Samurais don’t run in the rain…

The plane was on the tarmac and the clock ticked past departure time.  The captain then announced ‘Ladies and gentlemen apologies for the delay.  A passenger was running to get to the aircraft and tripped and hurt himself.  Ground staff are attending to him and medical help is on the way.  His luggage is also being off loaded’.  You could feel a wave of empathy through the packed aircraft, a lot of people were possibly thinking ‘That could have been me’.

While we were waiting for the plane to depart I was immediately reminded what my mentor Peter Cook often says ‘Samurais don’t run in the rain’.  Samurais in Japan operate from a deep place of calm, even when it’s raining, instead of dodging and ducking among eaves, and messing with umbrellas, they choose to calmly stride through the rain.  What a powerful image.

The rain for me is a metaphor for life, with all it’s busyness, meetings, over flowing in boxes, multiple projects, pressing deadline, demands of work and life.  In our busy, busy time poor lives it’s always raining.  Everyday we have to make the choice. Do we walk through the rain, still with a sense of purpose, achievement and urgency or do we run, living right on the edge of chaos, never knowing when that chaos might swallow us?

I know I certainly have days where I feel I am running in the rain. This is when perhaps I do my least good work and perhaps serve my clients and myself least.  But on days when I walk in the rain, I not only do my best work, I achieve more, serve my clients better and am a better person to be around, more relaxed and funny (even if I say so myself!).  What about you?  What strategies do you use to walk in the rain?  I would love to hear your thoughts.