough" Means

Modern life often pushes us to want more—money, power, recognition. But this relentless pursuit leaves people empty because the benchmarks always shift. Understanding your "enough" can help you step off the hamster wheel and instead focus on lasting contentment.

Indigenous traditions differentiate fleeting happiness from enduring contentment. Finding enough means stripping unnecessary desires to focus on meaningful relationships, internal peace, and shared community success. It’s a recalibration of what you truly value.

It’s also about subtraction, not accumulation. Whether canceling obligations that no longer serve you or redefining sustainable living standards, knowing your "enough" gives freedom. On a wider scale, societal facts like Sweden’s worker retraining programs serve as examples where redefining “enough” ensures well-being even amid technological change.

Examples

• Decluttering by donating unused belongings or streamlining commitments.
• Using contentment, not external validation, as your measure of success.
• Sweden’s approach to automation, balancing economic growth with worker security.

6. Rethink Career Paths as Portfolios

Gone are the days of linear careers. The future demands flexibility, with professionals adapting multiple roles over time or at once. This mindset offers resilience during turbulence, broadening financial and personal horizons.

A portfolio career allows flexibility. You could alternate between diverse pursuits, like Alex Cole, who shifted industries every decade. Alternatively, combining roles simultaneously, like juggling consulting and teaching part-time, diversifies income sources and skillsets.

It’s not just reactive—being proactive equips you for inevitable workplace automation or job shifts. Defining your strengths and matching seemingly unrelated skills can open up new, satisfying career paths.

Examples

• Someone shifting between different industries over decades, as Alex Cole did.
• Individuals managing simultaneous, diverse roles (e.g., teacher and seasonal writer).
• Adapting your skills to fill unique needs—like providing travel-specific legal advice.

7. Put Humanity First in a Tech-Filled World

Technology connects us faster but can alienate us too. Endless screens and notifications lead to disconnection and mental health struggles. By prioritizing humanity over devices, you can make technology a useful tool rather than a crutch.

Balancing digital intelligence—your ability to engage meaningfully with tech—starts with intentionality. Knowing when to unplug, practicing online safety, and reclaiming offline emotional connections enhance your well-being.

Grief, for example, showcases how humanity and digital spaces collide. While online forums allow shared sorrow, personalized and genuine in-person support reminds us of our shared humanity.

Examples

• Setting times to disconnect from all screens and focus on face-to-face interactions.
• Using technology intentionally for connection rather than as a time filler.
• Supporting friends experiencing loss through meaningful action, not just texts.

8. Let Go of Future Expectations

Expectations about the future can trap you in fear or frustration when plans fail. By letting go of predictions, you open up possibilities for unforeseen opportunities. Shifting your mindset from control to adaptation is freeing.

Focusing on flexibility—responding to changes instead of trying to pre-plan them—improves resilience. For instance, the author coped with her parents’ loss by exploring alternate futures she could embrace instead of clinging to prescribed outcomes.

Learning to expect change helps you manage it calmly. You can view disruptions not as setbacks but as openings, reframing challenges into exciting unknowns.

Examples

• Writing down alternative futures you could be happy with, as the author did.
• Preparing for possible scenarios rather than rigidly planning your decades ahead.
• Embracing unplanned opportunities when your original plans fall apart.

9. Embrace Simplicity to Welcome Change

By focusing on core values instead of external distractions, you can thrive in an uncertain world. Change, rather than a disruption, becomes a feature of life to welcome rather than fear.

Simplifying commitments ensures clarity and ease during rapid transitions. Whether shedding unnecessary belongings or refining relationships, simplicity builds adaptability. It’s also empowering—it realigns your focus toward pursuits and values worth holding.

This approach also reminds us that change isn’t something we control—but something we learn to navigate with humility. Living lightly, without excess baggage or expectations, lets life surprise you in wonderful ways.

Examples

• Unsubscribing from excessive obligations or newsletters to regain time.
• Spending quality time on treasured connections instead of professional “networks.”
• Approaching life shifts with curiosity, seeing them as part of personal growth.

Takeaways

1. Set aside five quiet minutes daily to practice mindfulness and reflect on what matters most in your life.
2. Write down all the ways your life is changing and, next to each item, list how you could view those changes as opportunities.
3. Identify one area where you can simplify—whether it’s decluttering possessions, clearing commitments, or reducing screen time.