Thriving in chaos

Transcript

Welcome to *Meaningful Work, Remarkable Life*. I’m your host, Brook McCarthy, a business coach, trainer, and speaker, living and working on the unceded lands of the Cammeraygal people here in Sydney, Australia. In this podcast, we explore the paradoxes inherent in working for love and money, magnifying your impact, and doing work you feel born to do. We delve into the intersections of the meanings we bring to work and the meanings we derive from work.

Welcome to this episode, where we’re going to talk about “Thriving in Chaos.” This is part of season four of the podcast, focusing on change. Thriving in chaos is a topic close to my heart, and one I believe everyone can benefit from. What I hear often in my business is business owners saying things like, “When my son finishes his HSC, then I’ll do this thing.” Or, “When my spouse finishes their studies, then I’ll start this project.” We tell ourselves we’ll begin when things calm down, but that mythical future state of perfect organization never seems to arrive.

In this way, we postpone our desires and delay our ambitions. Oftentimes, we never take that big bold step because we’re waiting for an ideal time that will never come. Life, and business, come with chaos. Just when we think we’ve passed one hurdle and it’s smooth sailing from here, the next thing happens.

Now, I want to make this episode a bit cheery because it’s sounding a little doom-and-gloomy, and that’s not the message I want to convey. In about 2014, my partner and I decided to renovate our house. It was a major renovation—we took the roof off (well, our builders did). We had no idea how to hammer a nail straight, so we certainly didn’t do it ourselves, but off came the roof, and we had to move out. Luckily, we were able to move into my parents’ house just down the road.

My parents’ house is a large, open-plan home, and they are very social creatures. At the time, they had tenants living with them, and they entertained guests often. I grew up in a family of entertainers, with my father belting out Frank Sinatra while standing on the table. So, it wasn’t unusual to have gin and tonics at 3 p.m., with another round to follow soon after. My children were quite young, around five or six at the time, so it was chaos, all the time.

Of course, as soon as the roof came off, it rained heavily—not just once, but twice—causing massive damage to the house. We had to replace all the floorboards, though thankfully, the builder’s insurance covered it. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, but I want to make the point again: this is how life works. The universe goes from simple to chaotic, and more complexity brings more chaos. But this complexity is also a sign of progress.

We need to get better at living with chaos. When it comes to resilience, it’s essential to build a greater tolerance for it. Growing a business means moving from simplicity to complexity, and with that complexity comes chaos. Over time, I’ve come to expect chaos during particularly busy periods—when I’m in the middle of a launch, for example. I know technology will break, clients I haven’t heard from in years will pop up, and the payment processor might stop working.

Comfort isn’t thriving. I’ve experienced periods in my business where everything is running smoothly, and yet, I’m not growing or thriving. It’s often during times of great chaos that I learn the most. I’ve seen this in my clients’ businesses too. Some have thrived amidst chaos, while others have crumbled, and much of that has to do with resilience.

Resilience isn’t something we’re born with. It’s not a matter of saying, “Oh well, Brooke, that’s all well and good for you because you must’ve been born like that.” No, chaos is inevitable, and we can’t control external circumstances. Many business owners suffer under the illusion that they can control these things, particularly those who are great at planning.

During COVID, I saw business owners who relied on rigid lead generation strategies struggle because their plans were too inflexible. For example, a business owner who relied on speaking gigs for leads was left without options when events were canceled. This highlights the need for mental agility and flexibility in both business and life.

As the world becomes more complex and uncertain, thriving in chaos will become an increasingly necessary life skill. Chaos can’t be managed or controlled, but it’s a sign of progress. Learning to thrive in chaos isn’t just useful—it’s character-building.

Back to the story of living with my parents—while I was grateful to be able to live with them at a reduced rent, it was far from ideal. The wifi was weak, and the house was full of people. To escape the chaos, I’d often go into the bush, and it was during that time that I created the Non-Planner’s Business Plan. Inspired by the idea that we can’t always plan for the future, I believe clarity arises from taking action, not the other way around.

So, if we can adopt the attitude that clarity is a by-product of action, and that chaos is inevitable, we can make progress without needing to see the entire path ahead. Planning isn’t an insurance policy against disaster, but if we take one step at a time, progress will follow.

Real quick before you go—if this episode has gotten you thinking, excited, or has changed the way you approach business or life, would you do me a favor and write a short review? Your review helps other values-based business owners find this show, and it’s a fantastic gift to me. Thank you!