Are You Swimming Against the Current? What I Realized & Changed.

One of the things that have been top of mind for me during this lockdown period has been how and where I use my energy. About a week and a half ago I found myself feeling quite fatigued, and so I spent some time reflecting on it. Here’s what I came up with.

Carl Sanders Edwards recently spoke at one of Jumpshift’s “Morning Tea with Mark” sessions about the adrenal slump. As somebody who likes to be busy and feel useful and involved, I have found myself spending a lot of energy over the last few months since my return to NZ doing “activity”. Whether that be attending meetings, reaching out to people for coaching and mentoring, or simply trying to find a way around COVID. As a result, I was feeling some fatigue creeping in.

Whilst I have been making some great progress, it hasn’t all gone well and I will admit I have found myself in a different place to where I intended. I had been booked to speak and attend a number of events to share some of the stuff I did overseas, and all of that disappeared in an instant. This sudden shift required significant change management and sparked a deep personal transformation.

As someone who has nearly always been able to push through just about any challenge through sheer force of will, COVID has seen me need to approach things a little differently. The good news is, I’ve been able to bottle that “difference” into something which hopefully connects with others too. This realization has been a catalyst for my personal growth.

I put a model together a couple of years ago when I was coaching overseas. It talks about four different states of being, measured on two axes; and that our existence is like us being in a fast-flowing river. The axes are our effort versus our sense of control toward our goals.

I reflected that I’ve been spending an awful lot of energy swimming against the current. And unfortunately, in some areas, I’ve been swimming against the current! The COVID current also happens to be in the midst of a flash flood with an inevitable extra volume and pressure that even the strongest swimmer might find challenging.

So after a number of conversations with clients and other mentors about what was a struggle right now, I concluded it was utterly okay to just float for a short while.

Floating allows us to be swept along with the current, and recover some energy. The critical piece for me was giving up a sense of control about where I was headed, whilst the current was too much to resist. Floating requires us to accept and be comfortable that we are going to be going in the same direction as everyone else for a bit, and that we are not in control. The danger, of course, is that we are floating down a river with no visibility of what’s ahead and so when a submerged hazard, a rapid or a dangerous waterfall appears, it can come as a surprise. So whilst floating, we need to still be thinking. We then want to gradually move from floating to treading water. Treading water is us being back in more control, with our head up, looking around, making a plan for a future swim, and then setting off swimming against the current when the moment is right.

It struck me that this model was one that I should be sharing more widely in order to help other leaders to be able to put themselves into one of the four quadrants and consider the positive and negative consequences of their current situation.

We all have different energy levels and swimming ability right now but I believe none of us are able to swim against this current. Therefore it makes sense to keep our heads up and marshall reserves of energy for when we make that burst towards the bank, or the big push towards safety. The COVID situation is going to last a lot longer than the four weeks of lockdown and the belief that now we’re out of lockdown, that things will return to normal is, in my opinion, a fallacy. We now have 12 to 18 months of adjustment, resetting, and opportunity. Therefore some strategically planned floating and then treading water might really help survive the long term plan for success. The secret of success in the new normal will be the result of great choices and actions now. My belief is that constantly swimming against the current will not lead to success.

I will be mentoring leaders who are feeling a little bit stuck or unsure where to go next. You and some of your team members might be so tired in this environment that they are actually drowning and simply need some support. And if that is the case for you, I encourage you to reach out as I have some tips and tricks that can move you back to positive action really quickly.

MENTAL HEALTH NOTE – If you are feeling alone or overly worried about things right now, please reach out to me directly for a chat. I am here to listen and want you to know you have someone to connect with who cares.

While sometimes swimming against the current is viewed as a form of nonconformity, individuality, or even rebellion, it is important to recognize when this resistance or defiance is draining your resources. True innovation and originality often require a unique approach, but constant struggle and persistence without strategy can lead to burnout. Whether you are challenging social norms, the mainstream, or dealing with opposition, it is vital to balance your creativity and critical thinking with self-care. Embracing your freedom and autonomy doesn't always mean taking unnecessary risks or engaging in endless opposition.