There comes a point in both communal and individual life when what we have created no longer sustains us; we are often disoriented when we realize that this is so. Similar to immersion in a coherent piece of music, we have been going along in a certain octave and key, and the flow of that music carries us well enough.

But sometimes we reach a point when we need to change octaves or shift to a different key. The piece of music that has carried us is no longer sufficient, no longer true. Yet, nothing new has been written. We experience the loss of the old without anything to replace it. In Greek mythology, the phoenix burns down to a pile of ashes before it rises. This pause between a destructive cycle and rebirth is most difficult.

Read more of this blog on the Huffington Post:

All of existence cycles between movement and rest. The breath flowing in and out of the body animates and then is released. When we work out, we tear muscle and then rest that muscle so that it heals in order to get stronger. Yet our organizations, more often than not, do not respect this oscillating rhythm. Somehow, we have gotten into the habit of putting the gas pedal to the floor and driving as fast and as furious as we can. Most organizations respect one rhythm only, and that rhythm is relentless. Creation cycles through four stages: 1) birth; 2) a time of sustenance that nurtures growth; 3) a time of concealment in which what is at work cannot be directly observed; 4) and a period of decay and death. Within organizations, we tend to favor birth and periods of growth and ignore concealment and decay or death. Cycles of death are often hoisted upon us, such as a committee that has outgrown its function or a company that winds up in bankruptcy. But the cycle that is most glaringly absent in business is concealment.

The Day the Music Died: A Path to a New Way

Respect the Creative Process: Wake Up and Let Yourself Rest