Untangling The Knot
Centering Thought
Unknotting the chain of our lives frees us to move forward, to take action, and to be our most beautiful and purposeful.
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How frustrating is it to get a knot within the links of a gold or silver jewelry chain? If it has happened to you, I would bet that you at least felt inconvenienced or annoyed. After all, the chain was expensive. With the knot in it, you can no longer wear the necklace. With the knot, the chain becomes disabled, useless, and no longer functional. Unless you plan to do something about that knot that has formed within the links of the chain, unless you plan to take action to unknot the chain…that chain is…STUCK!
I recently asked a new client to make a list of 100 things that she was really good at doing. If you have ever tried to make a list like that 100 is a large number and the items that begin to surface in the last 1/3 of the list tend to be the most insightful because they are free thought based. On her list within that last 1/3… untangling knots in chains! At first glance, although original, I did not think much about this entry. Then it hit me. The ability for her to enjoy and actually be good at untangling a knot in a chain was not at all mundane or simplistic, or simply filler for my client’s list. This knack for undoing knots represented a skillset rich with tenacity, patience, problem solving, and an aptitude for restoring and renewing a mess. Untangling the knots in a chain was metaphorical for releasing the blocks in her life! This simple chain was at the core of her renewal and reinvention!
At its simplest, the knots that tend to happen in chains represent the chain’s deformity, and defects, and imperfections. Untangling those knots frees the chain’s distorted and useless state, letting go of what was not working within its links, and rendering it useful, beautiful, renewed, and ready to welcome in whatever is next. Unknotted chains are chains reinvented. The same is true for humans. Unknotted people are people refreshed and restored and ready for whatever is next. If the knot in our lives represents our fears and blocks, and excuses, then by extension unknotting the chain of our lives frees us to move forward, to take action, and to be our most beautiful and purposeful.
3 Golden Nuggets of Life We Can Learn From Unknotting Chains
Every problem has a solution. Sometimes several! When we take the time to stop and listen to our lives, to evaluate the situation at hand rather than control it, we become more patient. We gain a new perspective in what we CAN do, giving us the ability to untangle our knotty problems. The greatest part is that in this untangle, we connect back to ourselves, our own values, and what is most important to us. We problem solve and become creative. It is that creativity, that ability to look at “problems” from different vantage points that provides the traction to take action on solving them. What can you do?
Let go to let in. When we weave knots into our lives we hold onto negative energy. Like that gold chain, we cannot function when there is a block in the way. The knot is like a security blanket that we are clinging to…it represents the way we have been doing things. The knots in the chain of our lives kink up our abilities to grow because they have us clinging to only what we know in life, never exploring or evolving. Letting go of our bond to what is not working for us, perhaps our bond to the past, or our fears of the future, lets go of these knots and frees us to welcome in renewal and positive energy. It is a simple equation…we need to release what we are tolerating in order to embrace and accept the journey of the rest of our lives.
LIFE IS A CHAIN. The journey of our lives is just like a chain and as such there will be obstacles or knots along the way. Our ability to navigate the loop of life with success and passion is contingent on our ability to allow for imperfection, for detours, for variables both good and bad. When a gold chain gets knotted we have a choice. We can put the chain in a drawer and forget about it. We can give it to someone else to try to fix making it his or her problem. Or, we can embrace the mess, do the work involved to figure out the perplexity of the situation, and learn from the process. Entwined in our ability to pivot and grow within the chains of our individual lives is our ability to choose. We can get stuck at the knots, or we can embrace them and work through them one link at a time. It is a process. What’s next?
Do This Now! Make your own list of 100 things you are good at! Do not dwell or overthink your answers. Yes, you really can come up with 100 things! Now put the list away for 24 hours. Return to the list and look at it with fresh eyes. What jumps out at you? What is on your list between #50-100? Now pull your list apart. In the chain of your life, are these opportunities and possibilities for renewal? Are there items on your list that you really want to explore further, but they represent knots in your personal chain manifesting as fears and excuses? Where can you unknot the chain and connect some of these links of your life? What would that feel like and look like to you? Start. One thing. Unknot the first link. Then another. Reinvent. Refresh. ReYOU!
Randi Levin CPC, founder & CEO, Randi Levin Coaching– is a certified transitional life strategist, author, inspirational speaker, and reinvention expert. She holds a BS Degree in Journalism from The University of Maryland and a professional coaching certification from The Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching. She believes that we have the choice and the power to create our own legacy each and every day. Randi utilizes her Signature GPS Coaching System as a catalyst for her clients to clarify and refresh their journeys, giving them support and permission to pivot, to change, and to ask, “What’s next?” Randi is a contributor and featured expert for Huffington Post, Thrive Global, DivorceForce, Identity Magazine, and a variety of national publications and podcasts. Randi is the creator of Recoloring Life Workshops as featured in The Wall Street Journal. She is also a co-author in the best selling anthology series Get Results! – A toolbox for change and transition.
