Start Close In
Start close in,
don’t take the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.
~ An excerpt from Start Close In by David Whyte
Last week we talked about uncertainty. When things are changing and we can’t sense a clear direction, small experiments can give us information that can help us to get our bearings and know where to move. When things are changing, the most dangerous thing is to stand still.
But what if you don’t know what experiments to run? Sometimes the confusion, the pace of change, and the loss of control, are like a fog we can’t see through.
That’s when I get out the David Whyte poem, Start Close In by David Whyte (quoted in part above).
What are you wondering about?
When there’s uncertainty—confusion about what to do next—there are always questions.
Start with whatever questions are on your mind. Make a list if there are too many.
Pick one.
What do you know about that question? What information, if you had it, would clarify your question?
Where can you find that information? Who could you ask? Could you do some research, a cheap, quick survey? Is there a test you could run? An MVP you could create?
Who could help? You don’t have to do this alone. You have a team, you have a network; enlist help.
Get into motion—taking action frequently creates new information, and clarifies next steps. Getting into motion gets us out of our head and into the world.
What are some experiments, or research, that you could run between now and the end of the year, to enable you to start 2025 with clarity and confidence?
